I live out in the land of Dalry and have always had to go into town when I wanted to go out for dinner, but a Foodinburgh article  brought my attention to an adorable looking gastropub that was literally around the corner from my flat. After a taxing morning at uni yesterday, we decided to treat ourselves to a little late lunch at The Caley Sample Room.

Although I’m not aware of what the Caley looked like pre-refurbishment, I do know that I love what they did with the place. It has a beautiful interior, I love the painted brick work and that the waiter offered us a table with a radiator beside it so we could be cosy. It has a lot of the industrial style cool lighting features and a stunning bar.

For lunch I ordered the beer battered haddock with hand cut chips, minted mushy peas and tartare sauce. It was delicious, and as a Peterhead girl I feel like I’m well equiped to judge fish, although I always seem to have a problem with mint in savoury foods so I would’ve preferred my mushy peas to be non-minted. It was a great portion size for the price too! My friend Kira had the shredded pork with mash, savoy cabbage and cider jus from the set menu. She said it was so, so good.

We also decided to treat ourselves to dessert so that we could fully appreciate our new adventure. I got the sticky toffee pudding which I thought was nice. It was quite treacle-y as they are supposed to be but in my personal preference, I’m more of a toffee than a treacle fan – I guess I just like my sweets to be sweet rather than sweet and bitter. Kira had the apple and cinnamon crumble which was lovely and warm and delicious.

All in all, it was a lovely experience with a great atmosphere even when it was quiet because it was 2pm. I’m glad that I’ve found such a great place that is only a short walk away and provides better than normal pub food. It makes me happy.

You can find The Caley Sample Room at 42-58 Angle Park Terrace in Edinburgh.