i’ve visited the storytelling centre on the royal mile a few times and eaten in the cafe too, but it was only until sinead contacted me recently and asked me to pop in for lunch that i found out that the cafe is under new management and that it is all about a very good social cause.
the cafe itself has a really super relaxed, open and welcoming feel about it. it’s a very tranquil space and you can feel right at home instantly.
it’s a family friendly space with lots of buggy space and a great story telling court to allow children to run about whilst mum and dad sit in the cafe area. sitting here over lunch, there are a few business meetings happening, a few tourists visiting and some elderly people that look like they’ve visited a fair few times. i like it here.
the cafe is run by local charity comas where 100% of the profits are gifted back to comas to continue their important community work helping people in recovery and those facing poverty. according to their website (as i can’t say it better) ‘comas is a community development charity which was founded in 2008. the charity works with people experiencing poverty, drug & alcohol addiction, physical and mental ill health, violence and abuse and aims to develop new ideas and approaches to meeting their needs. comas believes in empowering people through learning and development, enabling people to work together to develop their own solutions to the challenges they face.’ the story cafe also has a community cafe further down the royal mile, called serenity cafe.
what i do love the most is that they are using their location on the royal mile to their advantage by placing themselves as a social tourist destination. what this means is, that they attract a high footfall of tourists or visitors to edinburgh that agree with their ethos and want to help.
so how do we all make a contribution without necessarily thinking about it? it’s easy. the more you eat and drink here, the more they can help people in need! simple.
and now onto the food and drink.
i started off with a tumeric latte. yes, you read correct. tumeric is meant to be the next big superfood with tons of health benefits and if you had the cold, this is the next best thing to a hot toddy. it tastes of warming ginger and tumeric and quite creamy. i enjoyed this and will definitely become a winter favourite.
the menu is small but filled with good wholesome, homemade food. bacon rolls, porridge, and omelettes are available on the breakfast menu whilst you’ll find sandwiches and stovies along with the specials available for lunch. that day the specials board listed soup as curried parsnip served with bread and butter, lemon chicken cashew curry with rice and coriander chutney and homemade scones and traybakes and cakes! the plates that came out of the kitchen all looked amazing.
i opted for the avocado toast with seeds. large thick brown slice of toast covered in lettuce and avocado with a gorgeous side salad. a perfect healthy lunch.
i also had a full fat chocolate brownie, but i never managed a photo of it! oops