THE DOME

The Dome from George St

Chandelier and decorations in entrance hall

Last Thursday I treated my friend Maria to afternoon tea at The Dome in George Street.  They only serve them in November and December and they do not take reservations.  There is usually a queue so you must judge for yourselves how long you want to wait.  We missed out last December so I was really looking forward to going this year.

Huge Tree in Bar

The Dome looked fabulous, they always have lovely decorations but this year they have surpassed themselves! Go in and have a look, the friendly concierges do not mind.  They even got the smell Christmassy.  Cinnamon pervades the entrance hall but does not affect the eating areas.

The teas are served upstairs in one of the function suites.  Three vast rooms joined together make a palatial space.  There are crystal chandeliers and wall lights and Christmas wreaths on every wall.  All of the vast windows have luxurious lined velvet curtains and a Christmas tree in each.  The marble fireplace nearest us was lavishly dressed with pine boughs, baubles and other decorations.  There were cute seasonal table centres too.  A giant Christmas tree was visible down the other end of the room.

TheTearoom

The waiting staff was dressed in 1920s style white crossover jackets and black trousers.  First they brought in little pots of Twinning’s English breakfast tea, then a massive cake stand.  We had 4 finger sandwiches each, ham and mustard, roast beef and horseradish sauce, salmon, cucumber and cream cheese and finally egg and cress.  The second tier was fruit scones, jam and a choice of cream, clotted and whipped.  Plain scones were available too.  On the top tier were 6 mini treats, a coffee and chocolate cake, carrot cake, a mixed fruit tart, a mincemeat pie, a white chocolate cheesecake and a macaroon.   Unfortunately by the time we had eaten our way to this layer we were too full to eat them all.  I had the macaroon and a tiny piece of each of the others and they were all sublime. You can have another pot of tea gratis but after that you pay.  I had an extra pot which was only £1.90.  The afternoon tea itself is £24.00 for 2.

The ladies loos had many stalls were clean and spacious.  It too had a Christmas tree!

There were a great many ladies of all nationalities enjoying one of our great national traditions.   There were some young Japanese girls in the corner and we were seated next to a group of ladies from Swansea.  They were speaking Welsh at first and I couldn’t recognise the language but when they started speaking English their accent was unmistakeable.  We got talking to them later and they were very impressed with both the tea and Susan Boyle, who they met at the entrance.

The whole experience was great.  I think I am going to make it a Christmas tradition!

The Dome

14 George Street, Edinburgh

EH2 2PF

0131 624 8624

www.thedomeedinburgh.com

THE WATER OF LEITH CAFE BISTRO

Two of my three Madeleines!

The other week I found a new cake, a Madeleine! It is not often as a cake fiend that you find one you have never had before.  I know I have been leaving most of the tasting up to Mary this last few months but I am trying to lose weight and have been avoiding them.

A Madeleine is a little sponge type oval cake.  They have a bit more flavour than your basic Victoria, I thought it was almonds but Michael Miesle, the French chef assured me it wasn’t.  I looked up a recipe and the ingredients used vanilla, so that’s what I must have tasted.  He also told me that they were invented before the UK sponge.

The Water of Leith Cafe Bistro

My new discovery was at The Water of Leith Cafe Bistro which is a converted pub on Coburg Street very near the end of Ferry Road.  It has a bright green exterior and yellow and green interior.  There is a corner for couches but mostly it is traditional pine tables and interesting shaped modern chairs.

Myself, Mary and Janey were out for Doors open day and we had been to see things in Leith including Lamb’s House, which was amazing.  If you ever get the chance have a look.  It is a private dwelling so not generally open; the couple that own it are an architect and his wife, the Icelandic Consul.  They have rescued this 16 or 17th Century house and done it up beautifully.  What you can do if you have lots of time and money!  

 

Top marks for presentation!

Mary had the scones which were good and there was a pear and almond tart that I really wanted to eat but couldn’t.  Janey had the most magnificently presented cupcake.  There was quite a fishy bent to the menu that weekend including Cullen Skink and Fishcakes.  Of course they had Croque Monsieur and Croque Madame and they always have a soup of the day too.  The menu looked great, whole range of meals but unfortunately neither of us was hungry enough.  The nice big cups of cappuccino’s were excellent and Janey had a kids hot chocolate with loads of marshmallows.

I would love to go back hungry and everything looked and smelt great. They are open from 10-5.30 every day except Monday.  You can find them at: 52 Corburg St, Leith, EDINBURGH, EH6 6HJ. Tel 0131 555 2613 or on their website www.thewaterofleithcafebistro.co.uk where you can check out their fabulous menu for yourself.

THE TIDE ART GALLERY AND COFFEE SHOP

This is a fairly new café at the bottom of Kings Road on the corner with the promenade.  Once a pub, it has had a few incarnations, but works really well as an art gallery and café.  Serving soup and sandwich type snacks, coffee, tea and homemade baking it is a welcome addition to catering on the prom. 

The owner is an art school graduate herself so all the pictures, jewellery, models, pottery and sculpture is of a high standard and makes the surroundings very pleasant.  She has some very original hexagonal shelving by Zhuqiu Huang.  You can browse before, during or after you have your drinks as she and her and her sister run a very friendly establishment.  They provide lots of newspapers, a shelf of books and games and have a play area of toys for kids.   The interior of the front doors have been painted with a colourful design and are a work of art themselves.

A few fixtures from the original pub remain.  They serve the drinks from behind the old bar, while the cakes are arranged in glass cake stands on it.  The half panelling has been painted either white or terracotta and the walls above are white to show off the art.  The toilets are clean and functional like pub toilets but I feel that they too will soon have an artistic stamp on them.  There is a sofa area, lots of traditional tables and chairs and a few bar stools at a counter with a sea view. 

 

I had a plate of very tasty unliquidised potato and leek soup which contained bacon.  The waitress warned me first in case I was vegetarian.  My friend’s bacon roll was equally good and her side salad was extremely fresh.  We had a couple of coffees to wash it down which were also up to the same high standard.

You can find it at 56 Kings Road, Portobello, EH15 1DX.  Phone no 0131 669 9408 or it has Facebook page. It is open 7 days a week 10am - 6pm.