Fingal
Alexandra Dock, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 7DX
fingal.co.uk/food-drink
+44-131-357-5000
A short walk from Mimi’s Bakehouse takes visitors to Alexandra Dock on the waterfront, where Fingal—a luxury floating hotel—welcomes guests for lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. Launched in 1963, Fingal was originally the Northern Lighthouse Board’s ship and worked mainly around Oban, a large port on the west coast of Scotland. Her name is from the county of Fingal on Ireland’s east coast. She was purchased by The Britannia Trust in 2014 and shares this port area with The Royal Yacht Britannia, which has been berthed here since she was decommissioned in 1997 after 44 years of service to Queen Elizabeth and her family. Each of Fingal’s 23 beautiful luxury cabins is named after a lighthouse, and a nautical map embossed onto the bed’s headboard shows the location of the Scottish lighthouse that gave the cabin its name. Porthole windows, access to a private balcony out on deck, and other seafaring features remind guests that they are indeed on board a ship while enjoying the indulgence and quality of a five-star hotel. As they move around the ship, they find other clever marine references in the thick rope banister on the steep staircases, two circular glass lifts inspired by the lantern room of a lighthouse, and images throughout the ship of Neptune’s trident, which is the Fingal logo.
Afternoon tea is served in the Art-Deco–style bar-restaurant, where intense earthy colours, upholstery in rich purple, and a glorious shining ceiling of beaten copper create an ambience of affluence, extravagance, and slightly decadent elegance and comfort. Choose your tea or infusion from an extensive list created for Fingal by Pekoe Teas of Edinburgh, and then tickle your tastebuds with an amuse-bouche that arrives first. The main menu varies through the seasons and offers such indulgences as Fingal hot smoked salmon with a potato pancake, a curried cauliflower pakora with raita dressing, and beetroot mousse with caramelised onion. Sandwiches are filled generously with such partners as smoked salmon and pickled cucumber, Cheddar cheese and tomato chutney, and that traditional favourite egg mayonnaise and salad cress. Buttermilk scones are served with strawberry jam from Perthshire Preserves and clotted cream. Stunningly beautiful pastries include a yuzu and rose macaron, a coffee caramel éclair, and a chocolate truffle made with Arran Gold, a cream liqueur based on Arran’s single malt whisky—all totally irresistible!
Wherever visitors find themselves in Edinburgh, they will soon realise that this city surpasses most other British towns in terms of the number of excellent tearooms there are just a short walk or bus ride away. The different styles, the menus, the friendly service, and the attention to every possible detail are so impressive that tourists and locals alike can always rely on being served a wonderful afternoon tea.
Contributing Editor Jane Pettigrew, an international tea expert who has written many books on the subject, including her most recent, Jane Pettigrew’s World of Tea, is a recipient of the British Empire Medal. A former tearoom owner, she is a much-sought-after consultant to tea businesses and hotels, a conference speaker, and an award-winning tea educator. Although her travels have taken her around the globe, she resides in London.
