REVIEW : Breakfast at Loudons, New Waverley

Edinburgh is filled to the brim with places to eat. From the beautiful old buildings along George Street, to bijou venues in basements, down our wee closes and alleyways, to purpose built restaurants in hotels and new building developments.

But Edinburgh is a very old city, and with all these interesting and quirky eateries comes difficulties in access - there is most likely always stairs, inside and out, going up or down.

For most of us, this is not a problem but it’s when you visit a restaurant like Loudons at New Waverley, do you realise how difficult some locations truly are.

Loudons are located on Sibbald Walk, a fairly new development just off the Royal Mile with alot of breathing space which in Edinburgh, in August in particular, is a massive bonus. They look out over the square and up to Carlton Hill. Breathing space!

But the one thing that I do love about Loudons is that their entire restaurant is on the flat. From the street, into the square, into the restaurant and the rest rooms. All flat. All easily accessible and this I promise you, if you have babies, small children, elderly family members or someone that is disabled is a HUGE plus.

Loudons should be the top destination for families or in fact anyone that wants a hearty filling breakfast like we were about to eat.

We arrived super early (well for me) at 8am. Time for a wee breakfast catch up with a friend and set the world to rights before work at 9am.

Loudons offer a wide variety of drinks. I’m quite boring when it comes to my tea, a creature of habit, and Breakfast Tea (£2.95) was ordered. You can order coffees extra hot, single shot, decaf or with soya milk; you can order flavoured lattes like Tumeric and Black Pepper or go for tea. Teas are all loose leaf and they serve Earl Grey to Rooibos and speciality teas like Orange Blossom Oolong and Cloud Catcher.

Wines, ciders, beers, cocktails and whisky are also available but only served a little later in the day.

Loudons serve breakfast, brunch and lunch, open Mon-Fri 7:30am-5pm, weekends 8am-5pm (last orders from the kitchen 4pm).

You can choose across the breakfast and brunch menus. Breakfast menu is filled with dishes like the Full Breakfast, Pancakes, French Toast, Granola’s and Filled Rolls, whilst the brunch menu is dedicated to the Benny’s. Eggs Benedict on their homemade muffins served every which way - opt for the Mac Daddy with pulled pork and mac and cheese or the Fair Fa with haggis, caramelised onion and cheddar cheese.

There is most definitely something to suit everyone, even the pickiest of eaters.

I chose the Full Breakfast ~ bacon, sausage, egg (I ordered scrambled eggs but you can have poached or fried too), haggis, black pudding, homemade potato scone, homemade baked beans, mushroom and toasted homemade bread. Each component of the breakfast was super. I felt the haggis and the black pudding serving was a little on the mean side, most places you get double the thickness, but the overall quality of the ingredients was top notch. Toast was thick and soft and the perfect vehicle to scoop up all that deliciousness on your plate.

This breakfast was a little off menu. Instead of the Scrambled Eggs and Scottish Smoked Salmon (£9.95), Kirsty opted for poached eggs with the salmon, skipped the chives served with cream cheese and the herb salad but had the garlic cherry tomatoes and toasted homemade bread.

The poached eggs arrived as two lovely white orbs on the plate. Kirsty soon placed these on her buttered toast and cut open the eggs. The yolks were perfectly cooked as the yolks oozed out.

Besides breakfast and brunch, Loudons also serve lunch. Try their Thai Fish Cakes with pickled vegetables and beetroot salad or the Meatballs with toasted pumpkin seeds or the Chicken Feta Burger with a turmeric, dill and lime yoghurt.

Or just grab some of that breathing space and chill out with some great cakes and a coffee. Loudons cater for vegans, vegetarians and dairy and gluten freebies across their cake range and all of their menus.

Loudons for me is synonymous with breakfast/brunch in Edinburgh. The service is friendly and fast and the food is great.

Loudons, 2 Sibbald Walk, Edinburgh, EH8 8FT. www.loudons.co.uk

My Spoon Award : Silver Spoon, 8/10

I was invited by Loudons to review their menu. Food and drink were complimentary but the views are very much my own.