Eating and Waiting to Eat

And the questing continues! This time around, the amazing Jenny Niven, Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival - among the world’s oldest and most prestigious literary festivals - joins Carlos and Kevin’s fellowship. Jenny talks about the Festival’s breadth and scope, its unique space in Edinburgh’s cultural scene, its role in championing food and cooking related literature (and experiences), as well as - given that she lived in China for years - the Capital’s very best Chinese restaurants. Enjoy this second, and epic, Side Quests.
 
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Connect with this Side Quest's guest(s) on Instagram:Edinburgh International Book Festival
General links from this Side Quest:
Edinburgh International Book Festival
Edinburgh International Book Festival Podcast on Spotify
Life in a Scotch Sitting Room, Vol. 0
Hamish Hawk on Spotify
Ivor Cutler on Wikipedia
Hamish Hawk on his Ivor Cutler tribute
Underbelly
Jess Elliott Dennison
Elliott’s 
David Chang

Restaurants and bars mentioned in this Side Quest:
Valvona & Crolla
Noodles and Dumplings
Dumplings of China

Gather your fellowship - ideally folks who share your love for breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper - and get ready to embark on the very first Eating and Waiting to Eat Side Quest! Side Quests are episodes that break from our show's usual format. They are designed to air in between seasons of the show, to be shorter in length (just like a Hobbit), and to focus on conversations with individuals doing amazing things in and around (or in support of) Scottish food and drink. Our first guest is none other than Adele Conn. Adele is "a wanderlust food lover, a wine enthusiast and a gin guru." She is also the force behind the award-winning blog TartanSpoon, which features reviews, recipes, and curated guides to Scotland’s culinary scene. Sit back and enjoy this first Eating and Waiting to Side Quest (and remember, always get the pie).

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Connect with Adele, this Side Quest's guest, on Instagram:
TartanSpoon 

General links from this Side Quest:
TartanSpoon Blog
Colin Hinds

Restaurants and bars mentioned in this Side Quest:
The Tipsy Midgie
Copper Blossom 
Lyla
Shakedown Burgers 
Cafe Pomelo
Nadair
Cardinal
The Gilded Saloon
Condita
Bacaro
Blonde
Sabzi
Mirin
Fingal
Ardfern
Civerinos

And just like that, season 1 of Eating and Waiting to Eat comes to an end! And what an episode to close out on: Matt Carroll, Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Fortitude Coffee Roasters, joins Carlos and Kevin in the studio. Fortitude holds a special place for Carlos and Kevin. Not only is Fortitude among the first places that they (independently) became regulars at but it was the fact that they kept seeing each other at Fortitude that cemented the friendship; one could say that Eating and Waiting to Eat exists because of Fortitude! Matt tells his origin story, his learning curve as both coffee shop owner and coffee roaster, and the realities of sustaining and growing a coffee business. Sit back, make yourself a double (quad?) espresso, and enjoy the season 1 finale! 

Follow Eating and Waiting to Eat on Instagram here.

Connect with this episode’s guest(s) on Instagram:
Fortitude Coffee Roasters

General links from this episode:
Fortitude Coffee Roasters 
Best Coffee App 
Led Zeppelin Spotify Page
Golden Hare Books
Stand Comedy Club
National Galleries Scotland: Portrait  
Coffee Seasonality 
Studio Arhoj 
Lost Shore Surf Resort
Becca Marriner 

Restaurants and bars mentioned in this episode:
Short Long Black Coffee 
Patricia’s x SLB
La Cabra
Artisan Roast 
Origin 
Cairngorm Coffee Roasters
Cult Coffee Roasters
Razzo Pizza
Civerinos  
Prolog Coffee

What does it take to open up a restaurant in Edinburgh today? What about opening a new restaurant in a spot that used to belong to a beloved, decades old institution? Well if you’re James Clark, the Edinburgh-native and restauranteur behind the Italian enoteca and trattoria Sotto in Stockbrige, the answer is: an entrepreneurial spirit, grit, respect for a venue’s roots, and a deep love of wine and pasta. James joins Kevin and Carlos on an entrepreneurial-themed episode of Eating and Waiting to Eat. Come for James’ (and Sotto’s) multi-faceted origin story (we think James might have been a spy), stay for the geeking out about wine and pasta. Did we mention we talk about wine and pasta?

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Connect with this episode’s guest(s) on Instagram:
Sotto
James Clarke

General links from this episode:
Sotto
Splintr
Ping On’s Kenny Mac lunches in James Clark’s Sotto
Vittoria Restaurant Group
Lidl Champagne 
Trattoria Wikipedia Entry
Sotto’s Michelin Guide Entry
Erbaluci Wikipedia Entry

Restaurants and bars mentioned in this episode:
The Palmerston
Divino
The Kebab Mahal
LYLA
Cafe Gallo

What’s your favorite cake? Where do you stand on scones: sweet or savoury? Carrot cake, nuts or no nuts? Ashley Harley, Chief Operating Officer of Mimi’s Bakehouse and Nami (and daughter of Mimi herself) stops by the studio to answer these questions for Carlos and Kevin and to tell them the truly epic origin story of the beloved Edinburgh institution: Mimi’s Bakehouse. Ashley also expertly outlines the many challenges currently facing the Edinburgh hospitality industry. She speaks the truth in a way that is informative and hopeful. This episode is a masterclass in the entrepreneurial mindset required to both build a business and to make legendary vanilla on vanilla cupcakes (the best kind of cupcake there is). 

 Follow Eating and Waiting to Eat on Instagram ⁠here⁠. 

Connect with this episode’s guest(s) on Instagram:
Mimi’s Bakehouse
Mimi’s Gals
Nami

General links from the episode:
Mimi’s Bakehouse
Nami
Scottish Bakers Association
Underbelly
Plate Expectations 
The Shore Business Collective
Royal Yatch Brittania 

Restaurants and bars mentioned in the episode: 
Machina Coffee 
Williams & Johnson Coffee Company
Lanaan
Twelve Triangles
Port of Leith Distillery
Three Marys
Ocean’s Mist
Heron
The Kitchin
Martin Wishart
Roseleaf
Malt & Hops
Tapa
Kvasa Bakery