Finds they all scream for ice cream

0131 446 0233

If you are five and have an appetite for ice cream, preferably with chocolate sauce, then there is really only one place to go in Edinburgh - Luca’s. The name alone has the power to transport children to a dreamlike state.

It is officially the best restaurant in Scotland, according to my five-year-old. It was a close-run contest; it only just beat a caf in Brussels we once went to, where pots of chocolate spread sat invitingly on every table waiting to be slathered on warm bread. But that, as they say, is another story.

This unassuming caf, near Holy Corner in Edinburgh’s Morningside, is a joy to visit. It doesn’t offer gifts from over-hyped films to sell its food. It doesn’t provide colouring books and crayons, or a play zone or coin-operated rides. Instead, it prides itself on the virtues of well-prepared food, made with good-quality ingredients, and very friendly service.

And you don’t have to be accompanied by children to get a seat. Though extremely popular with families - on our Sunday lunchtime visit around 70 per cent of diners were families - Luca’s draws people of all ages looking for a coffee to drink whilst reading a paper, a quick snack or a waistband-loosening blowout.

The trick, particularly if you are going with children, is to get the timing right. Roll up at the wrong time and you can find yourself queuing up the spiral staircase that leads to the attic caf area.

This time we were lucky. Our planned walk to build up an appetite brought us to the door at around 12.30pm, and though nicely full, there were one or two tables left. The adults in the party had been out the night before and one of them, at least, was in need of comfort food.

Home-made pizzas, pasta, burgers, panini melts, nachos, pancakes, soup, toasties, baked potatoes and milkshakes, plus a specials board, means there is plenty to choose from on the menu, which is printed in the cafe’s signature colours of cream and purple.

One cheeseburger, one chicken burger and two chicken nuggets and chips was the summit of our ambition. On this occasion, that was the perfect choice. Our two daughters got stuck into the chicken nuggets - notable for the fact that they featured actual chunks of chicken - and their plates steadily emptied. Chips were dunked in a puddle of ketchup on the plates, which was topped up periodically from the bottle on the table. The chicken burger appeared to be a whole deep-fried chicken breast, while the cheeseburger - advertised as being made with steak mince with herbs - was just what was needed. There were buns, chips (excellent), salad and all the usual stuff one might expect with both burgers. My choice, the cheeseburger, lasted but a few minutes on my plate. Enough said.

The portions are not enormous, but it is as if Luca’s assume that you will be having something for pudding. For it is only once the savoury stuff is out of the way that this place really comes into its own.

The clue is in the name. S Luca, for those who don’t know, is the name of a revered ice cream maker based in Musselburgh. Its produce is the bedrock of the puddings, which seem like a throwback to a time before I was born. Caribbean long boat, Hawaiian dessert, banana basket, strawberry bliss and knickerbocker glory - the names are as reassuring as a Doris Day movie, and just as sweet.

What to order? In When Harry Met Sally, there is a very famous scene with Meg Ryan in a caf. No, not that one. I’m thinking of when she is arguing with Billy Crystal about whether or not she is a high maintenance woman. He uses her impossibly complicated order as proof that she is.

Witness the following exchange our five-year-old had with the waitress: "Can I have the Praline Parfait, please?"

This is billed as chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream served with lashings of chocolate sauce and nuts topped with fresh cream. The waitress notes it down.

Then the Sally-like qualification: "Without the strawberry ice cream, but with the chocolate and vanilla and the nuts, but no cream."

If I hadn’t got it, the waitress had, along with an order for a knickerbocker glory, a child’s portion of vanilla and chocolate ice creams and a sticky toffee pudding.

Saucer eyes followed the tray groaning with our puddings. The child’s portion of praline parfait - which was served in a thick ‘diner-style’ frosted glass - demanded complete and silent attention. It is best not to worry about the calories of the knickerbocker glory. Indulge your inner child and enjoy the tall glass topped with thick, fresh double cream, the wonderfully rich vanilla and strawberry ice cream and the fruit with melba sauce. The long spoon sees you fishing around trying to ensure you don’t miss a bit. The sticky toffee pudding was also excellent. The two scoops of ice cream for my youngest came with a teddy bear wafer, and cost just 1.

And the damage for this feast? It all came for a bargain price of under 30.

The bill

Two-course meal for four, with two coffees, 26.35