Scottish Breakfasts, continued.

Lemony kippers at Spoon Cafe Bistro, Edinburgh

I mentioned Spoon in the Scottish category of the 'Best breakfasts' feature I wrote for the List. Although it's not strictly a restaurant offering 'Scottish food', but there are a couple of things on their breakfast menu that you wouldn't find everywhere. First on the list of things for Sunday Brunch: 'Scotch Woodcock'. Before eating here, I had never heard of the dish and have realised it is one of those things, like Welsh rarebit, which implies something other than it is. With not a bird in sight, it is rather a spruced up scrambled eggs on toast. It is an old fashioned dish - apparently mentioned in Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management - which was apparently not particularly breakfast fodder at all, but eaten, particularly by gentlemen, at the end of a meal. Well, we tried it at breakfast as ordered by J and it was delicious. The eggs are deliberately so softly cooked that they ooze into the toast beneath and render it truly mushy. It is like children's food, but flavoured with capers and anchovies for some sophistication.

The kippers pictured above were perfectly cooked (luckily - three of our group ordered it), with the sweet addition of cherry tomatoes rather than large ones, or a tomato sauce. I like the idea of having some oily fish to start your day off with a perk to the brain. I'm ashamed to say I opted for the steak sandwich, which is definitely not unusually Scottish at all. I had been craving a steak and it felt worth indulging myself on a break from exam revision. I have to say it was slightly overdone to my cave-woman taste, but the meat was still good and their chips were excellent. The space at Spoon which I forgot to mention is also a good reason to go and try their food. R said it felt like a gallery cafe, and this is true in that it is on the first floor, and it feels at the back of something. I was surprised how empty it was at sunday Brunchtime, when they offer such lovely meals and a peaceful place to watch over Nicolson street and spread out the papers. Though I'm perfectly happy with the way it is - in the meantime, onwards and outwards in pursuit of more breakfasts.