SETTING Stylish and sophisticated, Bisque is a casual French-style café bar with heated garden terrace, located amidst the boutiques and galleries of Bruntsfield. What better place to drop in after a brisk meader trhough the Meadows, to warm cold hand and noses.

FOOD Bisque is open all day – from breakfast, coffee and croissants to lunch and dinner. To start, my ham and apricot terrine on toasted olive bread is wonderfully moist. My partner’s grilled tiger prawns with sweet chilli and stir-fried vegetables are supreme. As the leaves turn to reds and golds, cascading to the ground, food turns to the comforting dishes to keep the chill from our bones.

My braised lamb shank offers no resstince to the bone, flaking into the mashed potatored cabbage and apple is true comfort food. The delicacy of the sole and smoked salmon roulade is testament to its freshness and bite-size gnocchi in buttery cream sauce instantly satisfies.

Rounding off a perfect evening, the sticky toffee pudding lives up to its name and lemon posset hops, skip and jigs in zany zestiness in my mouth.