I eat naked

This isn't a confession of my habits. It's actually the pretty cool domain name for Naked takeaway in Edinburgh.

Naked is a small business that operates purely as a delivery service for their home style, locally-sourced, often organic meals with some gluten-free options.

I like their website, and I like their philosophy. Their insalata caprese features East Lothian mozzarella, and the hot smoked salmon is tossed with leaves sourced from Perthshire.

I've ordered Naked a couple of times and it's good, but above all, it's a great option for when the idea of cooking brings a painful tear to your eye or when feeling lazy but not to the point of succumbing to dirty, doughy pizza on the couch. There's not a lot on their menu that's 'bad' for you, with the exception of their triple-cooked chips and most of their desserts, which include their "cult status" brownie and delightfully British Eton Mess - strawberries muddled with meringue and chantilly cream and then in this case, laced with Pimms.

I like Naked's yoga chicken - skewers of chicken breast marinated in buttermilk and herbs and it was light and succulent. Not overly filling on its own, but coupled with its partner - the gardener's salad - it does the trick.

Their Morroccan lamb salad, too, gave me an array of textures and flavours from the rice, couscous, confit lamb and aromatic star anise, saffron and dried fruit and nuts.

Another bonus of eating Naked - apart from the freshness, tastiness and lack of guilt associated with eating their food - is that you can pay by Paypal.   

I only wish you could also order online. You call them, and then you can pay their delivery driver or pay with Paypal, so it's still pretty easy. 

The main downside of eating Naked for me is that their menu doesn't change a great deal. It's definitely positive that they use seasonal produce, but they can do this while still changing things up, and also keeping their customers happy by holding on to the popular dishes. 

Thanks for checking out my blog

If you're new to Edinburgh and you like food too, then my blog might interest you, but if you're not new to Edinburgh then feel free to give me a piece of your mind, but, er, only if it's constructive, please. I'm not really a fan of anonymous verbal abuse; a growing pastime for many people on internet forums and such.
I've been in Edinburgh for just over five months now. Up until recently I was annoyed with myself for not starting this blog earlier, but now I think it's best I've had some time to settle first and get acquainted with this very fine, ridiculously charming city. 
So why have I bothered with a blog about eating out in Edinburgh? I guess because I really, really like food. I mean I really, really like it. And also because I'm from Melbourne, where I think generally we're spoilt or choice when it comes to food. We have easy access to great quality produce - fruit, meat, vegetables and dairy. Scotland has great produce too, and I'll talk about this in this blog. 
I absolutely love eating out (partly due to laziness - I love cooking but...) and I think the standard of dining in Melbourne, including cheap eats and middle of the range dining is generally good. I've missed it a lot actually, since I had my favourite local Thai, pub, Italian bistro, cafe, chocolate shop...*sigh* 
Edinburgh eh?  Well, er, my boyfriend and I wanted to live in the UK, and Edinburgh sounded like exactly the package we had in mind. It's compact and so easy to get around, and yet it has everything we need. It's beautiful, and so old - so rich in history. Argh, I LOVE its little basement shops, cafes, pubs and bars. So damn cosy, and something I'll miss like crazy when I'm back in Melbourne, as is the plan. On the downside, Edinburgh is bloody cold, which I'm unlikely to miss, except for getting away from it by geting into a cosy little basement nook. Ahhhhhhhhh fireplaces and hardcore heating.
Why such a dumb name for a blog? I dunno. I tried for something that was slightly catchy. I thought about it for about two minutes, so give me a break.
Not really into fine dining - I like good quality, well executed cooking, but I'm probably more at home with rustic Italian and fragrant, zesty Thai than white tablecloths, proper manners and foie gras. And I get awkward when someone tries to put a napkin on my lap or pour my water (I think I can manage - thanks anyway).
I don't pretend to be a 'foodie' or any kind of expert, and when I write about my experience of eating out, it's exactly that - my experience. Yours might be completely different.
When I first got here I really missed the food at home. Generally, the food here is heavier here (not always a bad thing by any means). As I said, Scotland can be a bitterly cold place, so heavier, richer, more carb-laden food can be appropriate here, especially in winter, but I missed what I was used to in Melbourne. I craved things that I wouldn't say were particularly Australian but that were easy to find in Melbourne. OH GOD, HOW I MISS breakfast out! Here in Edinburgh it's perfectly easy to get a Scottish breakfast of potato scone, pork sausage, scrambled eggs, haggis and or black pudding - awesome in its own right - but not so easy to get ricotta hotcakes, corn fritters, or huervos rancheros (Spanish baked eggs). In fairness, there are some spots with food more like this, and on most menus there'll be porridge and maybe muesli/granola but I still ache for those corn fritters with bacon, relish and avocado.
Anyway, I'm quite content now. I've found my local pub. Well, it's relatively close to my house, because if you live in inner-city Edinburgh, then most things within walking distance here. 
I've found great Thai, decent Italian, excellent bistros... 
... but I think there's much more to try. 
I've also found some depressing food. I mean I think my tastebuds cried, or just uttered a subtle 'meh...' But this happened in Melbourne as well - of course - and I'm sure it'll keep happening as I travel and try new things.
I hope that anyone new to Edinburgh - maybe from Australia but hopefully anywhere - can visit my blog, see where I've eaten lately and feel motivated to try it out... because although I miss my Melbourne food, there's good and bad food everywhere, and definitely much to enjoy in Edinburgh.


If nothing else, I hope you can poke fun at my clumsy use of the English language.