Down on the Shore, Brown's of Leith is less a single venue and more a lively little ecosystem. Set inside a revived engineering warehouse, it brings together indie food favourites – Civerinos pizza, Shrimpwreck’s seafood-heavy Shuck Bar and the wine-leaning Haze counter – around big communal tables and lofty industrial windows. It’s dog-friendly, open all day and buzzy: coffee in the morning, oysters and natural wine by evening, with artists’ studios and creative spaces filling the floors above.

On a cobbled lane just off the Shore, Custom Lane is one of Leith’s most creative corners. Set inside a restored customs building, it’s a collaborative hub for designers, makers and cultural projects, with studios upstairs and a public ground floor housing a café, gallery, shop and event space. Exhibitions, talks and workshops run throughout the year, while the resident community spans jewellers, architects, photographers and artists. It’s part workspace, part cultural venue, and a genuine engine of Edinburgh’s design scene.

A cross between a gallery and a shop – albeit one with a homely domestic layout – Bard has work by around 50 makers on rotation. The line-up includes Juli Bolanos-Durman, who transforms recycled glass into vessels and objects; Joshua Williams’ drip glaze caramel-coloured bowls; merino throws by Drove Weavers that use surplus wool; and Jasmine Linington’s cushions, made from SeaCell (a fibre derived from seaweed) and embroidered with metallic bamboo silk threads.  

A macaroon (but make it savory), partridge ravioli topped with golden trompette mushrooms and salt baked golden beetroot perfectly paired with black truffle and burrata. The combinations may be unusual, though trust Martin Wishart to make it work.