Cafe Dalziel

I’d been given a tip that the Edinburgh Casting Studio was going to incorporate a coffee shop within its premises on Montrose Terrace. This sounded too good to miss, but sadly when I arrived the owner told me that they’ve been really busy with casting business so after a brief run with takeaway coffee they decided to focus on their core business. It’s a fascinating shop and well worth your attention, but sadly you won’t be able to get your caffeine fix there.

I was still in need of sustenance so thought I’d wander on towards Meadowbank and give Cafe Dalziel a try. Previously a sushi place called Nagoya, then a little Indian curry shop, the place has been the victim of its rather betwixt and between location. This iteration was quite sparsely populated during my visit.

With a couple of the menu dishes I fancied unavailable, I settled upon the carrot soup to start followed by the mac n cheese, which was served with chips for a full-on carbs hit.

The friendly counter woman was soon delivering the soup, which came with a limp slice of brown bread. It was decent enough but was hard to identify as carrot beyond the colour. It was just a rather generic savoury taste, with only very subtle notes of carrot sweetness. It was fine but little beyond.

The main course was a notch better with the chips decently cooked and the mac n cheese pretty fair. It chased away hunger in reasonable style.

So overall, Cafe Dalziel is in no danger of setting any heather on fire based on my visit. I suspect if their corned beef stovies or haggis spring roll had been available things may have gone a little better, but I can only go on what I experienced. Pop in if you’re in the neighbourhood, but don’t make a special trip.

Scores
Blythe scores Cafe Dalziel
2.5/5 for food
2.5/5 for presentation
3/5 for setting
3/5 for service
giving an overall 11/20

I ate: carrot soup; mac n cheese

I drank: water

I wore: camel coat

Total bill: £7.50