| The Caledonian Hotel Tel: 0131 459 9988 fax: 0131 225 6632 Princes Street,
Edinburgh EH1 2AB Scotland A member of the Leading Hotels of the World
(I cannot understand how this hotel was
accepted into the Leading hotels of the world- it;s very nice but far below par
with all of the other Leading hotels of the world that we have stayed at. I
selected the Caledonian for the very fact that it was a part of this group) |
| view from our table at dinner
at The Wee Windaes. Scottish Restaurant & Wee Dram Bar 144 High Street,
Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 1qs Tel: 0131 225 5144 Fax: 9131 226 1495. Our brochure
said that we should eat here to experience true Scottish cooking: Unique dining
experience. Overlooking the world historic Royal Mile. A family run restaurant
offering superbly cooked Scottish produce including game, venison, salmon, Aberdeen Angus
steaks and of course our special way of serving haggis a must!! So we tried it.
At first we were seated in a corner of the restaurant, against a wall,
when clearly there were plenty of better seats. I asked for a better table
and we were moved to a window table, at the rear of the restaurant. Because we could
see the royal mile as well as down a perpendicular street that was lined with really
beautiful building, I felt very happy with our new location. The restaurant has
three seating groups on the second floor. A seating area around the bar, which is
where we were first seated, a main dining room which is where I asked to be seated,
explaining that we felt too cramped at our first table. I explained that a window
table was not necessary, just a table in the main dining area with some room around it.
Which by the way, I could see that there were plenty of tables that fit my
description. The hostess, in typical Scottish fashion said "emmmmm..." and
asked us for a minute. Janet thought that I was being pushy by asking to be moved,
and thought that the hostess was put out by my request. She returned and gathered us
up and took us past the main dining area to a small area with only two tables which
is open to the large dining area, but painted with yellow walls, and sat us at a four
seater, at the window. She explained so politely, that she only hesitated because
she was deciding if she could get away with putting us at that table. It seems her
hesitation was incorrectly read by Janet. The Scottish people are really nice and
quite accommodating. They seem to go out of their way to try and please us. If
she were in fact upset with us, as Janet had first thought, she would have been the first
person that we have encountered that showed any negative emotions towards us, not counting
the occasional driver who gets stuck behind us. The food was ok, the vegetables
inedible and the service was friendly and good. I had the duck, a bit too tough and
Janet had the Salmon, which se said was good. We asked for the desert trolley, but
when it arrived, neither of us saw anything appealing enough to ask for, so the trolley
returned as it arrived, short no deserts. Ten percent was added on to our bill for
service, which I learned was a fee for using AMEX credit card, not a tip for the waitress,
so I added 20 percent, and we were off. We were about 1/4 mile into the length
of the Royal Mile, which is a mile long street that terminates at the Palace. We
took a cab to the end then asked the driver to turn around and drive us back to the hotel.
I know most people try to walk it, but I'm glad we cheated, it was getting cold out
and too dark for good pictures. I didn't see much that I would have taken pictures
of anyway, but on foot, details of interest are more obvious. |