Brunch at Roseleaf

The Roseleaf is an excellent little bar cafe situated in the heart of Leith. It’s been around since 2007 after popping up where the old Black Swan pub used to be on Sandport Place. The interiors pretty quirky with hats of various shapes and sizes on the walls, retro teapots that the cocktails (or pot-tails as they are known in these parts) are served in and menus made out of old National Geographic magazines. It all works well and along with great food and friendly staff makes for an excellent place enjoy a bite to eat, a drink or both.

Ashleigh Holden, owner of Howtotravelglutenfree.com said “The Roseleaf is a great spot for brunch, they have a range of gluten free options and the restaurant has a real Scottish feel. It’s a must try in the Leith area.

I’ve been in quite a few times now for Lunch and have always been impressed so a couple of weeks back we decided to head down for some Sunday brunch. To me there are few things finer in life than a good Sunday brunch and Roseleaf certainly didn’t disappoint.

There’s an excellent selection on offer from their brunch menu such as French Toast: Chunky slices of homemade bread soaked in seasoned eggy batter, pan fried in butter & served with rashers of crispy smoked streaky bacon with Canada’s finest maple syrup served on the side. The wonderfully named Leith-al Egg: Locally snared haggis coated free range egg with a crusty coating & served with a fruity broon sauce, baked beanz & double dipped chips and a host of other unique and tasty sounding dishes.

On this particular visit for both of us there was only one unanimous choice.. The Big Yin: Proper packed full ‘o’ pork sausages, Stornoway black pudding, slow roasted tomato, crispy smoked streaky bacon, beanz, flat cap mushroom & our own tattie scone with a happy egg cracked in the skillet & homemade buttered toast. The dish comes served in the skillet which is a nice touch. All the food was excellent, the Stornoway black pudding was fantastic and the homemade tattie scone was great. The crispy bacon is certainly that, very crispy. Miss Edinburger is a huge fan of very crispy bacon so that went down a treat with her. I prefer mine much less well done to be honest but still really enjoyed it.

To wash down all this lovely food I had what they call a Bloody Shame: A mix of tomato juice with our very own spicy mix served up all fancy with celery, lemon & cucumber. Excellent natural stimulator that can help protect the liver! The juice was really tasty and helped to add an element of illusion that I was somehow being healthy whilst wolfing down my cooked breakfast. There’s also a number of other tasty juices available from the drinks menu.

The next time you fancy some Sunday brunch, or even just a quiet drink get yourself down to Roseleaf and see what the fuss is about. We might even see you there!