Perfil de sloven_weirdo

Black Bo’s is one of those low key little places to which you should be introduced by someone already part of the cult of Bo’s. Set into a non-descript tenement on Blackfriars St off the Royal Mile, Bo’s boasts a small boatful of beer (albeit at slightly above average prices).

The real reason to drop in for a quiet one though is that a) its called Black Bo’s which is like, the best name EVER and b) the combination of the red lighting, kitsch tiles painted in a variety of interestingly amateurish ways that decorate the walls, comfortable lounges and excellent music creates a wonderfully intimate atmosphere. All hail Bo!

I went to a gig at The Ark last night, paid four pounds entry, stayed for an hour and left. Here, presented for your reading pleasure in a friendly positive/negative point form style is why:

+ The view through the front windows next to the bar down Princes Street into the late evening sun haze.

- Limited range of beers on tap

- Overpriced no-name crisps - and they didn’t have Salt & Vinegar! What kind of bar doesn’t stock S&V Crisps?!

- Amateurish band belting out stuff that would have been really, really good in 1994 in a garage in Seattle.

- Acoustics apparently designed to burst the maximum available number of ear drums.

+ Clearly marked exit signs.

The Edinburgh Fabric Shop is the largest fabric and habedashery shop in the city. One must often delve deeply through the labyrinth of fabric rolls in order to find what one wants - fortunately the staff are very helpful and informed.

As well as fabrics, there is a great range of buttons, ribbon, threads and other clothe-making accessories. All in all, its pretty much essential shopping for the aspiring home-made clothes enthusiast. Oh, and if your ever stuck for costume ideas for parties, this should be your first port of call.

Compared to some of the other coffee shop chains (coughStarbuckscough), Beanscene scrubs up pretty well. Although franchised, it seems to have the profit motif not nearly as much at the forefront of its business philosophy which is rather refreshing. Its open rather late, has decent coffee, comfortable couches and often features live music - local bands or singer songwriters - to entertain the customers. Not bad all round.

The Brass Monkey is a great pub, offering reasonably priced drinks and regularly screening good films. It has a kind of bohemian atmosphere - the walls are papered with movie posters which is pretty cool - but is generally just a cosy and relaxed place to chill out with a drink and to watch whatever happens to be showing. Oh, and if you head there, I recommend hanging out in the room with the cushions. Its great.

The Harlequin Cafe is tucked down in a basement very close to the university, and as such has a very basic, studenty sort of feel to it. Its a reasonable place to go for a quick, healthy sandwich (they specialise in vegan fare - carnivores beware!), and is also very child-friendly for health-conscious parents. Its ok if you just want to tuck up in a cosy corner with a book and a cup of tea, but really there are better places out there.

This is a great cafe/restaurant that specialises in top-class organic vegetarian meals. The value for money is fantastic as well, as the portions are typically very generous while tasting amazing - I recommend trying something with the gingered gravy. It has a very relaxed atmosphere with big windows and chilled out staff. Highly recommended.

THe Elephant House on George IV Bridge is a nice enough cafe. It’s spacious, has a great view out over Candlemakers Row to Greyfriars Graveyard and beyond to the Castle, offers a wide variety of sandwiches, melts, cakes, biscuits and other food, does reasonable coffee and is also open until 11pm.

It’s also, as everyone seems very quick to point out, the ‘birth place of Harry Potter’ - that is, Jo Rowling wrote a large chunk of the ‘Philosopher’s Stone’ while hanging out there. And this means that it can get VERY busy. Its certainly worth checking out at least once for the carvings, paintings and statues of elephants that dot the place, but as a regular place to hang out its probably best to go somewhere quieter.

The Fudge House on Canongate is a fudge fetishists dream come true. Located in a prime spot for tourish traffice, the Fudge House is a cut above the competition, offering a large variety of fudges that can be easily mixed and matched to make an ideal gift for even the most discerning of fudge fanatics (and there are plenty of us out there!). If you can’t help yourself and simply must scoff some down on the spot, there are comfortable tables and chairs and the coffee is pretty good too.

Cafe Jacques, located in a quiet spot on the Grassmarket (or would be quiet except of course for the ongoing roadworks that have seemingly eaten up the entire street), is a great little cafe.

If you’re looking for a quality sandwich, foccacia, roll or salad without breaking the budget, then this is the place to be. The staff are friendly, the food is great and the coffee is well above average.