Review: Afternoon Tea at The Scottish Café

s we enter The Scottish Café we are greeted by Victor Contini, one of the city’s finest restaurateurs; along with his wife Carina, they own The Scottish Café and the ever popular Centotre. Victor portrays all of the traits of one of life’s natural hosts, it is clear that great food and great service run in his blood and that the staff at The Scottish Café are cut from the same cloth.

My colleague and I had popped in for a spot of Afternoon Tea – we were in need of a treat – and decided, within approximately one minute, that we should complement this with a bottle of bubbly. I appreciate that tea is the traditional accompaniment but when you’re faced with a cake stand full of food, you might as well go all out and really treat yourself!

Home-made at The Scottish Café

The food was delicious and very obviously home-made Bread was perfectly fresh and springy, the scones were warm, home-made and accompanied by jam and marmalade that The Scottish Café also make. The final tier of the stand was jam packed with little sweet treats: rocky road, tiny lemon tarts, a zingy orange sponge and a delicate pastry with fresh raspberries.

We spent two hours slowly working our way through our afternoon tea; letting life slow down and simply enjoying the pleasure of treating ourselves. The Scottish Café is a great venue for unwinding, I don’t know if it’s because it is nestled in the quiet confines of the National Gallery but the pace and buzz seems to be different to other venues around town and all the better for it too. The restaurant was busy but it is spacious enough not to feel crammed and each of the attentive staff members ensure that the customers are happy.

If you are after a high quality afternoon tea then I thoroughly recommend The Scottish Café, it has everything you would be looking for: tasty treats, excellent scones and sandwiches, freshness, attention to detail and high quality staff.

For our full round up of Afternoon Teas in Edinburgh, click the link.