Edinburgh city is a great place for food lovers with a multitude of restaurants allowing to discover food from around the world. During that weekend we tasted the famous The Dome restaurant, the Japanese restaurant Koyama and the nether bow port small tearoom with a detour to the Christmas market and museums.
La ville d’Edimbourg est parfaite pour les amateurs de nourriture grâce à sa multitude de restaurants qui permettent de découvrir des cuisines du monde entier. Pendant ce weekend, nous avons testé le fameux restaurant The Dome, le restaurant Japonais Koyama et le petit salon de thé Nether bow port et avons fait un détour par le marché de Noël et quelques musées.

I haven’t managed to publish a blog post last week as you can guess I was too busy eating and exploring Edinburgh. I have been several times to Edinburgh with Matt and even my mum but this time was a bit different as I went with my girl friends leaving my three boys (the adult, the baby and the furry) at home. Also the goal of that trip was an morning tea at the Dome and a visit to the Christmas market.
Je n’ai pas réussi à publier un article de blog la semaine dernière car comme vous pouvez le deviner j’étais trop occupé à manger et à explorer Edimbourg. Je suis allée plusieurs fois à Edimbourg avec Matt et même ma mère mais cette fois-ci c’était un peu différent car j’y suis allée avec des amies et j’ai laissé mes trois hommes à la maison (l’adulte, le bébé et le poilu). Aussi le but du weekend était un morning tea au Dome et la visite du marché de noël.
Read about our walk to Arthur seat here.
We arrived in Edinburgh by train around 3 pm and went directly to check in our accommodation on high street. We had booked for 6 pm in Koyama restaurant so we had a couple of hours to explore the shops on high street before going to the restaurant. My friends wanted to find some Christmas decorations and were happy to find a Christmas shop.
Nous sommes arrivés en train à Edimbourg au environ de 15h et sommes directement allé au logement sur la rue High street. Nous avions réservé le restaurant Koyama pour 18h cela nous laissé donc le temps de faire quelques magasins avant d’aller au restaurant. Mes amies voulaient trouver des décorations de Noël et elles furent contente de trouver un magasin dédié à ça.

Koyama Japanese restaurant:
I love Japanese food and every time I go to a big city I try to go for Japanese food as we don’t have any around Whitehaven. That evening with one of my friends we decided to try several things. We started with some miso soup and chicken gyoza. Then we had ordered a mix of sashimi, rolls, maki, sushi for sharing between the two of us. The food was really fresh and tasty. A really nice restaurant if you like Japanese food.
J’adore la cuisine Japonaise et à chaque fois que je vais dans une grande ville j’essaie d’aller manger dans un restaurant japonais car nous n’en avons pas autour de Whitehaven. Ce soir la avec une de mes amies nous avons décidé d’essayer plusieurs plats. Nous avons commencé par une soupe miso et des gyoza au poulet. Puis nous avions commandé un mix de sashimi, rolls, maki et sushi à partager. La nourriture était très fraiche et bonne. C’est un très bon restaurant si vous aimez la cuisine japonaise.
Find Koyama restaurant website here.
The next day we decided to have breakfast outside before exploring the new town area of Edinburgh.
Le lendemain matin nous avons décidé de prendre le petit déjeuné à l’extérieur avant de partir explorer la partie d’Edimbourg New town.


The Nether Bow Port Cafe Restaurant:
This little cafe is very popular for breakfast and has a nice menu. I opted for the eggs Florentine with an oat milk chai latte. The food again was very delicious and the atmosphere of the place very relaxing and friendly.
Ce petit café est très populaire pour le petit déjeuner et a un bon menu. J’ai opté pour les oeuf florentins avec un chai latte au lait d’avoine. A nouveau la nourriture était très bonne et l’atmosphère de l’endroit très relaxante et amicale.
Find our discovery of Leith harbour area here.

