“I don’t quite know how to tell you this, Louise…”
That was how my boyfriend Rob prefaced the news that Taste of Edinburgh food festival had been cancelled. At that point only the Saturday sessions were cancelled. My disappointed face came out and moped around a little. Then the entire Taste weekend was cancelled and my disappointed face got even more disappointed and I moped around some more.
But what was I going to EAT all weekend? Luckily Rob gathered my sorry little self up and off we went to Earthy at Canonmills for a spot of lunch.
I bloomin’ love Earthy in Portobello and the small section of shop in Earthy Canonmills has the same vibe going on – fresh, local, healthy, organic produce for the health conscious foodie.
With my stomach already set to indulge in preparation for Taste, I was ready to bury my sorrows under mountains of cake. The rain, however, had other ideas. As if drowning Taste wasn’t enough, it turned out the kitchen in Earthy had been flooded – which the furiously flowing waters of the Water of Leith outside the window further attested to – so no food was being served.
We didn’t get lunch, but there was a small selection of cakes to choose from. I went for a raspberry and white chocolate cake, while Rob had a lemon and rosemary cake.
The presentation was…interesting, although I couldn’t really fault the waitress’ cheeriness despite the downpour outside. In fact all the staff were very upbeat and lovely.
My flat white ticked all the boxes but the cake didn’t really satisfy me (possibly a lingering effect of my indulge setting), it just tasted kind of…healthy. I understand it was probably made with the most wholesome organic flour/sugar/eggs money can buy, but it just seemed to be lacking something. Cake should be moreish, rich, and you should feel a bit naughty when you’re eating it.
What Earthy does have going for it is atmosphere. From the quirky low hanging lightbulbs that pepper the ceiling, to the heavy wooden furniture, Earthy Canonmills has a charming, welcoming feel to the place.
I’m definitely going to go back to Earthy and give it a second bash because I’ve heard only good things about the place. Might just have to wait for it to stop raining…
Plan for Taste next year? Go to the Friday session 🙂
Wandering Loulou 