Cortado

Cortado is new to the Canongate, bringing an interesting blend of Scottish and Spanish. With a sign in the window proclaiming that they serve the best coffee on the Royal Mile, my interest was piqued.

Of course, I was mainly piqued to consider where on the Mile actually serves coffee that’s half decent to make this a competition worth winning. Aside from Café Truva’s Turkish coffee, which I know is a hard sell to many, there wasn’t anywhere that sprang to mind, but I guess the point is to suggest that they’re better than Starbucks, Nero etc, which you’d have to hope they would be, anyway.

I sampled their cortado and it was no great shakes, but that could still make it the best on the Mile.

Having enquired as to what the soup of the day was, I liked the sound of chicken and rice, so ordered a bowl of that accompanied with brown bread.

The interior is a curious mix. There are three tables of freshly assembled Ikea’s finest allowing for around a dozen people to sit in. The other half of the shop is a strange mix of books, an extensive selection of Tunnock’s products and various other whatnots. I imagine when and if the café is successful, these displays will make way for further tables.

The soup speedily arrived looking neat and tidy. It proved very tasty with generous chunks of chicken in a well-flavoured broth. It was hearty fare and very pleasing.

So overall, the soup I had at Cortado was very good indeed. The folks that run the place are very friendly, so I think the place has a good chance to prosper, as it’s a location that attracts plenty of footfall.

Scores
Blythe scores Cortado
4/5 for food
3/5 for presentation
3.5/5 for service
3/5 for setting
giving an overall 13.5/20

I ate: chicken and rice soup

I drank: cortado

I wore: the red and the black

Total bill: £4