It always amazes when eateries spring up out of nowhere, as if by magic. One such venue, Joanna’s Place, has just emerged next to the Edinburgh Larder on Blackfriars Street.

Formerly an office, it has been turned into an Ikea-bedecked cafe space in a matter of weeks, which I imagine involved no small amount of toil.

The space is bright and airy and the welcome warm.

Their offering is very simple: a couple of soup options; some sandwiches; and some cakes. I opted for the first two, choosing broccoli and stilton over spicy chicken, then added a warm goat’s cheese, olive and pepper sandwich.

Items arrived together swiftly, with the minimum of fuss. The soup proved to be very good with a delicious homemade treat packing excellent flavour. I was impressed.

The sandwich was of the more routine variety, though, but the cheese did offer good tang and the olives were profuse.

Much in the same way as Laura’s Kitchen, I do worry about the lack of a really compelling reason to revisit Joanna’s Place, though. It’s all just too understated and although the soup was very good, the rest just seemed a little flat. The coffee was very poor, too.

So overall, if you’re looking for a hearty bowl of soup, give Joanna’s Place a try. Having said that, and this is probably their biggest challenge, 100 times out of 100 when in this neighbourhood I’d go next door to the excellent Edinburgh Larder. Can Joanna’s build enough of a reputation to act as an effective “overspill” place for the Larder? Only time will tell.

Scores
Blythe scores Joanna’s Place
3/5 for food
3/5 for presentation
3.5/5 for setting
3.5/5 for service
giving an overall 13/20

I ate: broccoli and stilton soup; goat’s cheese, olive and pepper sandwich

I drank: water, espresso

I wore: flower tie

Total bill: £7.10