Good food and avant-garde art and design are on display in the community space once home to George Brown & Sons Engineering Works. Megan Amato visits Haze, one of the businesses operating in the old Leith warehouse.
Established by Custom Lane, Brown’s of Leith opened in late November on the cobbled streets of Edinburgh’s The Shore. The original large blue warehouse doors are still in place, the only obvious change is the understated a-frame outside welcoming guests on Thursday to Sunday from 8am to 8pm and the barely-contained bustle of life inside.
As soon as you enter, you are greeted by a hive of energy as the energetic space is filled with chatter and the scent of freshly ground coffee and garlic. It’s a very welcoming space with families with prams and dogs, to the circles of friends catching up over coffee, wine and what to my rumbling stomach smelt like good food.
We are greeted almost as soon as we arrive and walked through the different businesses:
Haze, from the creators of Timberyard and Montrose, is your stop for speciality coffee, wine, beer and spirits, and small plates curated for the thirsty palate. Cheese, cured meats, tinned fish and other savoury bites can be enjoyed with your drink of choice, including award-winning Edinburgh-based Woven blended whiskies.
Shuck Bar, sister to Portobello’s ShrimpWreck, serves fresh Scottish seafood and produce like oysters from Barra, Cumbrae and Lindesfarne, crab, mussels, chowder and even fresh pasta.
Along the far back wall are Edinburgh favourites Civerinos serving Connecticut-style pizza and the Neapolitan Panuozzo with their own twist.
Even though I am a tea enthusiast, we had to start with coffee. After asking the gentleman behind the counter for recommendations from their menu featuring local coffee roasters, he made a latte which was perfectly smooth without a trace of bitterness. However, the real winner was an espresso from The Source Coffee Roasters. Chocolatey and bursting with tart notes of citrus and cherry, this coffee was truly a pleasure to sip on even for this aforementioned tea-loving girl.
Coffee from Haze
While we sipped, someone from Haze came over and asked us our preferences before coming back with a scattering of different plates. On the first plate was a rich and gently spicy nduja on toast (£8.8), a creamy goat’s cheese with honey (£9), pickled gherkins and red wine garlic salami (£8/15). The nduja on its own was delectable but piling on the goat’s cheese and a generous portion of honey took it to the next level.
One the second plate was tinned John Dory & Mint (£19) served with toast. This classic combo was creamy and savoury, the gentle flavour of the fish balanced with the subtle cooling note of the mint. Next time I will try with a sprinkle of chilli flakes, as I think that could enhance the flavours.
The winner of the afternoon, however, was the mussels in escabeche (£14). Tangy and spicy with a slight smokiness from the mussel, this gorgeous combination was bursting with flavour and had both of us nearly fighting over the last mussel.
The price of eating tinned fish out may seem steep, and I certainly was a little sceptical going into it. But after sampling some of Haze’s menu, I gained a new perspective: it’s a great way to try different options before finding the one you love – especially with good coffee or a glass or two of wine with friends and family!
If you’re looking for a stylish, high-energy place to grab a coffee or a delicious bite to eat over the weekend in Edinburgh, Brown’s of Leith certainly fits the bill. We will certainly be back to nibble on canned fish and to try the other restaurants in the building, especially as new businesses are added to the Brown’s of Leith roster.
For more information, visit customlane.co/browns-of-leith
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