I was labouring under this curious misapprehension that I might have exhausted the nearby “soup and sandwich” places, almost entirely, but once I removed the blinkers, I soon realised that there’s a whole untapped seam heading down towards Leith.

Exterior

I’d spotted Elm Rose on Sunday, following our “healing pizza” trip to La Favorita, and thought it looked rather smart, with its Rennie Mackintosh-styling, and welcoming chalkboards. Restored to the workaday world, after the glorious long weekend, I sauntered off from my desk at the chime of midday, to check out their victuals.

The place is simple and smart, inside, with a fish tank in the window, which was a curious but entertaining touch. I was quickly attended, and chose the lentil & bacon soup (in preference to the tomato & basil). I was asked if I’d like to add croutons. I generally say yes to virtually anything at lunchtime, so didn’t see any need to violate this rule for the sake of a few crispy cubes of bread. I then opted for a brown roll from a good selection of different types of bread, to which salami, goat’s cheese and salad was added at my request.

Soup and sandwich

Having ankled back to the office, I opened my bag of goodies. Upon opening the soup, I was confronted with a stuffed layer of bread cubes. These lacked crunch and as the soup was already thick and warming, their dissolving didn’t really add much to the dish. But the soup itself was rather nice, and I spooned it down like there was no tomorrow.

The roll wasn’t as soft as it could have been, but the filling was appropriately generous and very tasty. The goat’s cheese in particularly had good tang. I was pleased with it.

Holy bread cubes, Batman!

So overall, Elm Rose was pretty good. I don’t think they’re offering anything too outstanding, but it’s a place I’d happily pop in, next time I’m passing. There’s much to be said for places that keep things smart and simple, and that’s the category into which Elm Rose neatly fits.

Scores
Blythe scores Elm Rose:
3.5/5 for food
3/5 for presentation
3.5/5 for service
3.5/5 for setting
giving an overall 13.5/20

Today’s quester was: Blythe

I ate: lentil and bacon soup; salami, goat’s cheese and salad roll

I drank: nowt

I wore: textured pinstripes

Total bill: £4.05