I haven’t featured many restaurants in Leith yet so when I was invited to try The Granary, I was keen. The regeneration of the area has been a real success story, michelin starred restaurants now share the shore with excellent bakeries and cafes. I was eager to discover whether I could count The Granary as one of my go to places in the area.

Who doesn’t love a Scotch egg? They are definitely having a moment, let’s hope that moment isn’t too fleeting! This version was made with ‘nduja, a spicy spreadable sausage from Calabria in Italy. It was somewhat like chorizo in its flavour which made for a tasty, but rich, Scotch Egg – half each was plenty.

The Tamarind Spiced Chicken Wings however lacked the same punch. They were also quite small and the skin wasn’t as crispy as I like, however we still finished them all.

At £8.95 The Reuben Sandwich felt a little expensive for a sandwich with no crisps or chips. The pastrami was good quality, but we both agreed there are better versions to be had (the one at Down The Hatch for example).

I had the Thai Beef Salad which would have been perfect if not for the ‘crispy noodle’ garnish which had been pre-cooked and had gone chewy. I ordered the small portion which felt generous for the £7.95 price tag.

The dessert unfortunately fell short, and if I was paying myself, I’d probably have sent it back. It is described on the menu as ‘Warm Coconut & Lemon Loaf‘ – it wasn’t warm, and had actually started going a bit hard, as though it had perhaps been baked several days previous. The icing topping made it feel more like a cake to go with coffee than a dessert.

I love the look and feel of The Granary, but if I’m being honest, the food didn’t live up to the surroundings. That said, we did see some tasty looking breakfast dishes coming from the kitchen, and some of the dishes we had showed promise, so perhaps we just ordered the wrong things.

The Granary
Location: 32-34 The Shore, Leith, Edinburgh, EH6 6QN
Price: £5.95 – £19.95 for mains
Good for: Drinks, quick bite to eat