One of the things I’ve particularly enjoyed about pregnancy is the no-shame ability to scoff a hundredweight in bread products without even a sniff of guilt. Toast and more toast at the weekend, sandwiches, home-made scones and cakes. I’ve maintained a healthy diet thanks to eating lots of fresh fruit and veggies, but there’s no denying there’s been an increase of intake on the ol’ carbs front. All the bigger a ‘yay’ when I was invited to review Gran Caffè at The Signet Library. This is a daytime operation, run by the good folks at Heritage Portfolio, and is a welcome extension to the pop-up Pommery Champagne bar which runs during the festival.
The Signet Library’s a gorgeous Georgian beauty of a building on Parliament Square; sweeping staircases, balconies, neo-classical columns and mile-high ceilings. It’s also still home to the W S of Scotland, the association of the legal profession, so is a special kind of spot to take visitors to the city, or in my case, my mum who had never visited, despite living in Edinburgh for over 30 years! We came in for afternoon tea but the spot’s open during the day, Monday – Fridays for a simple cake and cuppa, lunch or full on afternoon tea. I think the plan is for the Champagne bar to return again in August, during which time it’s a licensed venue and open into the evenings .
I’d visited a couple of years ago during the festival, and I’m pleased to say that the quality of the catering has massively improved from that previous time, I think the first year it had run as the Pommery bar. On a sunny Easter Friday afternoon, where it looked like the world was taking their lunch in Princes Street Gardens, and tourists oozed up and down the Royal Mile, mum and I snuck into the refined environs of The Signet Library for a very relaxed couple of hours of chatting and eating.
We placed our order for tea, darjeeling for me, and a breakfast blend for mum. Now, to say this woman is a tea snob is an understatement, but I sensed a bit of disappointment in the stainless steel teapots, and worse yet the water from the urn doesn’t quite seem hot enough. So, the quality of teas is good (from Mighty Leaf) but the tea itself will only be so good. Despite all this, we bravely (haha!) crashed on and really enjoyed a fantastic selection of treats. Savouries are often overlooked on the afternoon tea front, but I was delighted that effort for a nice selection was made, including a punchy little amuse bouche of very fresh tomato and mint soup. We also enjoyed smoked trout pâté on oatcakes, and a trio of fresh finger sandwiches. Soft bread, crusts off, I’ve got the hunger again thinking about them. A roast chicken with rocket and a little bit of sweet chutney, ham, and the quintessential classic cucumber and cream cheese. All were excellent and enthusiastically polished off.
Scones are that perfect segue between the savoury and the ultra sweet items, and these were great. A plain and a fruit scone each, a pot of whipped cream and some home-made strawberry jam, stuffed with whole berries and a wonderful texture of not too set jam. I think there was a vague thought of only eating one of the scones, in light of the mountain of baked goodies which remained, but we laughed this crazy thought off and went for it. We went a little renegade next, and jumped to the bottom tier, as the rhubarb shortcake was only just short of calling us in. Extra delicious, the crumbly shortbread biscuit was full of crystalised ginger, making this tangy sweet item probably the favourite of the afternoon. It’s side-fellow of lemon posset was creamy, tangy and a nice addition to the ‘tour de yum’.
The middle layer was one for those with the ultra sweet tooth! We scoffed a blackcurrant macaron which itself was perfection, but too much ganache filling risked spoiling it’s daintiness. A chocolate brownie was the only real dud note of all. I like a gooey brownie but this poor fella was really just too gooey and unbaked for my liking. A sweet little seasonal flourish in the form of a mini simnel cupcake with marzipan and easter bun style spices was a delicious finish for the afternoon.
The Verdict
The selection of eats is imaginative, particular kudos to the great savoury choices, and the unique location make this a great choice for a fine afternoon tea. Just sort that hot water out! Oh, and I’m very glad I took along my DSLR rather than just snapping with the iphone – the whole place is beyond photogenic! Unlike many other spots around the city, it’s not licensed, and I think that sets it apart in a nice way, as there’s no cliché in the form of hen parties or birthdays.
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