Then we walked down to New Town area where two of my friends went shopping and with my other friend we went to visit the National Galleries of Scotland Portrait. My friend and I had a great time watching the different portraits and the beauty of the building. Being English she knew more than me about some of the people/celebrity in display but I still enjoyed some of the paintings. After 1h30 wandering in the museum it was time to go to the Dome.
Puis nous avons marché en direction du quartier de New Town où deux de mes amis sont allés faire du shopping pendant qu’avec une autre amie nous sommes allés visité le National Galleries of Scotland Portraits. Mon amie et moi avons passé un bon moment à regarder les différent portraits et la beauté du bâtiment. Vu qu’elle ait anglaise elle connaissait plus que moi les personnes en portraits mais j’ai quand même bien apprécié les tableaux. Après 1h30 à nous promener dans le musée il était temps d’aller au Dome.
Find more information about the National Galleries of Scotland Portrait here.

The Dome restaurant:
My friend had booked the table last February as apparently it is very busy during Christmas time. We had the table at 1pm and were going for the morning tea. I have to say that the building is absolutely beautiful and during Christmas it is stunning and worth a visit. However, I was very disappointed with the food and would definitely not recommend the morning tea. I would recommend to maybe go for cocktail (if you are happy to pay £14 for a cocktail). The morning tea contained a bacon sandwich, a sausage roll, a scone, an apple crumble and a small ginger bread. Unfortunately I found the food dry, bland and expensive for what they serve (£24/ person). Definitely not what I was expecting from a place that you have to book a year in advance.
Mon amie avait réservé la table en février car apparemment l’endroit est très fréquenté pendant Noël. Nous avions une table à 13h et nous y allions pour le morning tea. Je dois dire que le bâtiment est absolument magnifique et surtout pendant Noël avec les décorations cela mérite d’être vu. Cependant j’ai été déçu par la nourriture et je ne recommanderai pas le morning tea. Je vous recommanderai de peut être y aller pour un cocktail (si vous êtes prêt à payer £14 pour un cocktail). Le morning tea contenait un sandwich au bacon, un roll à la saucisse, un scone, un crumble à la pomme et un petit pain d’épice. Malheureusement j’ai trouvé la nourriture trop sèche, sans goût et trop chère pour ce qui nous a été servi (£24/personne). Ce n’était définitivement pas ce que j’espérais pour un endroit qu’il faut réserver un an à l’avance.
Find all the information about the Dome restaurant here.




After the Dome we went to the Christmas Market. It was busy but it was still possible to see the stalls. Most of the Christmas Market was food stalls or Christmas decorations. To be honest it was not exceptional.
Après le Dome, nous sommes allés au marché de Noël. Il y avait pas mal de monde mais nous pouvions quand même voir les stands. La majorité du marché de noël était des stands de nourriture ou de décorations de Noël. Pour être honnête ce n’était pas exceptionnel.





On Sunday, we walked the Royal mile up to the castle, did again a bit of shopping and went to visit the National Galleries of Scotland: National before heading to the train station to go back home. Overall it was a nice city weekend tasting food and discovering a bit more of the Scottish culture.
Le dimanche, nous avons marché sur le Royal mile jusqu’au château, avons fait un peu de magasins et sommes allés à la National Galleries of Scotland: National avant de partir pour la gare pour renter à la maison. En résumé, c’était un bon weekend en ville à manger et découvrir un peu plus de la culture Ecossaise.
Find more about the National Galleries of Scotland: National here.

