Eteaket

This morning I drowned my sorrows in the wake of Chris's departure - with some lovely Darjeeling tea at Eteaket!! As a belated Father's Day gift for my Dad, who was in town to see his friend's show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, I took him for a spot of lunch and cream tea at Edinburgh's ever popular and delightful tea cafe in Fredrick Street. I had read mixed reviews about the service but I had never read anything to suggest that the tea and cakes were anything less than scrumptiously tasty and beautifully presented.

We went at 11.45am on Saturday because I'd heard it can get very busy in the afternoon and thought we should try and beat the crowds. It was a good idea as the traditional, with a modern twist, tea room was almost full apart from one or two tables and some rain sodden outdoor seats. The very friendly, slightly flustered, waitress immediately greeted us and seated us at a table for two near the counter. The sit in menu (they also have take away options) has four pages of black, green, fruit and herbal teas to choose from as well as coffees, juices, sandwiches, cakes and afternoon and cream teas. I choose the cream tea with Darjeeling and my Dad had a roast chicken ciabatta and Darjeeling too. The cream tea came with a plain scone and a fruit scone, both of which were very fresh and light, with some strawberry jam and delicious clotted cream. My Dad also enjoyed his sandwich which came with some dressed salad and some kettle chips. The staff were very friendly and attentive and seemed to take a genuine interest in us by asking what we had planned for the rest of the day, etc.

Tables in the cafe never remained vacant for more than a couple of minutes as a constant flow of bedraggled shoppers, curious tourists and hungry locals passed through the doorway. A constant chatter of voices added to the atmosphere of the pleasant surroundings, decorated with displays of tea leaves and vintage crockery and cake stands for sale. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who enjoys cake and a refreshing cup of tea and I will definitely try and pay another visit myself before I head to London. Excellent!