Coffee & Kebabs

Kick ass. Artisan have a real fight on their hands. Ok, they roast their own beans and I would guess that selling them to Edinburgh cafe's is where the majority of income generation will have to come from.

But there's a new kid on the block. Brew Lab in South College Street. It's in student central zone so totally mobbed. Justifiably so. there have Has Bean and Square Mile on. I started off with a fine Colombian on V60. It was smooth, sweet and totally balanced. There was a hint of fruit, maybe watermelon.

Their espresso is amazing. It's a Has Bean blend of El Bosque, San Rafael and something else. Fruit in a fooking cup. Quite high acidity, a tad Granny Smith but enough sweetness to provide balance. They use a slayer machine which is able to vary pressure throughout the extraction. Eek, I'll be taking some beans for Wayne @ NTP and sending him here to try the coffee.

The day started quite early as I had a lot to do. I got a 2.5 hour bike ride in, but it was so cold. There was a headwind going east and coming back west. I can't say I loved it.... Just so cold when I got back to Rosemary's.

The afternoon was spend doing random stuff, nothing worth blipping about. Then, I walked into town to go to Brew Lab. After that I headed to the Kebab Mahal for my dinner. This place is awesome. It looks like a typical kebab shop but its better than that. A popular dining spot for worshippers from the nearby city mosque, students, intellectuals, local down-and-outs and Clarissa Dickson-Wright....me fitting in as an intellectual obviously. I had a very nicely spiced pakora to start, although the chilli sauce made my head sweat. Then, I stupidly ordered a biriyani, rice piled high as a peak in the Karakoram range, light fluffy basmati, mixed veg and a lightly spiced sauce. The garlic nan was perfect.....I got change from £10 too!

I was meant to go to swimming later but that would have been dangerous. Rather, I skyped friend and ex-colleague Amy, who is back in her native New Zealand. She's the female version of me as we have everything in common...cycling, coffee, photography, Buddhism and the arts. We didn't have much to talk about.