An Afternoon At Badger & Co.

Hello!

When it comes to lunch time I tend to be on the lazy side. I'll either miss it completely, which is bad, or just grab a quick and easy sandwich. It's one of the meals that I think we all just ignore a little.

So when I was invited to try out Badger & Co. for lunch*, I was pretty excited. Imagine having something different instead of my usual boring bagel!

Badger and Co is fairly new to the Edinburgh dining scene. The location on Castle Street completely fits into the theme of the bar/restaurant. 32 Castle Street was once the home of Kenneth Grahame aka the writer who created The Wind in the Willows. 

I will admit I was not aware of this at first when I popped in for my lunch date. It was only after noticing all the pictures and the names of the cocktails (Pimms in the Willows was quite a big hint).

The bar and restaurant is incredibly chic. A mixture of classic and traditional styles with contemporary city bar vibes.

Even though it is called Badger & Co, I was getting more Mr Toad vibes from the place; Lavish, elegant and a little bit eccentric. I actually have a love/hate relationship with The Wind in the Willows, mainly due to the comparisons my brother likes to make between myself and Mr Toad...

So after being seated at a beautiful table facing Castle Street, it was time to getting eating and drinking:

The Starters 

Smoked Borders Chicken & Avocado Croquettes

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

As soon as I saw Smoked Borders Chicken & Avocado Croquettes on the menu, I knew that was the one for me. Crispy and fresh though a little lacking in taste sadly. Yes it was enjoyable but a little seasoning with the avocado could have helped. We all know how bland avocados can be. However it was served with chilli & lime mayo which was delightful

Sam decided to go for the Bacon Wrapped Scallops. Now I normally like to try a bit of what he has to get my own opinion but alas I hate scallops with a fiery vengeance. The dish did look really nice and I am a sucker for quirky presentation.

The Mains 

Chermoula & Almond Baked Hake

Twice-Cooked Ayrshire Pork Belly

I was a little split when it comes to the mains. Though I loved the sound of the Crispy Duck Egg, I ended up giving into my seafood side and ordered the Chermoula & Almond Baked Hake and oh am I so glad I did. This was quite honestly wonderful. The fish itself was beautifully done the Chermoula and Almond on top was so unusual tasting to me but in a really tasty way. 

For Sam it was all about the Twice-Cooked Ayrshire Pork Belly. I think he was purposely trying to stop me from eating his food as once again he picked a dish that I couldn't stand to eat. Seeing as it vanished from his plate fairly quickly, I think he found a winner. 

The Desserts 

Chocolate Orange Cheesecake

Banoffee Crumble

I've said it many a time but I am a sucker for a dessert. I always find them to be my favourite part of a meal. Alas though dessert wasn't a complete winner for me. Yes the Chocolate Orange Cheesecake was lovely but it just didn't grab me and make me say "Oh yeah baby". I think I just prefer a strong chocolatey taste. Bonus points for the lovely blood orange orange syrup and glittery gold decoration!

The Banoffee Crumble that Sam went for was sadly also not a massive winner for us. The nutmeg cream it was served was incredible but the crumble itself left us both feeling a little, dare I say, meh. I think it was the mixture of it being hot and tasting a little more like breakfast granola that left us feeling a little disappointed. That nutmeg cream though..... ugh. (That is a good ugh by the way). 

I overall really enjoyed my experience at Badger & Co. I loved the theme and the decor so much to the point where I could totally see myself enjoying a few of those Wind in the Willows cocktails in their really pretty downstairs beer garden. 

The food itself was really tasty minus a few flavour issues that I found. The meal, minus the drinks, would have cost us around £55 which is not what I would usually go for when it comes to lunch but for a nice dinner with friends, I would be pretty happy with that.

However they do offer a special daily lunch menu which is £10 for 2 courses and £13 for 3 courses. They also offer a breakfast menu which sounds up my street and will more than likely head back to give that a go.

Lastly the staff at Badger & Co were all really helpful and friendly which added to the whole vibe of the place. You sometimes worry that New Town places can be a little stand offish but I felt so comfortable and relaxed here. It had a nice chilled out vibe which has made me want to come back!

Have you visited Badger & Co yet? 

Till the next time!

X

*Though this meal was complimentary, all opinions expressed are 100% my own.