But if you asked me what my favorite restaurant for any occasion, for any type of foodie, is? I would 100% tell you that it's Honeycomb & Co. in Bruntsfield. With radiant decor that's as instagram-worthy as it gets, flavorful food that changes on a regular basis, and coffee, cakes, and cocktails to top it all off, Honeycomb & Co. is the place that I'll tell anyone and everyone to go to.
My first visit to Honeycomb & Co. was with fellow-blogger and real-life friend, Hayley. It was literally pouring outside and this cozy restaurant-cafe was our savior. And while that experience was phenomenal, the visit I want to tell you about was my most recent (mainly because I have some good photos of the food from it).
A couple of weeks back, my mom and I rocked up to a buzzing Honeycomb & Co. well-aware that we'd probably have to wait for a table. And wait for a table we did- for a whole 25 minutes, in fact. This is the kind of place where you not only enjoy a long lunch, but also add on a cup of coffee and a cake at the end. Knowing that we'd be taking our time just like the other patrons, we didn't mind waiting too much. To occupy ourselves, we marveled at the display of salads and open-faced sandwiches, along with preemptively deciding on our dessert (#guilty).
After finally snagging a table (and many apologies from the friendly staff about the wait), we deliberated on ordering a cocktail. Was 1 PM too early for a drink? Perhaps. But we were on "vacation" and it's always 5 o'clock somewhere. These honey bunny cocktails sounded too good to pass up. And the presentation was even better! I was impressed by their clever addition of a wooden honey dipper to the glasses. That and a few blooms floating around made it all the prettier! These honey-lemon cocktails were the perfect light start to the meal.
Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a sucker for Mediterranean food. And, unfortunately, the places that do Med food well in Edinburgh are few and far between (I'll take any suggestions though!). While Honeycomb doesn't focus solely on this cuisine, it's flavors definitely stem from the Mediterranean more often than not. From their menu-standby Shakshuka, a healthy, protein-packed baked egg dish that almost tastes sinful, to their cumin and turmeric marinated chicken that is as delightful on its own as it is atop a fresh salad, there's no shortage of flavor here.
These dishes tempted me, they really did. But I only had my sights set on one dish, and it was practically calling my name: the lamb koftas. These expertly spiced lamb meatballs are warming from the moment you bite into them, and pair perfectly with creamy baba ghanoush (eggplant dip), tart pomegranate seeds, and crispy flatbread. The side salad itself was even on point, bursting with herbs like mint and dill, and topped with a zingy pomegranate dressing. Just thinking about this dish makes me crave it right now.
My mom erred more on the Scandinavian side of things this time, choosing the open-faced smoked salmon sandwich, which could be paired with as many different salads as she wanted. Even though she originally ordered just the courgette ribbon salad, the waitress convinced her to try out another salad- the Asian-style sesame broccoli. My mom's combination of salads was as fresh as it gets, and she definitely met her veggie quota for the day. But the real star was the smoked salmon- with its delicate texture and beautiful pinky-orange color it really packed a punch when paired with the pickled red onions.
Dessert was less of a no-brainer than I thought it would be. With my love of chocolate usually taking precedence, I was actually at a loss because all of the non-chocolate cakes looked so good. But what really made my decision for me was the promise of ice cream- gelato, in fact. While I didn't want to order just gelato (though there's nothing wrong with that!), I definitely wanted a little scoop. The raspberry meringue was the perfect compromise, with a little bit of confectionery and fruitiness from the freeze-dried raspberries to pair with a scoop of fior di latte gelato. Perfectly sweet, but light enough to enjoy after a big meal, this was the ideal end to our afternoon.
So have I convinced you yet? I could practically wax poetic about this little spot in Bruntsfield, but a quick blog post will have to do for now. I'll spare you the rest of my ramblings and just let you find out how good this place is for yourself.
Perhaps brunch is on the cards for next time? Or maybe they'll add in a dinner service. What I know for sure is that I'll be back at Honeycomb & Co. again. And again, and again...
You can find Honeycomb & Co. at 1 Merchiston Place. Check out their menus and more info on their website!
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