Cannonmills close to Edinburgh’s Botanic Gardens is a good place for gluten free.  With Earthy, Di Giorgio, Cuckoo’s Bakery, Sugar Daddy’s and the Water of Leith Cafe Bistro, you could well be spoilt for choice in the area.

However, another to add to this burgeoning list is Brandon’s: a cafe bar on the corner of Eyre Place and Cannonmills.  The decor is immediately hipster, the tunes (a real record player with vinyl!) are retro and cool, and the general vibe is relaxed.  A lunch here enabled us to check out the new menu.

There are good choices for gluten free and the response to the coeliac comment was as relaxed as the cheese plant in the corner: no issues, plenty of choice and the kitchen clearly gets it – so chill.  Even the chips are gluten free and, as we all know, this is a good sign.

There are smaller and larger choices and in terms of GF I could have had soup  with bread or sandwiches made with gluten free bread (they were not sure which brand, so I didn’t go there).  There was a tasty looking smoked mackerel pate, a few salad options and some fish too.  I went for a beetroot, goats cheese and glazed walnut salad.  This had some punchy rocket, two types of beet, cubed and piled into the general tumble of it all, plus some slices of goats cheese on the top.  It was fabulous, tasty and packed with colour.  Given the chips are gluten free, it would have been rude not to share a bowl – brought in those cute, very hipster, blue and white enamel pie dishes.  You really begin to feel you landed back in the 70s here!

And the chips are good!  As is the mackerel pate chosen by a gluten-eater; and the cute little japanese style buns with chips chosen by the carb-loading boys.  It’s all good, it’s all relaxed and the music was just soothing and wonderful.  Add a glass of wine and this was a brilliant lunch.

As Brandon’s is only three doors down from Sugar Daddy’s which stocks the excellent Wheat Free Bakery Direct bread, perhaps they should have a chat?  Then Brandon’s could be proud of the GF bread it serves….  but who cares?  I love this place!