Café Marlayne

The best French restaurant in town. I am French so hopefully that will reinforce the previous statement but may I had I used to work there and am totally unbiased about this place. Yes I might not have agreed with the employers on many different aspect, one thing I would never argue is the quality of the food served. The meat, vegetables and fishes are all freshly delivered daily which explains why the menus are always hand written and changes regularly. The prices are reasonable and they have desserts to die for. Go for the baked honey and vanilla cheesecake for pure decadence or their unbeatable sticky toffee pudding. The place is small but it is adding to the rustic look, my advice would be to book well in advance and don’t book table of more than 5 people to avoid being crammed in. One negative from me, the chef has limited options for vegetarians so if you don’t eat fish or meat you may want to avoid as you may get a boring risotto as an alternative.

Would eat here again and again. This place deserves every star it gets. Cute, quiet location. Extensive-​enough menu. But the food was much more thoughtfully prepared than the location or pricing would suggest. I had the special risotto of the day and it was generously flavored with saffron, and, studded with a tremendous diversity of vegetables, sprouts, and almonds. Every bite was a delight.
A fantastic experience.

I read great things about Café Marlayne in advance and it certainly lived up to expectations. They took us as a walk in on a Friday night. Even though we had no reservation and they were super busy, they made us feel welcome and were very gracious. The food was outstanding and relatively cheap for the large portion sizes and outstanding quality. I had the baked cod and spring peas and both were brilliant. They brought complimentary bread pre-​meal which was appreciated as we were all starving from being tourists all day. One of the girls got a chocolate torte desert. We all tasted and it was heavenly. I would love to return. Our dishes were simply prepared, savory, and delicious. The hand-​written menus were super cute, but also nearly illegible to us, so that was the only negative thing I have to say, but otherwise, I highly recommend Café Marlayne if you’re in Edinburgh.

Great food, reasonable prices and a good selection of wine, all in a quaint atmosphere. One of my favourite Edinburgh restaurants, I’d recommend it to anyone.

Very friendly yet wonderful casual French restaurant!

After returning home after a 3 week vacation I can confidently say this was one of the best meals we had while we were traveling. While not the most adventurous of eaters, I ordered the steak with mushroom sauce and the hubby had the duck. Both were cooked fantastically, and served with the best veggie and potato sides. Everything tasted so simple and fresh, I wanted to come back again and again. For dessert we each had white chocolate blueberry cheesecake and despite being stuffed, we finished every last bite. This place is a MUST visit!

Just a fantastic dining experience. Small, intimate room, fantastic food, very nice wait stsff. I’d like to see a bigger wine list. But for 2 – 4 people, either work or socializing, it’s just a great venue.

After a great experience just down the street I was ready for another excellent restaurant in Edinburgh. Unfortunately, nothing really clicked here for me. The presentation was nice for my fish plate, but the side bowl of veggies was just pure laziness. I only finished my soup out of principle.
Some people next to me had meat dishes and those looked good.

Modern presentations of classic french fare. Hearty portions as well (you’re in Scotland). Small restaurant with quaint décor and staffed with some very friendly folks. This was my dinner after a long day of travel and a battle with jet lag and it pretty much hit the spot. Pâté. Lamb. Decent wine list.

There are two Café Marlayne’s in Edinburgh. I’d been to the other one on Antigua St for brunch and was impressed by the big, sunny back room and comprehensive menu — a great café to relax with friends. So I was keen to check out this Café Marlayne on Thistle St and see if it was similar.
I’d agreed to meet a friend for lunch and with thoughts of the other Café Marlayne, I was expecting a big, airy café that served the usual café menu options like soups, salads and sandwiches. How wrong was I! This Café Marlayne isn’t really a café at all — it’s a French bistro. And it’s much smaller but in a cosy, cute sort of way. There are about 7 or 8 tables all laid out with cutlery and glassware for a proper sit down lunch. You’re shown to your table, so it’s more formal than a café. And the tables are a little close together so get ready to rub shoulders with your fellow diners! But it’s a nice atmosphere and, as Ben L. says below, the service is casual but attentive.
As for the menu, it’s handwritten on a piece of paper giving the feel that it was unique for today and there are starters and main courses as options. I went for the rump steak burger and my friend chose the chicken kiev. Sounds a bit basic but what a delight when the food arrived! Full marks to the chef — this was top quality!
Once we’d devoured our lunches, the bill was a pleasant surprise at £20 for two. Very reasonable for restaurant quality food.
So don’t be fooled by the Café in the name. This is a French bistro that’s a great place for sit down, bistro style lunch and I imagine it makes an intimate, possibly romantic spot for dinner in the evening when the candles and French wine come out!

