The Story Cafe

I had a message from The Story Cafe at the Scottish Storytelling Centre asking me to pop in to try their lunch. I was slightly confused because it’s a place I visit pretty regularly on bookish business, but I hadn’t realise the cafe operator had changed in mid 2016. I was happy to see how the latest incarnation was getting on.

Exterior sign

The Storytelling Centre is a fantastic place. I’ve been lucky enough to do a couple of events there over the past couple of years and I’ve always been impressed with how it’s run. Director Donald Smith has the most distinctively warm laugh in the city; it’s one of the few Edinburgh sounds that can be heard from space.

As I sat today, I constructed a Story Stone Selfie poem from the little jar of rocks that sit on all the tables. Such fun.

Scone on excellent tabletop

On the food front, charity Comas – the folks behind nearby Serenity – is now running things. There’s a strong emphasis on homemade fare with good accessibility for gluten free, dairy free and vegan needs.

I settled upon one of their specials, Cullen skink, and added a cheese scone and a pot of Russian Caravan tea.

Skink

The scone arrived first and was delicious. The accompanying tea was full of lightly smoky goodness.

The soup soon followed. It was light on the usual creaminess of a skink but was deeply satisfying nevertheless. It was chunky and super tasty. I was impressed.

So overall, The Story Cafe is doing really good work. This latest incarnation served me two very good dishes that hit the spot. I’d recommend a visit as I’m sure you’ll be as charmed as I was.

Scores
Blythe scores The Story Cafe
4/5 for food
3.5/5 for presentation
4/5 for service
4.5/5 for setting
giving an overall 16/20

I ate: cheese scone, Cullen skink

I drank: Russian caravan, water

I wore: grey and blue and green

Total bill: £10.10

Address: Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1SR