July 2022

16 FOOD AND DRINK
Café review: Fauna Coffee
By Charlie Ellis
CROSSWORD
Compiled by David Albury
Capital coffee
New opening Fauna offers West End coffee redemption
FAUNA COFFEE on Queensferry
Street is an excellent new arrival on
the scene.
They opened at the start of April
2022, just in time to take advantage
of the loosening up of Covid
restrictions and an increasing
number of visitors to the city.
The lockdowns and restrictions
were particularly difficult for
specialty coffee places in the
city centre.
Based on the quality of their
coffee, Fauna deserves to succeed.
Our coffees (cortados) were
exceptionally well made, with a rich
and lingering flavour. We still had
the taste in our mouths 20 minutes
afterwards. Fauna use Redemption
Roasters’ ‘The Yard’ blend (a mix of
beans from Peru, Colombia and
Rwanda) in their espresso drinks.
This is a bright and juicy coffee with
notes of red apple, apricot and
caramel. The plan is to add more
variety to their espresso by using
other Redemption blends.
Unlike nearby Cairngorm on its
very visible corner site (at the end of
Melville Street), it’s easy to miss
Fauna. Given its proximity to Princes
Street, it should be popular with
tourists . It should also attract fans of
specialty coffee. The café is long and
thin, with an uncluttered feel.
Previously a hairdresser, the
minimalist decor creates a cool and
calming atmosphere. The retro style
olive green seats are a nice touch.
The seats towards the rear will be
ideal during the mid-summer
months when you might want to
avoid the crowded streets.
A key aspect of specialty coffee is a
deep concern with the lives and
financial situation of those involved
in its production. Fauna connects
this to its partnership with
Redemption Roasters, based at HMP
Mount in Hertfordshire. The
company is also involved in training
offenders in the skills of the coffee
industry, giving them greater
employment possibilities.
Redemption also runs barista
training academies in nine prisons
across the UK.
Fauna also serve a range of teas,
sandwiches and soups as well as
tempting baking, including Turkish/
Greek influenced baking. They also
sell a selection of Redemption’s
excellent beans, including an
excellent La Serrania decaf from
Colombia which has deep
fruit notes.
Though, in the heart of tourist and
commercial Edinburgh, Fauna is far
superior to most of the coffee places
nearby. Discerning coffee enthusiasts
should definitely check it out and
sample the expertly crafted brews.
Fauna’s arrival hopefully heralds the
start of a revival for specialty coffee
in the centre of Edinburgh.
Fauna 19a Queensferry Street,
EH2 4QW
ACROSS
1 Being repressed, put pen away (4-2)
5 Unskilled re-construction of
next pier (8)
9 A coir mat can be fragrant (8)
10 Travelling at 100 mph from Luton
up the motorway (3-2)
11 Snared crowd, by one performing
traditional Scottish entertainment
(5-6)
13 In Dunbar everyone is naked ! (4)
14 Fails to look after glens etc. (8)
17 Hate a man: he becomes an object
of abhorrence (8)
18 Change tone about this school (4)
20 Man put equal effort into a sudden,
spectacular advance (7, 4)
23 Got in a mass of silver (5)
24 Nails now designed by male
relative (3-2-3)
25 Tie score, in a mysterious way (8)
26 Arrange children as term is
organised (6)
DOWN
2 Nobleman upset Lear (4)
3 I met these requirements, showing
how long I worked (9)
4 Option to change dose of
medicine (6)
5 Tina sliced cumin, with tunes playing
in the background (10, 5)
6 Alienate a regent’s substitute (8)
7 In Japan I cause fear (5)
8 Compensation for damaged
ornate pair (10)
12 Quinn names various dummies (10)
15 Watch first batsman - it is a
revelation (3-6)
16 One who leaves a will is also an
attestor (8)
19 Set up nets in preparation for
this game (6)
21 In Wells Fargo, this is used as
slang (5)
22 In Donegal, a sporting occasion (4)
ANSWERS
Across: 1 Pent-up, 5 Inexpert, 9 Aromatic, 10 Ton-up, 11 Sword-dancer, 13 Bare, 14 Neglects, 17
Anathema, 18 Eton, 20 Quantum leap, 23 Ingot, 24 Son-in-law, 25 Esoteric, 26 Stream.
Down: 2 Earl, 3 Timesheet, 4 Potion, 5 Incidental music, 6 Estrange, 7 Panic, 8 Reparation, 12
Mannequins, 15 Eye-opener, 16 Testator, 19 Tennis, 21 Argot, 22 Gala.
The world is their oyster
ONDINE OYSTER & Grill has
been placed number 84 out of
the top 100 restaurants in the
UK and is the highest ranked
in Edinburgh, at the Estrella
Damm National Restaurant
Awards 2022.
Ondine are renowned for
their seafood and shellfish.
The restaurant was opened in
2009 by Owner and Chef Roy
Brett in the heart of Edinburgh’s
Old Town and has become an
institution within the
Scottish Capital.
They recently completely
transformed the look and feel of
the restaurant, taking diners on
a unique and magical dining
experience with a twist, as the
opulent space has been
converted to emulate a ship at
sea featuring a very clever
window display.
Roy Brett commented on their
award success: “We as a team are
absolutely delighted to be
awarded as one of the Top 100
restaurants throughout the UK.
It is such an honour to receive
the prestigious accolade from
the industry itself.