Having already reported on scones in Harvey Nichols and the Dome you might think we would be running short of alternatives on George Street In Edinburgh? Not a bit of it, there are plenty more! Browns of Edinburgh is just another one on the city’s principle shopping thoroughfare. We had actually been invited to an evening event nearby. With a couple of hours to spare, however, what else would you do but head for afternoon tea?

Browns of Edinburgh has some history for us. As a young couple with no money and no experience of posh restaurants this was our first foray into what is oft referred to as “fine dining”. If memory serves us correctly we were all dressed up to the nines and slightly nervous about being in such auspicious surroundings. That was many years ago and this is our first return visit. It doesn’t look nearly as intimidating as it did then! Has it changed, or have we changed? Probably both? Today, it does not look like the small intimate restaurant of memory. Rather its, almost cavernous interior and perhaps slightly impersonal atmosphere are more in keeping with a mid-range establishment.

Culinary highlights

Nowadays, we don’t think that even they would class themselves as ‘fine dining’. Whatever, what about our afternoon tea? Champagne in the afternoon always seems a little bit naughty. This was very nice champagne, however, and an excellent start to proceedings. See, it’s us that’s changed, we probably had pints on our first visit. We wouldn’t have know what else to ask for! Presented on a sort of chrome wheel contraption there was a fair assortment of cakes and sandwiches with two small scones each. Call us old fusspots if you like but we prefer to have bread sandwiches with the crusts cut off rather than the little mini rolls used here. Arrgghh, we have changed. A slice of square sausage with tomato sauce between two slices of plain bread used to be the highlight of our culinary lives.

K2 or K6?

The scones were nice. When they first arrived we felt them and they were nice and warm but, by the time we got round to eating them, that was but a memory. All in all, this was very relaxing and enjoyable and a great way to kill some time but the scones, although good, did not quite make the grade and everything else, excepting the champagne, was just a little bit flat. The service, for example, was okay, but like a lot of places that automatically add a service charge to your bill, they did not have to try too hard. One of the nice things about Browns is that they have lots of interesting photographs hanging on the walls. We thought this one would enable us to test your knowledge of red telephone boxes. Remember we supplied a handy indentification guide in an earlier post at the Butterchurn. Obviously it is not a K4 but could it be a K2 or a K6? Answers on a postcard.

Scones as a measurement of time

Continuing with the quiz theme we thought it might be interesting to measure, in scones, how much time Theresa May has left as Prime Minister. You probably think we are not taking politics seriously. However, with Michael Gove, the only man who can instantly poison any environment he walks into, being appointed Environment Secretary. And the odious DUP in coalition talks with the government. Oh, and the Queen’s Speech being delayed because of the need to write it all down on goatskin paper. What is there to take seriously? This is the second post since the general election result became known and Theresa decided to carry on as if nothing had happened. How many more scones can we post before she is deposed? Answers on the same postcard as the telephone box.

EH2 4JS         tel: 0131 225 4442         Browns Edinburgh