It was to great collective glee that Mimi’s opened a second shop, on the Canongate, a few months ago. This rejoicing was mainly among our city’s many cake connoisseurs, as Mimi’s shop on The Shore has long been favoured, including by our friend Cake Quest, as one of Edinburgh’s finest cake purveyors.

Exterior

Not being blessed with a sweet tooth, I wasn’t caught up in the excitement to the same extent, but did make a note to visit as my office is not a million miles away.

I was eating on the go, today, as I had limited time between work commitments. The place has a nice little seating area, but seems equally well set up for takeaway custom.

Interior

The helpful counter staff members were instrumental in me settling upon a choice of smoked haddock and cheese stovies, served with two good chunks of bread rather than the more conventional oatcakes. With cash exchanged I was soon on my way, scaling the heights of Jacob’s Ladder with considerable alacrity.

Once back at my desk I unpacked my items and tucked in. While items had been very neatly packaged up, it’s fair to say that the dish wasn’t a looker. It did taste really good, though, which was the main thing.

Stovies and bread

Profuse pieces of deliciously smoky fish were interspersed with chunks of potato, with the dish held together with a good level of moisture. It was hearty, satisfying and profoundly restorative; a Scottish classic prepared with care.

So overall, I was really pleased with Mimi’s. I know that I’ve missed the point of the place for most people by not sampling from the sweet selection, but that’s just an excuse, if you needed one, to go and try their cakes for yourself. When doing so, don’t overlook their savoury stuff as it’s entirely worthy of your attention.

Scores
Blythe scores Mimi’s Picnic Parlour
4/5 for food
3/5 for presentation
3.5/5 for setting
4/5 for service
giving an overall 14.5/20

I ate: smoked haddock stovies

I wore: new gherkin www.tieclub.co.uk tie

Total bill: £3.75