Butternut Squash

I have wanted to try this cafe on Portobello High Street for a while so I took my parents there for lunch.

It advertised a small fish tea for £5.00 so I chose that.  It consisted of half a battered haddock, a small portion of chips, a decent sized salad, tea or coffee and 4 slices of white bread and butter.  The batter was light and crispy which was great as I usually prefer breadcrumbs.  I enjoyed the salad as there was a decent amount of tomato and cucumber which makes a change.  It was a good size not too big and not too small, and I didn’t even eat the bread, Dad did!  The tea was good but as I always take the tea bag out I couldn’t take them up on their offer of more hot water.  They very decently made me a new pot instead!  Dad had the homemade fishcakes which he enjoyed and Mum had soup which she said was on the salty side.  My parents have been trying to cut down on salt so maybe that is why.  They serve filter coffee and you get free refills of that too. They also do cappuccino’s etc.

The owner/waiter Keith was really friendly, if incredibly busy, as the cafe was full of older people.  Perhaps they were taking advantage of the Senior Citizens fish tea for a fiver?  I imagine it is the same as a small fish tea but maybe not?  They do cakes and tray bakes but I wasn’t hungry after lunch and never even looked at them.  (Apologies to those looking for a cake review.)  The whole bill came to £15.50 which was great for 3 people.  The menu was quite extensive for such a wee place and all their fish is from Williamson’s, our great local fishmonger. 

The decor is clean and serviceable, beige embossed wall paper and 2 huge mirrors.  There is a mixture of wooded seats and leather dining chairs.  It only has about 5 or 6 tables as it quite a small place.

Watch!  They do not take credit cards.  We had to walk up to a cash dispenser; there are 3 further up the High Street.  We got caught in a heavy shower, Mum only had an umbrella that kept turning inside out and she got soaked.  Dad, who didn’t have a coat either, ducked into a doorway and stayed there till we returned.  I was okay in my new raincoat.

Butternut Squash’s advertises itself as; “The place to chill” but the day we were there it was too busy for chilling.  It is great place to go for traditional Scottish food with no frills and low cost.  They do takeaways too!

It is opening hours are Mon/Tues 9am – 3pm, Wed - Sat, 9am - 5pm and Sunday 10am - 3pm

78 High Street, Portobello, EH15 1AN. Telephone – 07843013445