16 FOOD AND DRINK
Café review: Fortitude By Charlie Ellis CROSSWORD Compiled by David Albury
ACROSS
1 Lassoo (6)
4 Large water containers (7)
9 Extremely foolish, absurd (9)
10 Inhabitant of another planeet
in sci-fi (5)
11 Investigate deeply (5)
12 Wrong (9)
13 Trick, mislead (7)
15 Calm and dignified (6)
17 Tall drum beaten with the
hands (3-3)
19 Hang up (7)
22 Fast ballroom dance in
quadruple time (9)
24 Applauds (5)
26 Opening piece of music (5)
27 First two words of The Lord’s
Prayer (3,6)
28 Journeys made with a purpose (7)
29 Vehicle used at a funeral (6)DOWN
1 Large plant that sits on the top
of a pond etc (4,3)
2 Wireless means of
communication (5)
3 Person who attempted to turn
metal into gold (9)
4 Cuts in half (7)
5 Furniture on which one sits (5)
6 Point above the focus of an
earthquake (9)
7 Legislative body in Ancient Rome (6)
8 Relating to cattle (6)
14 One who sings in organised body,
especially in a church (9)
16 Destroy rekigious items (9)
18 Orderly systems (7)
19 Outstandingly excellent (6)
20 Be worthy of (7)
21 In mediaeval times, a knight’s
attendant (6)
23 Widely recognised (5)
FORTITUDE HAS been one of the 25 Detest violently (5)
leading lights of the speciality coffee
scene in Edinburgh for almost a
decade, and now has three cafes in
Edinburgh. The original café in York
Place created their identity and a
reputation for excellence.
In 2020 they took over the former
sRonde cycle shop and café, at 66
Hamilton Place in Stockbridge. There
they have created a particularly elegant
café which is consistently busy.
Those who enjoy visiting
independent cafés will soon end up
with a sizeable number of loyalty
cards. I’ve recently tried to sort out my
pack of them. It was poignant to
discover that several of the cards were
from cafés that no longer exist. It
shows how fluid the specialty coffee
scene is and how challenging it can be
to maintain a profitable business, and
demonstrates that having a well-
designed venue and serving top notch
high quality coffee is no guarantee of
success. Often, location is a factor.
In 2021 Fortitude set up camp just
round the corner from Salisbury Place,
at 72 Newington Road. Apparentlythings have been going “pretty well”
and they have succeeded in building
up “a good brand of regulars”. These
include people who work at the large
cultural institutions nearby, Historic
Scotland and the National Library. The
place was never going to have massive
footfall as “it’s a fairly quiet area of
town”. But the large kitchen area in the
café means it plays a significant role in
the Fortitude trio as a source of their
tempting baking.
Fortitude maintain the highest
standards and friendly service is
combined with seriousness when it
comes to coffee preparation. This type
of precision leads to consistent
excellence. The café is airy and light
and its high ceilings and cornices add
a degree of elegance, while the large
meal pipes add a hint of the industrial
vibe so familiar within the specialty
coffee sector. The seating faces away
from the street allowing you to turn
your back (literally and figuratively)
on the busy arterial road behind you.
The four round tables provide
seating for up to 16 costumers. The
place has a very relaxed feel withplants abound and gentle music
wafting around. On sunny mornings,
the light shines beautifully through the
windows. The only intense thing about
the place is the coffee.
Fortitude offer an extensive range in
coffee, with no less than three espresso
options flowing through the gleaming
La Marzocco machine. Their coffees
are all roasted by Fortitude at their
roastery in Granton. On my last visit
to the Newington branch the espressos
available included an excellent Uraga
from Ethiopia, with Raspberries and
Mango notes and a very satisfying
finish. The espresso options are
complemented with pour over and
batch brew.
There’s plenty of variety for the
regular customer. The Newington
shop also stocks Fortitude’s full range
of retail beans. In addition to a range
of baking (the Black Forest chocolate
cake looks particularly good!), they
offer some excellent toasties. The one
with refried beans is extremely tasty
but watch out for the very spicy sauce.
Fortitude 72 Newington Road,
Edinburgh, EH9 1QNThird outlet adds strength to independent coffee group
Buon appetito!
THE NEW bambini on the block
La Bocca, won a prestigious title
at the 2022 Scottish Italian
Awards. The restaurant won the
Best Newcomer award and John
Donnelly and his small band
were also finalists in the
Scotland’s Best Team category.
This is Stockbridge’s best kept
secret where you can dine all
afternoon from the restaurant’s
Cichetti menu. Plates range from
£5 to £7 - great value with a glass
of wine or a Peroni. The
restaurant is also available for
private dining or parties.Donnelly said: “To win this
award against extremely stiff
competition from across the
country is truly rewarding and
vindicates our vision to deliver
an innovative Italian dining
experience born out of and
inspired by the best Osteria, and
to be distinctive, unique and
innovative in the Scottish
market.”
Meantime Bravo! to La Bocca
for putting Edinburgh on the
(Italian) map.
La Bocca 108 Raeburn Place EH
1HH Tel 0131 374 1584ANSWERS1 Lariat, 4 Buckets, 9 Ludicrous, 10 Alien, 11 Probe, 12 Incorrect, 13 Deceive, 15 Sedate, Across:17 Tom-tom, 19 Suspend, 22 Quickstep, 24 Chaps, 26 Intro, 27 Our father, 28 Errands, 29 Hearse.1 Lily pad, 2 Radio, 3 Alchemist, 4 Bisects, 5 Chair, 6 Epicentre, 7 Senate, 8 Bovine, 14 Down:Chorister, 16 Desecrate, 18 Methods, 19 Superb, 20 Deserve, 21 Squire, 23 Known, 25 Abhor.A leading light