Birdy and Girdy headed to a special Halloween afternoon tea at Mimi’s Bakehouse… but this review will just be Birdy talking, because Girdy is a little bit backlogged!
Since I’ve been part of the team at Edinburgh Reviews, I’ve been especially on the lookout for fun things to do in the ‘Burgh – and if there’s food involved, all the better.
I got really excited when I saw Mimi’s Bakehouse advertising a special Halloween afternoon tea, and knew that it wouldn’t take much persuading to get Girdy onboard for that one, either! Hence, this is something the both of us had really been looking forward to.
Due to it also being Frocktober for me, getting dressed up in a Halloween-themed dress and accessories was not an issue – as it’s how I’d dress anyway! Girdy made a sterling effort by wearing a Futurama brain slug on his head, although lost points by wearing a dizzy/confused goose jumper.
Anyway, we were both set to have a jolly good Spooktober time at Mimi’s, and we were not disappointed!
Mimi’s Bakehouse Halloween vibe
Girdy arrived first, which sometimes happens when he has advantage of already being in the neighbourhood (in this case, Leith). When I got there, he was sat at a table by the window, and I noticed we had a small but perfectly decorated table, covered in fake cobwebs! This was a great start.
It was busy, and I also noticed people having their afternoon teas with ghost balloons, which was fabulous.
And although I expressed my disapproval regarding Girdy’s decidedly unspooky goose jumper, he pointed out we were probably the spookiest dressed people there. I suppose Halloween is still over a week away.
Overall, it was a relaxed vibe you’d expect from Mimi’s Bakehouse, only with added spook. The table cobwebs did start sticking to things and seemed a tad impractical after a while, but it was still a fun novelty and therefore I never got annoyed by it.
Mimi’s Bakehouse Halloween afternoon tea
When the spooky spread arrived, it looked very impressive – and it felt like we’d gotten a lot for our money. It was also very Instagram-worthy, with all the food decorated in a spooky way – Girdy had fun with the eyeballs in particular!
Girdy’s favourite thing about this afternoon tea (aside from the food) was the novelty of the food tower – which also worked quite well in terms of making the most of our table space.
I’ve been thinking of the best way to review everything in our Halloween afternoon tea, and I’ve decided to just go through everything in order of the menu – despite this not being the order we actually ate things in!
Sublime scones
These scones pretty much stole the show for me (and for Girdy, too!). I’d never had pumpkin-flavoured scones before, and wasn’t sure what to expect, but oh my word from the first bite I was completely won over. Delicious! These came with jam and clotted cream, and were extremely tasty. Girdy also enjoyed these.
Something sweet
For our ‘something sweet’ we each had a:
- Mini spider cupcake
- Red velvet bat brownie
- Bloody eyeball truffle
- Chocolate orange whoopie pie
- Witches French toast fingers
My favourites out of these were definitely the French toast fingers and the red velvet bat brownie (so soft and gooey!). It was all very fun, however my only complaint is that aside from the French toast fingers, it was all very chocolatey sweet things, and it started feeling a bit samey.
Now, if you adore chocolate-themed baked goods, this probably isn’t a bad thing, however I’m one of those people who will always choose a vanilla cupcake over a chocolate one, and a blondie over a brownie, so I would have preferred a bit more variation in the sweet things.
My least favourite was probably the chocolate orange whoopie pie, as to me it just seemed very dense. Girdy was more of a fan of the whoopie pie than I was.
Something savoury
For our savoury selection, we had the following:
- Roasted pumplin arancini
- Haggis bon bon eyeball
- Sticky meatball ‘brains’
- Bonfire pulled pork bun
My favourite of these was probably the haggis bon bon, followed closely by the roasted pumpkin arancini! However, there were no disappointments here – the sticky meatball ‘brains’ had a hint of teriyaki, which I loved, and the pulled pork bun was also very yummy.
I must admit, it felt odd to be at an afternoon tea without even the slight hint of a sandwich, but I suppose you can have a good witch, you can have a bad witch, but you can really have afternoon tea without a mothertruckin’ sandwich (if you want to)!
Before inspiration for a joke overtook me there, I was about to say, I suppose you can’t make sandwiches as spooky as the other things that were included on the menu.
Eteaket tea
For the purposes of this afternoon tea, I enjoyed some Mimi’s Scottish blend (because that’s just the way I roll when it comes to tea), whereas Girdy was a little more adventurous and had some Bloomin’ Marvellous Green – which turned out to be a hit!
We also got some table water to help us wash down all the tasty treats. As usual with Mimi’s and getting a pot of tea, we had enough for a couple of cups each, and it was all just perfectly splendid.
Mimi’s Bakehouse staff
The staff were, as usual, very welcoming at Mimi’s. Someone came to take our order very quickly once I arrived, and one of our servers also complimented me on my bag – who I was quick to introduce as Tony, and basically a black skull on straps (that’s him in the photo below).
When our food was presented, it was verbally introduced to us individually by someone extremely diligent and good at ensuring we knew exactly what we were eating (and what was plastic and non-consumable) – this detail was definitely appreciated.
Also, when it came time to pay the bill and we were a bit hazy about whether we’d already paid or if they’d just taken a reservation with card details, they were quick to kindly enlighten us so we could get our bill paid – before walking off the calories on a breezy Edinburgh day.
Things to do in Leith
Of course, there are multiple Mimi’s Bakehouse locations in Edinburgh, but this particular location was on The Shore, Leith – and it’s actually their flagship Bakehouse! Now, with the trams, you can easily take a quick journey down to Leith (Leith IS a beach, after all!) to enjoy everything on offer – including Mimi’s.
There’s no shortage of things to do in Leith. Ocean Terminal is (for the time being) nearby, and with it the Royal Yacht Britannia, on Saturday the Leith Market is open, and the Leith Theatre has just had its lease renewed by the Council.
The Moonwake brewery and taproom is nearby, as is the Lind & Lime Gin Distillery and the UK’s first vertical distillery with The Port of Leith distillery. All three of these distilleries offer tours.
As for places to stay, you’ve got the Adelphi, Holiday Inn, Malmaison (Girdy’s recommendation) and more flats than you can shake a trendy set of keys at.
Overall
Myself and Girdy had a spooktacular time at Mimi’s Bakehouse, Leith, for a terrorific treat of afternoon tea. The vibe was relaxed with a touch of added spook helped by the fun table decorations. The highlights for me were the scones, French toast fingers, and the novelty savoury treats!
Neither of us are new to Mimi’s, and I’d definitely come back for more themed afternoon teas at Mimi’s Bakehouse in Leith (and I’m sure Girdy would, too!).
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