Connect Café and Gifts
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I'm a working mum writing about life in Edinburgh (and anywhere else we go) with two curious, adventurous, and imaginative children. Visit my blog at www.linzertortes.blogspot.co.uk. Follow me on Twitter: @LinzerLaw
Published November 4th 2013
Connect with coffee
Stockbridge is full of cafés, restaurants and gifts shops, but further towards the Comely Bank end the selection dwindles. At the far end of Comely Bank Road sits the little outpost of Connect Café and Gifts, which provided a welcome haven for us on a wintry-feeling October Saturday.
We ordered at the counter from a broad selection of café staples: paninis, open sandwiches, mild cheese toasties for the children, soups and more. Last time I was I tried their signature Seriously Good Cheese Toastie, which is a toastie filled with Isle of Mull cheddar cheese, chopped leek, red and white onions, all sandwiched between organic sourdough rye bread. It was very tasty.
This time, I went for a toasted panini with the same kind of cheese. It came with a lovely salad, sprinkled with sunflower seeds and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. It was very good.
My daughters had a bacon roll and a mild cheese toastie, which the both enjoyed very much. The cheese toastie was "delicious", and the bacon roll was soon smothered with tomato sauce and wolfed down.
Connect Cafė are rightly proud of their sourcing strategy, and they provided a leaflet along with the menu to explain: they use local ingredients and suppliers as much as possible, and they have Fair Trade coffee.
Once you've ordered your food and are waiting, you can look around the gift shop that's attached. It's filled with cards, gifts and artisan-made items that would be perfect if you needed to pick something up for a birthday or Christmas gift. There's lots of paper craft items that children love, and I rather like their selection of leather bags and fabric backpacks.
Connect Cafė is a warm and cosy stop-off on the edge of Stockbridge. The staff are friendly, the food is tasty, and the gifts are enticing. What more could you want?
Well, if you're asking, I'll have the millionaire's shortbread, thanks very much. It's my favourite tray bake, and I'm on a mission to find the best in Edinburgh, and this is definitely currently the top of my list.
We ordered at the counter from a broad selection of café staples: paninis, open sandwiches, mild cheese toasties for the children, soups and more. Last time I was I tried their signature Seriously Good Cheese Toastie, which is a toastie filled with Isle of Mull cheddar cheese, chopped leek, red and white onions, all sandwiched between organic sourdough rye bread. It was very tasty.
The cakes signs are written with a gold chalk pen. Definitely going to need to get one for my craft stash.
This time, I went for a toasted panini with the same kind of cheese. It came with a lovely salad, sprinkled with sunflower seeds and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. It was very good.
Connect Cafė are rightly proud of their sourcing strategy, and they provided a leaflet along with the menu to explain: they use local ingredients and suppliers as much as possible, and they have Fair Trade coffee.
Once you've ordered your food and are waiting, you can look around the gift shop that's attached. It's filled with cards, gifts and artisan-made items that would be perfect if you needed to pick something up for a birthday or Christmas gift. There's lots of paper craft items that children love, and I rather like their selection of leather bags and fabric backpacks.
Connect Cafė is a warm and cosy stop-off on the edge of Stockbridge. The staff are friendly, the food is tasty, and the gifts are enticing. What more could you want?
Well, if you're asking, I'll have the millionaire's shortbread, thanks very much. It's my favourite tray bake, and I'm on a mission to find the best in Edinburgh, and this is definitely currently the top of my list.
Why? A friendly café with locally sourced produce and a gift shop attached.
When: Mon–Sat 08:30 - 17:00 Closed Sun
Phone: 0131 315 2003
Where: 153–155 Comely Bank Road, Edinburgh, EH4 1BQ
Cost: Average price £7 per person (lunch)
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