I was sad to hear of the demise of Malone’s, just a few weeks ago. The all-night bakery in Slateford had been trading for as long as I can remember and while it was never a service I called upon, as my route home rarely reached those parts, I was always pleased to know it was there. It will live long in the memory of many.

My all-night bakery of choice has always been the one on Morrison Street, which has been through a few different incarnations, but is now called Morrison’s.

Perhaps it’s unwise to share this story, but this place is the only eatery in the city from which (to my knowledge) I have at one time been barred. This was due to my taking exception when prices rocketed from £1 per item to £2 (still their current price). In my spirited state I called the unfortunate counter person a “price-gouging fuck”, following which I was invited to leave and never return. I was a charmingly exuberant youth.

Anyhoo, times and owners change and I’ve been visiting occasionally of late, although often towards the end of my awake and fully competent hours. Many times I’ve woken up with the intention of writing a review, but the photos have been unusable in their blurriness.

On this visit, I sampled things fresh from the oven, with a sausage roll and a steak pie my choices. I handed over the cash to the friendly baker man and was on my way, munching as I went.

I was reminded of the time I saw fit to hurl freshly baked goods – I think a pair of macaroni pies – at the head of one of my friends, as we walked down this very stretch. There’d been some sort of disagreement, presumably. In mid-air the bag split sending the pies off in unhelpful directions. It was another classic moment in all-night bakery history; as was when the same friend shared the first moments of romance with his now wife over that same Italo-Scottish delicacy from this same bakery.

I digress. First up was the sausage roll, which was a good effort with nicely flaky pastry. The steak pie, which is one of their absolute staples, was first rate with lovely chunks of meat in a rich gravy, which I managed not to drip down my tie.

So overall, I’ve hopefully illustrated that I’ve had some thrills and spills with Morrison’s; it has been part of the fabric of my life for years. I do love the whole idea of the all-night, with the demise of Malone’s prompting me to write this. These type of places are very much in the “use them or lose them” category, so do please join me in continuing to use this place, as I’d hate to lose it.

Scores
Blythe scores Morrison’s
4/5 for food
3.5/5 for presentation
3.5/5 for service
3/5 for setting
giving an overall 14/20

I ate: steak pie, sausage roll

I wore: action footwear

Total bill: £4