][1]VisitScotland are continuing to celebrate Scotland’s Year of Food & Drink with a list of top Scottish cafes, all nominated by the public.
You can find the full list here but the blog was tickled by a couple of the more exotic offerings. A nice cup of tea and a scone are not to be sniffed at but they aren’t so hard to find where ever you are in Scotland. Unlike the following:
La Mirage Restaurant in Helmsdale in the far north east, was founded in the Seventies by a friend of Dame Barbara Cartland. As you might imagine, it boasts a rather unique decor that includes a mannequin of a Highway Patrol cop, a stuffed bear and lampshades covered with fishnet stockings.
Over the years, customers have ranged from Edwyn Collins to Michael Portillo. Their fish and chips are supposed to be spectacular.
I also liked the sound of Bovril Johnston’s Coffee Shop which opened in 2009 in Roslin, the birthplace of John Lawson Johnston, the inventor of Bovril.
As well as serving home baking, shakes, soups, sarnies and coffees, the coffee shop experiments with the meat extract as an ingredient.
Originally invented to sustain the troops of Napoleon III, these days, Bovril is better known for sustaining armies of football fans.
What’s the quirkiest cafe or restaurant that you have stumbled across?