Brunel

One day I spied a fellow Unilocaler proclaiming the oddest thing: there was a canal boat selling coffee and snacks in Union Canal. Say whaa? As a landlocked Tennessee gal, I’d never heard of such a fanciful notion. Obviously, the only thing to do is that I would have to sniff out this place, you know, for science.
So without further ado, I dragged the SO along one midmorning to do some canal boat investigatin’. Brunel is perfectly easy to find, and ever so close to our gym at Fountainbridge that it’s a perfect stop in the area for us. For any who might be ambling down the canal walk, taking a bike ride, or just exploring, this is an excellent pit stop location if you fancy a good coffee or pastry from an adorable location!
The only problem with Brunel exists in its inherent smallness. While hubs and I did manage to get seats inside the wee boat our first day there, it felt a bit too smooshed for us to really open up and get stretched-​out comfortable sitting inside, especially when others were also present. Not only that, but it does feel a bit treacherous weaving up and down the small stairs to board. Still, sitting in a canal boat is a positively novel experience for me, and I enjoyed the heck out of my flat white and pain au chocolat while checking out the cute interior-​of-​a-​canal-​boat décor. The canal boat attendant (?) was very approachable and friendly. I left feeling very chuffed: a canal boat! Serving coffee! Imagine!
I’ve since been back once to pop in at the window and collect a flat white to go, and even that service was excellent. I mean. Did I mention that it’s a canal boat? Serving coffee?
Frankly, I can’t wait till warmer days when I can sit outside Brunel and enjoy some treats alongside the canal. It’s a lovely spot, a lovely business and did I mention how good the flat whites are? Yep, it’s safe to say I’m sold!

In principle this could be ace. And in many regards it already is.
Afterall, it’s a café, in a canal boat. What’s not like?
Well, Fountainbridge can often be pretty windswept, even in the sunshine, so huddling in from the elements inside the boat is an inviting option compared with the slightly exposed token seating out on the bustling towpath.
And no doubt trying to cook on a narrow boat limits the scope of what kind of a commercial kitchen you can run. The short menu reflects this.
It’s a white bread toasties, home baking and coffee kind of a place. Fortunately, the coffee wins and the quality of the cakes makes up for the brevity of the menu.
And it’s a novelty hit with the kids too.
However, what some may be able to forgive as quirky charm, other may view as simply half-​finished. At least it’s not ‘soft industrial,’ like everywhere else.
Three stars — as with a little bit more commitment it could be so much better.

This place popped on my radar when I say Sara C check in to a barge café. Always the one for something cute and quirky, I immediately bookmarked it. When I saw Clarissa’s photos, I thought — dang, this place is adorable — and made a point to pop by ASAP.
So on my way to my nail appointment last week, I stopped by for a flat white. It definitely lives up to it’s quirky reputation. This spot is just kitsch enough to be charming and the fact that they serve up a decent coffee? Happy times all around. I was in a rush, so I didn’t get to poke around but I made a mental note to make this a go to spot in the summer. I’m not sure if the inside seating here would be comfortable enough to plunk down for any length of time, but if the rumours of outside seating are true, it’s going to be a perfect place to wile away an afternoon come summer.
Nice little addition to the Edinburgh coffee scene and an instagrammers dream.

Brunel is cute and quirky, but don’t plan on spending a Sunday afternoon there reading the papers or anything!
It’s easy to miss it, but if you start at the end of the canal that’s near Fountainbridge and walk along it on the right hand side, you’ll very shortly come to the pea-​green canal boat just before the lift-​bridge.
You can go inside or take away. To go inside, just hop aboard and go through the wee doors! Boarding a canal boat is not easy for the malcoordinated or otherwise ungainly, so watch out for that. Inside is extremely compact, as you would expect. There’s a small two-​person table at one and end a couple of armchairs at the other end, with a coffee machine in the middle.
Because it’s so compact inside, there’s not much space to stretch out and the wee furniture isn’t very comfy. Apparently they put seats on the canalside in the summer, so that will probably make things a good deal more tolerable.
The coffee is delicious, although only in disposable cups. The cakes look great and are all home made. If you’re going for a walk along the canal, I definitely recommend wetting your beak at Brunel.

Brunel is a cute barge on Union Canal just by the Leamington Lift Bridge.
I’d passed it so many times shut, always thinking that it was just a moored barge! But a few Sunday’s ago I saw it open for the first time and now I can’t get enough.
I’ve popped by for their flat white more than a few times now, usually on a Sunday. They often have croissants and pastries available in a wee plate and the blackboard indicates that there is seating but not sure of the logistics!
The staff are really smiley and friendly and the flat white is decent, if a little over milky for my tastes! My perfect post gym treat on the walk home!