The Elephant House

On my 16th birthday, one of my friends gave me a copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. From that moment on, I've always been a Potterhead. While spending the day in Edinburgh, Manang Babits made plans that we have lunch at The Elephant House, the birthplace of Harry Potter. It was an honor to be there.

Many tourist now flock this place because JK Rowling found inspiration here to write about Harry. The concept though was in one of her train rides from Manchester to London but she chose to spend time in this cafe to let her imagination run wild and create the world of wizards and witches.

It may look like a normal cafe to everyone that offers a good selection of pastries, coffee and tea. Add to some warm lighting inside. What makes The Elephant House unique is the theme itself--and not it was not converted to magic but it is all about elephants hence the name.

I think inspiration can be found here indeed. The views outside (a cemetery and Edinburgh Castle) and all the books on the shelves about elephants has a certain charm indeed.

For lunch, Manang Babs got herself a decaf and I enjoyed the British way of drinking tea--a pot of English Breakfast with a little bit of cream.

We decided to get 2 dishes and split it among ourselves. 


We had half of a vegetable pizza with salad. I liked the toppings on the pizza but I wasn't fond of thick crust. The salad was good though.

I've always looked forward to eating pie and this was my chance. We had Lamb pie with gravy and mash. I loved the flaky crust of the pie and the filling was very hearty. The lamb had very good flavor and tender. The mash was just alright. I would prefer a little bit more butter.

We decided to split a Fruit Scone for dessert. I like having it with both butter and jam. A friend suggested to have Nutella on scones. Hopefully I could get a chance to try that.

The ladies room was surprising though. Before it may have just been a plain white toilet with a small figure of an elephant in a corner. Now it has notes everywhere for JK Rowling. Others would give suggestions, most of them thanked her for giving us Harry Potter. My mistake is not writing one for her with a witty line from the book. I should have written: Dear Ms Rowling, Thank you for giving us Harry Potter. As I am vandalizing a bathroom wall now, all I can think of is--Mischief Managed. Love from Manila, Catz." And yes I did not write that.

I think I know why Ms Rowling was able to write Harry Potter here. I was quiet enough and the views can simply make you daydream. The food was alright as well and you can make this as a lunch stop while touring Edinburgh as it is near the other tourist spots as well. If I remember right, the lunch sets will not cost more than GBP 6 which is a pretty good deal.

Every Potterhead will find this place special. Even if you haven't read the books, this place is still worth visiting. And they have Babar on their book shelf! As a loyal Potterhead, The Elephant House will have a special place in my heart. Always.

The Elephant House is located at 21 George IV Bridge Edinburgh EH1 1EN.
Some of the photos are taken by Manang Babs.

Edinburgh

My cousin (Manang) Babits was kind enough to let me stay with them in Stirling Scotland. One day, we took a train to Edinburgh so she can show me around as well as some serious girl thing--shopping.

We got off peak round trip trains from Stirling to Edinburgh. As we were entering Edinburgh Waverly, Manang woke me up so I can see the beautiful structures as we enter the city. We headed towards Princes street near the Scot Monument so we can board the Hop on Hop off bus. For more information, visit their website at http://www.city-sightseeing.com/tours/united-kingdom/edinburgh.htm#tourlandingposition.

We were provided headphones for the audio of the tour and the language of your preference. There's also a Horrible Histories option. There were slight changes with the route though due to the construction of the tram hence getting confused by some of the sights and audio.

We passed by the Scot Monument and went to George Street then seeing some wonderful buildings, one side of the Edinburgh Castle and we decided to get off at the Royal Mile to explore the area further.  

We went up to the Edinburgh Castle just to have a photo taken outside. We opted not to go inside so we can have more time to go around.

We had lunch at The Elephant House at George IV bridge. This is the birthplace of Harry Potter where JK Rowling wrote some of the first few books in this cafe.

We went back to the Royal Mile and walked down passing St. Giles Cathedral, the site of the last public execution, cemeteries and different shops.

We ended up at the Scottish Parliament where we can see Arthur's seat and Holyrood House, the Queen's residence in Scotland.

After that very long walk and a few photos, we took the bus again and finally getting off at Princes street where the shopping part of the day finally starts.

Before going back to the train station, we had a few more photos of the Scot Monument and Princes Street Gardens where everyone was out in the sunshine.

This bagpiper bid us farewell.

I simply fell in love with Edinburgh. I loved how they maintained the old structures and how much history this has. There is definitely more to this city and I would love to explore it further. Crossing my fingers that I get to go back.


Thanks to Manang Babits for showing me around and taking care of me that day.

Gigi Coffee and Cupcakes

I met up with my friend Anj in Eastwood and she introduced me to Gigi cupcakes. I tried the sea salt chocolate cupcake and fell in love with it. Ever since I can't get it out of head. PMS got the best of me and I braved the strong rains and terrible traffic just to get a box of those cupcakes in Eastwood.

Gigi has a very nice decor. One would think that it is a very fancy place when you enter. I couldn't even manage to get a camera out and take pictures. I was on zombie mode and tried to get the cupcakes as fast as I can so I can be in cupcake dreamland on my first bite.

Each cupcake costs PHP 40 each regardless of flavor. I got the box of 6 for PHP 235. It was sad they ran out of red velvet and I have another reason to go back. I braved the traffic again and resisting the urge to eat all the cupcakes because I just have to share with everyone what they look like.

The white box looks simple but in it are the cupcakes that are killing me right now. It was a different format this time where they arranged it in one line. I wish they could have a more compact box though as this one couldn't fit in our fridge and transporting it in a crowded shuttle on a rainy Manila night can be a challenge.

We tried five flavors. The first is the white chocolate. This was pretty good with the right sweetness.

As of writing this I we haven't eaten the Chocolate chip overload yet.

The Buttercream cupcake is untouched as well but both might be gone any minute now.

For Green Tea fanatics, they have a cupcake just for you.

Of course I just had to get 2 of the Sea Salt Chocolate. This is still my fave. The cupcake is very moist and the flavor is further enhanced by the sea salt. Good thing I had two since Marlon and I both reached for it when we started to devour these cupcakes.

I also got the Cheese Bars (PHP 15) again. The gold wrapper is intriguing. As you rip open the wrapper and slide out the pastry, you might be disappointed by the size. I want this bigger because it was that good. It reminded me of the butterscotch from home.

I think I will find myself again in Gigi coffee and cupcakes again. Hopefully next time I won't be on PMS predator mode. 

Gigi Coffee and cupcakes is located at GF Eastwood Corporate plaza. It's in the same building as Watsons, between Citibank and IBM Plaza.