Anyway enough of my bad advice for addicts, I luckily have a few coffee shops stored up somewhere in my brain space to tell you about.
A while back I was heading into town for a late shift and decided to finally chance it, the famous Elephant House Gourmet Tea and Coffee Shop. This place I may have mentioned before is famous as, to use their words not mine, the "birthplace of Harry Potter". It was JK Rowling's coffee shop of choice as she sat writing her novels in the back room overlooking Edinburgh Castle. Well that's a nice little claim to fame there and certainly gave the Elephant House paramount exposure. They use it of course to their advantage. In the front window there is a framed watercolour of Rowling herself sitting at a table penning her future book. Underneath this it's the story of how she whiled away the hours inspired by the views of the city around her. This is the reason why during the festival the Elephant House is flocked with people. Tourists old and young and from all over the world congregate and have photos taken standing next to the picture in the window. To me it's quite bizarre to have a picture stood next to a picture, but I think I was one of the rare-breeds that missed out on the Harry Potter hype. Having never read it I can't criticise or applaud her work, but I can absolutely admire her success.
People not only stand waiting for a photo in front of the coffee shop, they also stand in queues that run outside the door waiting for a table for lunch. Again bizarre. I remember passing people in Milton Keynes shopping centre on several occasions queueing to get a table at Pizza Hut and thought "Are you serious? It's Pizza Hut!" But at least Edinburgh during the festival can get extremely busy and you might be in for a wait wherever you chose to eat at lunch.
This is the reason, however, that every time I've walked passed the Elephant House I've kept walking. Don't get me wrong it looks very inviting, but I've never had the time to stand and wait.
On this occasion I walked past and figured I must have got the timing right. Although there was still a queue, it didn't stretch as far as the door and with three people working behind the counter I took my chances. Inside is definitely charming. It has a kind of continental feel about it which comes across as both polished and rustic. The walls are peaches and oranges decorated with small pieces of art. Heavy material lampshades hang from the ceiling and dark wooden tables and chairs are scattered across the floor. The set-up for ordering I suppose is quite similar to Starbucks. You queue up at the front counter to order (lunch orders included) and then wait to be seated. Your drinks are prepared as you wait and food later served to your table. As I watched the ebb of people coming in the set-up seemed a bit chaotic, waiters dashed to the front to block people from helping themselves to a table. In all honesty if I saw a queue at the counter and a few empty tables I would probably make the same assumption that people were queueing for a takeaway service, just like I was. Still once people had got the gist and read the signs it seemed to quieten down the confusion.
As I waited I admired the food in the deli counter to my right. There were fresh quiches, half slices of pizza, vegetable and meat pies and fresh cakes and flapjack slices. Along the back of the counter on the ever popular blackboards were the lunch time offerings and prices. I'm surprised at how popular this place is yet how affordable it remains. Just like when a restaurant gets a Michelin star and ups it's prices by two-thirds, it would be easy for the Elephant House to ask for more simply to sit where J K Rowling barked her bum.
In terms of the service it is proficient and professional. The ladies behind the counter serve with speed, but precision. Less time is given to general chit-chat, but with lines normally out of the door this is probably developed through habit and only a good thing. The lady who takes my order listens carefully to my coffee instructions and offers a nod and a courteous "Sure". To my surprise she also asks if I would like one shot or two in my coffee. This is rare these days, when two shots is the standard. I'm glad to be offered the option and choose the one shot. I watch carefully as she heats the milk and then swirls it in the metal jug. I'm prepared to ask for it hotter or for more milk, but again to my surprise she serves it roasting hot and to the brim. The result is a velvety hot coffee that melts down your throat. Delicious! I genuinely walk along the street with a smile on my face. It's sad how one good cup of coffee can make such a genuine improvement to my day. This place, despite it's popularity as the "birthplace of Harry Potter" clearly has a lot more going for it. There is a really good atmosphere and although it is busy it's not cacophonous. There is a mild hum of conversation and coffee machines rather than a shrill discord present in many larger coffee shops.
Although I'm not sure their coffee could, as they claim on their website, "satisfy your every need" it certainly did taste good. And I can certainly see how writers could sit for hours penning novels in the back room.
If I was to bring visitors up to Edinburgh I would chose to take them here without a doubt and for no other reason than the taste of the coffee and the shop itself. A truly delightful place.
P.S Please ignore the random person in the corner of the photo. It is not me and I would never wear those trousers.
Frothy Fun Fact of the Day: The Harry Potter books have been translated into 67 different languages and the seventh and final book in the series sold 11 millions in it's first 24 hours of release. Go on Elephant House ride that band-wagon and ride it hard.
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