The best places to eat breakfast in Glasgow and Edinburgh - List March 2010

366 Morningside Road, Edinburgh 466 8337. Mon-Fri 7.30-11.30am, Sat 8-11.30am, Sun 9-11.30am
This South African joint boasts 'red espresso', with rooibos tea, not caffeine. Made with love and a smile, a big bowl of yoghurt, grated apple and cinnamon is delicious and fresh, while chunky maize meal is an alternative to porridge. (NW)

 Scotland The Best (Peter Irvine) 2010 - Best Cafe - Amoungst the very best in Scotland

Way at the end of Morningside Road, Tiny, tucked-away South African tea shack run by brother-and-sister Chris and Kim Wedge.  Soups, sandwiches, great home-made muffins.  Mielie bread and biltong and their signature espresso made from red Rooibos tea (redespresso®) which they are rolling round the country.  Coolspot (might be hotter closer to town).

 A Real South African Treat!    www.urbanspoon.com  October '09

Not only does this wee Morningside cafe serve up a fantastic range of delicious hot drinks and tasty freshly prepared sandwiches (a real must try is the boerwors roll,) at reasonable prices, it also is one of the few places in town that stocks South African produce. From Grape Fanta to Aromat, Chappies to Flings, remember this place when you need a SA fix! On the downside space is very limited, and there can be a bit of a queue at lunch making manouvering around the place a bit difficult if you are trying to get some shopping done, but otherwise well worth the visit. Try the milk tart if you are lucky enough to visit when there is some on offer, you won't be dissappointed!

Eating and Drinking     FESTMAG August 2009

Situated in the heart of swanky Morningside, this dark, low-ceilinged hideaway is a fine example of what gives the area its artsy alternative appeal. Catering for carnivores and vegans alike, it offers meaty breakfasts and vegetarian alternatives, as well as oddities like soya yoghurt and gluten free toast. Don't forget the South African treats like Boerewors (sausage) and biltong (cured meat). And of course the baked goodies, which are always fresh and always yummy.  With fifteen different types of hot chocolates, just as many coffees, frozen yoghurt drink, smoothies, milkshakes and Rooibos -the caffeine free tea teeming with antioxidants-you are definintely spoilt for choice.  Overwhelming?  Don't worry, you can order a feast for under a tenner - and then there's always tommorrow.

The best coffee I have ever drank!       QYPE.co.uk  5 July '09           

Six of the Best - Eating & Drinking around Morningside     The List 9July '09

Its zebra-striped exterior may give Morningside's Zulu Lounge a relaxed, grungey vibe but there's nothing laid-back about the food served up in this South African café. Fairtrade teas and coffees are complemented by tempting soups (the special Elephant Soup is a favourite), bulging rolls and regional specialities like Biltong and Boerewors, come in at wallet-pleasing prices.

The List Eating and Drinking Guide 2009  (HITLIST - Top 5 Cafe)

 Forget the dreich weather on Morningside Place. Step into the Zebra-striped Zulu Lounge and you could just as easily be walking into a shack in Southern Africa. On the shelves biltong jostles with sauces, drinks and other Cape goodies. From beneath a corrugated iron ceiling, siblings Chris and Kim Wedge prepare, bake and serve the food they are passionate about - all with a nod to their homeland. The menu is extensive and changes constantly. Chunky soups - butternut and coconut milk, or three bean - with home-made bread or a feta and rocket scone, or panini, make lunch easy on the pocket and pleasurable to the palate. If you're really hungry try a Gatzby: a foot-long crusty roll stuffed to the gills with avocado and biltong; or be adventurous and go off the beaten track with spicy Boerwors roll: African sausage with tangy chakalaka sauce. There are muffins galore, moist and sinfully sweet banana and toffee flapjacks, cakes and shortbread, and if you're hunting for the King of Hot Chocolates look no further: The Zulu Lounge chocolate is pure Belgian, light or dark, with toppings you hardly dared dream of, and served in bowls big enough to drown in. Too heavy? Try a Red Espresso® (Rooibos), which is caffeine-free with five times the anti-oxidants of green tea. There's heaps of choice for vegetarians and those with dietary intolerances, too. Breakfast and lunchtime trade is inevitably brisk, but if you can, sit and savour the welcome and flavours that bring a little sunshine to Morningside

Travbuddy.com     15 March 2009

 I accidentally stumbled upon this wee African treasure a few months ago during a Sunday afternoon stroll in Morningside. I can't say how thrilled I was to find the only shop that I know of in Edinburgh that sell biltong, boerewors and Ghost Pops!! The cafe is small but cosy with a welcome cheeriness that seldom seen in big name franchised coffee shops. The friendliness of the owners, Chris and Kim, creates such a warm atmosphere that I could have sat and chatted with them all afternoon. The food looked so scrumptous that I couldn't resist treating myself to a peppermint crisp muffic and a peanut butter hot chocolate. Sheer indulgence but absolutely divine! The Zulu Lounge is one of the hidden treasures that make Edinburgh so unique and I highly recommend a visit to stock up on good old South African essentials and to try something just a little bit different.

 Describe a perfect Edinburgh day/night out. I'd have coffee out at Zulu lounge - an ultra friendly South African run place. at the bottom of Morningside. It's unpretentious and they serve great coffee. That would be followed by a fabulous picnic bought from various Bruntsfield delis followed by a walk around the Braids with the kids. Then I'd head to Omni for a personal training session at Virgin. That would be followed by a guilt-free romantic dinner somewhere fabulous in town, followed either by salsa dancing or a movie at the Dominion with a gin and tonic.

The List Eating and Drinking Guide 2008  (HITLIST - Top 5 Cafe)

The Zulu Lounge is bright as a button and somewhat unexpected in the heart of sedate Morningside.  With its black and white striped exterior and dark wood and corrugated iron interior, this place is a real wake-up call.  It was opened in 2007 by South African siblings Kim and Chris, and everything is made fresh on the day. Panini, pitas and soups feature heavily but there are many original touches too.  There's an impressive selection of smoothies, and the 'Tokoloshe', with honey, ice cream, mixed berries and milk, is thick, sweet and refreshing.  They also do a variety of hot chocolates named after the 'big five' (as in, 'we were on safari and clocked all the big five'), with add-on extras such as flaked coconut or crushed maltesers.  The boerewors sausage roll with fresh, warm tomato relish is chunky and nicely spiced, and fragrant couscous it comes with, as well as a salad, is delectable side.  The service is everything you'd hope for and genuinely warm and friendly.  With so little space, you miht have to fall back on takeaway, which is a pity as The Zulu Lounge is somewhere you'd choose to savour rathe than eat amd run.