Spoon

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• What are these?

• Average price 2 courses: £6
• House wine: £15 per bottle

• Hitlisted
• High point: The unsurpassed beverages: coffee, hot chocolate, ginger beer . . .
• Low point: Makes other cafés look like slackers in comparison
• Food served: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; Sat 10am-5pm. Closed Sun
• Open since: 2002
• Also offers: Vegetarian options (at least 25% of menu), Childrens portions, Childrens high chairs, Wheelchair access, Take away

The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 is now in the shops.

This review is from the 2007 edition.

Although the name may evoke an image of artery-clogging 'greasy spoons', Spoon is anything but. Serving fresh, taste bud-friendly meals for the past five years, owners Richard Alexander and Moira McFarlane create top-quality dishes from great ingredients. And its convenient location just off the Royal Mile leaves it perfectly placed for a mid-shopping pit-stop. Daily specials include such delights as pumpkin, celeriac and fennel pie or duck confit. The menu is full of interesting combinations and well designed platefuls, with salads, sandwiches and breakfasts that become more than the sum of their parts. Panini filled with aged cheddar, tomato and apple chutney are similarly substantial and hearty, without being heavy. It seems a waste to consume these dishes as a sideline to lunchtime gossip with friends as they really deserve full attention. Other cafés may try to dazzle the customer with glitz and glamour to hide food that is less than special. However, Spoon has no need to - the pared-down, airy décor and lack of gimmickry allow the food to be the main draw, just as it should be.