If you’re visiting Edinburgh for the festival this summer, chances are, you’re going to want to go somewhere fun for lunch. Somewhere central, affordable and serving great food – and I’ve got the spot for you, and it’s located slap-bang in the centre of town.
Part of the gorgeous Intercontinental Edinburgh (it’s recently been rebranded from The Principal), The Printing Press serves everything from breakfast to dinners and cocktails and it’s one of my favourite spots in town. Not only is it super convenient to visit (it’s right on George Street after all), but I’ve always really enjoyed myself each time I’ve visited.
A couple of weeks back, we headed through to try out their brand new lunch menu. With the opportunity to enjoy two courses for £15.50, it’s got to be one of the best lunch deals in town! Since it was a Friday when we visited, we couldn’t resist opting for the Craft ale-battered fish and chips. An absolute whale of a portion, this was the fish and chips of dreams. With a crisp batter, mountain of fluffy chips, and delicious mushy peas, I’m not going to lie, I stole a couple of mouthfuls, and it was absolutely divine.
I had opted for the Steak Sandwich served on sourdough bread alongside a marrowbone gravy. All the sourdough is baked in-house by the very talented kitchen team, and the effort really elevates the dish! Talk about comfort food but elevated, this sandwich is everything you dream about when I’m hangry.
With generous slices of steak nestled in watercress on toast, this was absolutely divine. The pairing with the piping hot gravy was genius. I’m not going to lie – it was the perfect dipping sauce. Rich and full of savoury goodness, it was a seriously satisfying way to spend a Friday afternoon.
To enjoy alongside our mains, we couldn’t resist trying a couple of side dishes. Obviously, the Steak Sandwich needed a portion of fries to go along with (not going to lie, these were dipped in that glorious gravy) and we also opted for the young broccoli, brown butter, hazelnuts which was absolutely delicious too!
Desserts couldn’t have been more summery, and we opted to share, so we could both enjoy all that seasonal goodness. First up was the Kirriemuir strawberry and black pepper pavlova. Unlike pavlovas I’ve tried in the past, this wasn’t the blousey, meringue-y mess which you might expect, but a seriously modern take on the classic. Macerated berries were sweet, and the whipped cream was just perfection. The star of the show was the meringue which was caramelised on the bottom, lending the dish a rich toffee note which was absolutely divine.
The Lemon Posset sounded too good to resist, and it was truly a taste of the summer. The posset itself was silky smooth, with a wonderfully zingy lemon flavour. Super fresh and gloriously indulgent – this was one of those puddings you never want to end. The berries on top were succulent and sweet – balancing everything out perfectly.
Thank you so much to The Printing Press for having us – you can find out more about the restaurant here.