A day here should start with great coffee. Artisan Roast, Mr Eion, Modern Standard, Little Fitzroy, Machina or Cornwall import, Origin, can all help with a luscious cup of the black stuff. For breakfast, Singapore Coffee House serves up a Scottish riff on Murtabak alongside your kopi-o or chai, while Ardfern’s eclectic brunch menu features a top-end Full Scottish, kedgeree fritters and thoroughly bougie hash browns.
If you’re up with the lark, head to the pre-opening line at Lannan for Darcie Maher’s famed pastries – mercifully, service now starts at a more leisurely 9 o’clock, so don’t head there before 8. For later risers, the likes of Kvasa, Hobz, The Pastry Section and Patina all showcase great baking prowess without the instagrammable queue, and Harkness Pies eponymous, meaty wares are ideal for a hearty lunch on the hoof. The Palmerston’s ovens also crank out trays of exceptional patisserie and pan loaves, up until their absurdly good value set lunch (often featuring a venison ragu) is served from midday. Come back in the evening for chops, fish, or some seasonal game.
Elsewhere, Chez Jules’ set menu is still the pinnacle of lunchtime bargains in the capital, while Polentoni, Alby’s and Mootz are all doing wonderful things between two slices of bread – the latter channelling the back streets of Florence with their home-made, mortadella-filled Schiacciata. Sotto’s delightful Stockbridge trattoria continues an Italian connection that leads up to the spritz-laden Little Capo, and all the way down to Portobello, where Kip and Gaida, Aemilia’s peerless pasta producers, rattle out a range of hand-made tagliatelle, ravioli and agnolotti. Purchase in hand, pop along to Smith & Gertrude for a sourdough toastie and a glass of something Piedmontese, or to Matto, Razzo or 1926 for a slice of something Neapolitan.
And so, to dinner. Up on Royal Terrace, Stuart Ralston’s spectacular Lyla is his best work yet, celebrated Californian chef Rodney Wages has imported Avery to St Stephen’s Street, and Tomás Gormley's Cardinal is a moody, sumptuous snug at the bottom of the New Town. Timberyard. remains as beautiful a place to dine as ever, and its Abbeymount sibling, Montrose, offers much of the same deliciousness, with the bonus of a well-stocked wine bar on the ground floor. Stockbridge Eating House does a fine turn as a cosy, neighbourhood bistro, a feat mirrored by Morningside’s Fin and Grape, home to some of the best seafood in Scotland. For stellar tacos, check out Chorrito or Paz. For the friendliest of Punjabi plates, head to Sabzi. If you’re exhausted by this point, sit down with a dram or two at The Diggers, and take a breath.
A special mention to the Southside, Edinburgh’s new Chinatown. Hand-pulled or hand-cut, Chonqing or Lanzhou, Noodles Home earns its moniker with ease, and Pomelo’s own hand-ripped noodles, served with braised pork and chilli, are exceptional. Meng Lu’s Diguoji at Xuzhou Ground is being written about back in Jiangsu, and a dozen other tiny restaurants in the area are going far beyond westernised Chinese, serving up provincial dishes from Sichuan, Fujian and Hunan in lieu of the Anglicised staples of yesterday. If you’re in the market for Saturday yum cha, then take a bus out to Imperial Palace, and bring some friends – you’ll find steaming stacks of the best dim sum in the city.
To finish, cake and ice cream. This one’s simple - Lovecrumbs and 101 Bakery for the former, and if you’re willing to queue for your scoops, Mary’s Milk Bar for the latter. If not – Ferdi’s Flavour at Joelato is the correct choice. The weather might not always play ball, but even with a little drizzle on your back, it’s all still delicious.
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