Find all our adventures in Scotland on this page. To discover the Lake District it is here.
Looks like a lovely time in a beautiful part of our world!
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It was a nice weekend discovering a bit more of Edinburgh.
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I have never eaten in the Dome and shall go by your experience and not bother! The surroundings are absolutely beautiful though.
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It is a shame because the place is beautiful. Maybe going for a cocktail. I tried one and it was very tasty.
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What an envious adventure you had! Great photos!
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Thank you 😊.
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Edinburgh looks lovely, even more so when it’s all decorated for the holidays. Bummer that the morning tea at The Dome was disappointing.
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I did love the lights at night. It was really nice to see the city like that.
Might try another place next time.
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A winter city break is just the ticket to lift the gloom. Haven’t been to Edinburgh for an absolute age, and probably need to go back. I know that TBH would be up for it!
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Organising weekend away between holidays is nice. Great way of breaking the year and enjoying some adventures. Hopefully you can organise a trip soon to Edinburgh. The botanic garden is lovely if you haven’t been.
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I don’t think I have! Great tip, thanks.
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Edinburgh is a lovely city and the architecture is superb.
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I agree and also plenty of great free museums.
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I thoroughly enjoyed your Edinburgh food adventure, Melodie. Descriptions were informative and honest with short overviews as well as good details. Photos were very descriptive. Wonderful that you and your friends took the time in this busy season to be together, and had the foresight to book your reservations in advance.
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Thank you for your nice comment. I am happy you enjoyed it.
It was lovely indeed to spend a bit of time together.
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So nice to get away with the girls. And you made the most of your time with some lovely meals out. It’s a shame about the Morning Tea. I had never heard of it, only ever having had Afternoon Tea!
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To be honest I also thought I was going to an afternoon tea. I guess I misunderstood my friend when they explained the plan to me 😂. I definitely enjoyed the other meal. I like sometimes going to city just to try different foods as we don’t have a lot of choice in Cumbria.
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Yeh I was in Manchester recently, and the amount of different cuisines is mind boggling! Edinburgh is such a great city to visit.
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Nice Article
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Thank you
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It sounds like a nice trip with fun events, shopping and good food. Too bad about the morning tea.
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It was very nice indeed and I would recommend Edinburgh for a weekend. Thank you for visiting my blog.
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How lovely to get away with the girls! I’d love to try Japanese food, I’ve never been anywhere that does it. I’ll have to stick to Pocky for now 😂
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You should try if you have the opportunity and if you like fish.
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I definitely will! I love trying new foods 😁
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Beautiful restaurant delicious food.
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It is a beautiful place indeed.
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🙂
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J’aimerais bien aller à Edimbourg pour Noël, pour changer un peu de Londres, peut-être l’année prochaine 😁
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C’est sympa à faire mais peut être moins intéressant que Londres pour être honnête.
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De ce que j’ai vu sur les réseaux sociaux, il y a l’air d’avoir moins, mais il y a tellement de monde à Londres à cette période de l’année que je ne serais pas contre aller voir ailleurs pour un week-end 😶🌫️
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Oh my! Looks like you had a grand time of it! The food looks amazing! Thanks for sharing your weekend, Melodie!
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It was nice to spend some time with friends. Happy New Year to you and your family.
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Merci pour cette visite gourmande d’Edimbourg que j’aimerais beaucoup visiter 🙂
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Ravie de t’avoir fait découvrir un peu d’Édimbourg. J’espère que tu auras l’occasion un jour d’aller découvrir cette ville.
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Merci, je l’espère également 🙂
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I suspect that we have very different tastes in food, Melodie. I’m fine with miso and gyozas, but I dislike sushi very much. I’d probably have been ok with the Dome food so long as it was hot and freshly cooked. The setting is certainly spectacular and I can forgive a little for that. Edinburgh is such a vibrant city, though one of the coldest places I know. Ideal for a couple of days away.
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I agree the setting is amazing. I like discovering new types of cooking and ingredients so that is why I was a bit disappointed with this very basic morning tea.
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That looks like a nice weekend getaway. The food at the first two restaurants look good and the decorations inside the Dome look beautiful.
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It was nice indeed to spend time with friends and enjoy good food and some art.
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Going out for a meal at the Dome is always a truly magical experience, particularly during this festive period when the fabulous building is wrapped up with beautiful Christmas decorations – they for sure have the most amazing Christmas tree! I am glad you had a great time. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
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A lovely city – but cold at this time of the year! But nice for a break if you wrap up warm
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It wasn’t too cold to be honest. It is definitely a city for walking ☺️.
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