I have to say that I was quite smitten by this place… after a failed attempt one weekend to «pop in» it was clear a reservation is a must on most busy evenings… armed with this knowledge I came back a few weekends later with a friend to see what all of the fuss was about.
I believe the menu changes over time, but we didn’t even make it to the mains on this occasion… what we did do is order every single starter, and I mean every single one… that is not an exaggerated statement, and I think we actually ordered two of one. The mains looked great as they went by to others, and I remember a whole cooked fish of some sort that looked fantastic, but we couldn’t decide on starters as they all sounded too good… luckily the waitress was quite nice and happy to oblige us with our mini on request buffet… to be honest I was a bit worried about it because the place seems «fancy» to a commoner like me, but the worry was unfounded.
The standout starter for me was the «Hand Dived Scallop with Garlic & Pernod Butter, Toasted Almonds»… come to think of it, I have no idea what a «pernod» is… but the dang thing was delicious! I made a note to order a scallop anytime it’s on the menu here. I also really like the «Parma Ham with Salami served with Homemade Russian Salad»… think parma ham and salami on top of potato salad and you’ll get the idea, odd sounding, but tasty. Their «Gazpacho topped with Parma Ham & Olive Oil» was a treat as well, a bit different than I have had elsewhere, but that seems to be the norm with restaurant made gazpacho… I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to order it again.
The only starter I didn’t really love was the «Salmon Carpaccio with Soya & Sesame Dressing, Chilli, Spring Onions, & Coriander»… but, to be fair, I’m not a huge fan of most types of salmon, gravlax being the exception. It’s not that I wouldn’t recommend it to someone that liked the sound of it, don’t get me wrong, it was just such a good showing for the other starters on this particular night.
The hidden joy about having a bunch of starters between two people is that there’s room for dessert! Well, at most places… I guess that highlights that the starter portions weren’t huge here, but definitely starter appropriate. For desert we split a «Frangipane Tart», and as someone new to such a dessert was pleasantly surprised… it had a great texture and just the right level of sweetness.
Unfortunately I can’t remember the cost of our little adventure, but I know it wasn’t bad despite all of the dishes ordered.
All in all this is one of the places that I would like to take friends visiting Edinburgh, assuming they have had enough time to try some local stuff of course, and I’m personally hoping to get back soon… I might even try I main if I’m daring enough, but I certainly wouldn’t be mad at myself if I went all starters again. ;-)

We visited because of the favorable Unilocal reviews and were not disappointed. The ambiance was lovely and even our pickiest eater found something he enjoyed. Our group enjoyed the lamb, pork, duck and the cheese plate along with a nice bottle of Sancerre. The sticky toffee pudding was amazing!!!

Came here because of the rave reviews, and it was a mixed bag for me. Loved the interior, which was really cute, and thought that the hand written menu was a nice touch. I thought th emenu would have been
I got the pork loin chops, and though it was good, it felt like something I could have made at home. The sides with the dish weren’t anything special.
Dessert, however was really good. I ordered the earl grey panna cotta which came with a drizzling of raspberry sauce (I believe) with some crunchy bits. The sauce and the crunchy bits helped the dessert a lot. We ordered several desserts, and this was by far my favorite. The other cakes were either too dry or the flavor wasn’t all that great

Sunday Bloody Sunday… so says the song… finding a restaurant for a Sunday is a challenge I come up against way more than I would like but finally I have found a superb Sunday offering that inst a Sunday roast.
Café Marlayne is a wonderfully quaint and cosy restaurant adding some French flare to the international gastronomy that can be found of Thistle Street.
On entering you immediately feel relaxed and as if you could be at home, the ambiance is great. The menu comes as a printed page reflecting the seasonal approach to produce they have and the ever changing options to be enjoyed.
For starter I opted for the boudin noir (black sausage), with apple purée, and sauteed potatoes. Lovely dish that I have to say could have been taken to another level with a little scallop.
My scallop cravings still in mine my main soon rectified this, pork belly with queen scallops and herb salad, Was delightful. The fat on the pork was very well cooked down to just leave tender succulent meat. Presentation was lovely and the tastes delightful.
Add a bottle of wine, 3 coffees, one desert and 2 drambuies and to have a bill come in under £100 for 3 people was a pleasant surprise.
A great place for a great meal, highly JD Recommended.-

A splendid meal at a fantastic price. If you’re in the mood for delightful French cuisine, don’t miss this place.

