text: Over a year living in the Old Town of Edinburgh and not yet visited The Elephant House What sort of Edinburgher am InnThinking about it it is probably because when I normally pass it is totally mobbed from around am onwards for lunch and afternoon coffee opportunities And it is generally mobbed with tourists who want to visit the birth place of Harry Potter In fact it seems to be a pilgramage point for all HP fans which is not more evident than in the Ladies toilets I cannot speak for the Gents where the walls are a veritable written temple to both JK and HP one of which amusingly said What did Scotland have before Harry Potter No commentnnAnyway Luck would have it that at am on a Wednesday morning it is much quieter With the need for a good breakfast I popped in here and was pleasantly surprised It is really really big out back well much bigger than I thought with really big tables too So plenty space to sprawl and even more impressive that it is packed most days when it is so bignnBreakfast wise there was a good selection although they did not have pancakes Sad face And they do not do fried eggs only scrambled I feel this is worth pointing out if you are a fried poached fan such as myself But the roll I had with bacon and scrambled was grand and the Full Scottish opposite me looked like it hit the spot especially the sausagesnnKudos for the super large pot of tea with fresh tea leaves that was VERY strong by the end The cakes also looked amazingnnI can imagine that when it gets super busy the less than stellar reviews come from slightly sloppy service due to rushed staff But catching this place early morning when it is quiet with lovely tunes on the stereo Fleetwood Mac and Leonard Cohen anyone and lots and lots of ELEPHANTS I really like elephants regardless of whether the Immaculate Conception of HP happened here or not I was a happy wee camper here