An Ode to Porridge
This and That - Edinburgh Addition
I was thinking about where to begin with my love affair with Edinburgh, which is unfolding as we speak.
There are so many things to love here. I’m taking copious notes on every single wonderful thing and I do plan on sharing them here. But I thought I would begin with an ode to porridge to kick off this week’s ‘This and That’ - Edinburgh edition.
All coffee roads lead to other discoveries
It was during my first week here when I was beginning to work my way through my “best coffee” list, and I went on the hunt for Lowdown Coffee.
Google maps are great until it spins you around like a top. However, I can’t blame google maps for my passing Lowdown Coffee 3 times (and crossing the street 3 times as it kept telling me “cross the street!”) because I was looking UP. Instead of looking [low] DOWN. Finally, I spotted the sign…maybe one of the ghosts of Edinburgh taking pity on my muttering “where is it?” and helping me…
Descending a few stairs to an intimate indoor space (that also has an outdoor patio that is best suited to a not-winters morning) I was greeted at the door and asked if I wanted to sit in or take away. Definitely sit in.
Sitting at the table and perusing the menu, the porridge immediately jumped out at me. I am not a known porridge eater as there isn’t an abundance of porridge where I live in the US but maybe I’m not looking in the right places. In any case, Edinburgh seems like the perfect place to have porridge so I order it with a coffee.
The porridge is a blend made specifically for Lowdown Coffee, I am told. This preparation is as follows - warm porridge, yogurt, shaved coconut, cocoa nibs, banana, and a sprinkle of cocoa. I was a tad contemplative, as I am normally a very savory person rather than sweet but one bite of this porridge and YES. This porridge was everything delicious. Not sweet in the way of sugary sweet but the sweetness was well-balanced and slightly rich. Super delicious and comforting and filling. I was so happy that I went against my “norms” and ordered this.
And I shared this with Adam, who waited on me and was also cashing me out. I told him how much I loved the porridge and that I was so happy to have discovered Lowdown Coffee. He asked about my visit to Edinburgh and I shared what I do for work he immediately told me that I needed to visit Spry Wines, which is a natural wine bar here in Edinburgh. He said that it was a must for me. Here is the thing, I always take the recommendations of locals seriously. I immediately put Spry in my phone. He also said that they had opened their own coffee spot, Ante, right underneath the wine bar and that was worth a visit too (Adam actually used to work at Spry) so I added it to my list.
Ante and Spry
I didn’t have set plans on the day that I headed out the door to Ante, which is the coffee shop associated with Spry Wine Bar, but it was a pretty beautiful, sunny winter day so I packed my journal and my book [Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo which is SO GOOD] in a bag and let myself be good with the day unfolding as it would.
Ante is a 27-minute walk from my flat, in the Stockbridge neighborhood, and it took me through a part of town I hadn’t been to yet. I love that about walking - leading me to places that I wouldn’t discover if I hadn’t been on foot. I passed lovely green spaces, great cathedrals, charming shops I noted for a later time and rows upon rows of incredible historical buildings - Edinburgh is full of charm and history.
I immediately loved the outside of Ante and Spry - written on the wall with arrows was wine [up] and coffee [down] - truly a mother ship for me.
Edinburgh is all about cozy spaces and it’s perfection for the moody winter weather. Ante is a sweet spot with a few tables on one side and some stools and wall tables on the other with the espresso machine and baked goods counters in the middle. I was lucky with my timing as there were a couple of tables open. Adam (another wonderful Adam!) brought me a menu and I ordered a coffee straight away. Details obviously matter here in Edinburgh overall but they definitely do it absolutely right at Ante. The presentation of coffee from the mugs to the individual sugar bowl with spoon holder to the utensils container/vase, as well as the water glass from the impeccable line KINTO: all excellent. beautiful.
There were 2 porridge bowls on the menu at Ante. One was clearly on the sweet side but it was the savory one that called to me: Porridge (a blend made for Ante by local folks) with hot smoked salmon; pickles; poached egg; cabbage; carrot puree and a emulsion….they had me at poached egg and porridge, to be honest. When it arrived, I was blown away by just the beauty of it (see below). But one bite and I was in the ‘eyes closed, murmuring to myself’ situation. This bowl - is where I LIVE. Super delicious and salty and yummy and lick the bowl GOOD. Adam came to check in on me and I couldn’t say enough how much I loved this dish. Apparently, my timing was great because this bowl was just put back on the menu. Lucky me. The chef came out and told me this porridge is their take on Japanese breakfast (which I am a big fan of) but with Scottish ingredients. Yes and YES.
I lingered in the space, eating, sipping, reading my book, and then talking to Adam. I decided to go on a long meander up to the Castle and Royal Mile and then head back to Spry for an afternoon snack (i.e. wine). It was beyond expectation but I will give that its own post, as this one is getting rather long. Let me just say that I’ve already been back for this exact experience and it was just as delicious and wonderful as the first.
Dishoom Days
Finally, in my ode to Porridge here in Edinburgh, I went to my forever favorite spot: Dishoom to finally try their porridge. Just like their [magic] chai, porridge at Dishoom is bottomless. You can top up as much as you like. I ordered the Bun Maska (which is a brioche bun with butter that you dip in the chai - incredible) and their coffee which is rich and delicious and a bowl of porridge which has is on the sweeter side with dates and bananas. All of it was delicious and warming and filling. I’ve written about my all consuming love for Dishoom, the food, the staff, everything is always fantastic and the porridge did not disappoint.
I will tell you that tomorrow I am heading back to Ante and Spry. I have 3 more weeks in Scotland and I need to soak it all up.
Here’s a few other lovely this and that things for your weekend.
This Animal Spirit Card for the weekend: Crow Magic
I adore crows. I want a crow friend. I tend to talk to crows while I’m out and about. They are smart birds. I feel like they get me. Whenever I pull this card I know that there is magic swirling in the air and I need to pay extra attention to my surroundings, conversations on the street, billboards….messages from the universe are looking to present themselves.
This wine! A delicious rosé [that I had at Spry] that comes in a convenient liter size. Super yummy. A natural wine that is a great sipper but can also hold up to lots of foods. Think a grown-up grilled cheese with Comte and caramelized shallots for this wintery weekend. Here’s a link to where you might be able to find it.
PokerFace with Natasha Lyonne. I adore her and this show is a damn delight.
Thanks for reading my friends.
Do you like porridge? Have an amazing porridge to share? Hit me up, please!
Have a beauty weekend.