This place had been on my radar for a while but for some reason the name put me off. I associate cafés with coffee and cake rather than a hearty lunch on a rainy Sunday. But when I looked in the window and saw the sophisticated interior, I suspected they had more to offer. A quick check on Unilocal revealed a 5-​star rating so we knew we were in safe hands.
It turns out that the simple name conceals a classy French bistro serving a short menu of elegant dishes. The menu is hand-​written and simple, with about five starters and the same number of mains to choose from. The wine list is reasonable and bread and water at the table on arrival just add to the experience.
We shared some grilled goats cheese with apple, salad and hazelnuts to start — simple and delicious, classic French grub. Gillian’s sea bream main course was excellent but I really lucked out with my choice: lamb rump with polenta, cherry tomatoes and salsa verde. See the photo to drool over this delicious dish, its stylish presentation suggesting a much more expensive restaurant. Two large pieces of lamb, grilled to perfection, crunchy yet creamy polenta, and they bring steamed vegetables on the side at no extra cost.
With a glass of wine each and tea/​coffee, the total bill was only £32. The interior is stylish but comfortable, the food is simple, classic, unfussy French food done well. It’s difficult to think of anything they could do better.

The best dinner we had and on our recent trip to Edinburgh and we had some good ones. This intimate restaurant fills up quickly because everyone there from the out-​of-​towners like us as well as the locals get to enjoy the food that is prepared with care. Definitely call ahead to get a booking. You’ll risk waiting awhile or not getting a table at all just dropping in. They take children which was a plus for us.

Great food, quaint atmosphere
Service was causal yet attentive with very friendly staff. I had the sea bass which was absolutely fantastic (crispy skin, yum) and well proportioned. Celery soup for starters was a large serving but absolutely delicious … Not a drop left in my bowl, I tells ya. My dining partner had the duck breast which looked perfectly cooked. Had no room for dessert but (greedily) checked the menu, there were quite a few selectios available — something I wish to check out in the not too distant future. When Jenny Craig allows me. :D
The only mini downside was that the place was LOUD — there were two tables of ten or so people at the front and the floor boards and flat ceiling amplified the sound quite a bit :(not sure if the tables at the rear of the venue have this noise quirk.
Another small note — we were seated halfway into the restaurant and my Orange mobile had no signal/​coverage — maybe something to watch out for for those who like to upload Unilocal piccies as you stuff your gob: p

A new find for me — and what a find it is. Great French cuisine — at surprisingly affordable prices. Just had a very tasty meal: a piece of smoked haddock, topped with a poached egg & wilted spinach, served with a side of beans, broccoli and potato dauphinoise. It was superb.
They’ve also got a selection of more café type desserts (key lime pie, coffee crème brûlée, cheese cake, croissant) and a little coffee corner — which I’ve yet to explore

Perfectly suited to the splendid village feel that permeates through Thistle Street, Café Marlayne is surely as close as you can possibly get to a rustic French Bistro in Scotland. Tiny, with tables crammed together, barely legible hand-​written menus, and a grumpy, garlic munching chef swigging wine from the bottle in the kitchen. It’s all an illusion of course, and this carefree rustic charm is in fact carefully constructed with almost military precision, but in some ways that makes it more impressive.
I get the impression the menu changes weekly or perhaps daily, but if the duck with apples is still on I can heartily recommend it. The food’s not even all that expensive which comes as a pleasant surprise, and you get a basket of bread thrown in for free.
Only downside, that isn’t a fault of the restaurant at all, is that there were some very irritating punters in on our visit. All had South East /​Home Counties accents, and talked loudly and obnoxiously in tones that belied the arrogance, humourlessness, and lack of self-​awareness that you would expect from them.
It was quite comical however, when the drunken trustafarians at the table next to us had their credit cards declined. I wouldn’t fancy washing the dishes to pay the bill on a busy night like that.