Home > Directory > Cafe Marlayne
Cafe Marlayne
French Restaurant
Price: £££
Licensed: Yes
BYOB: No
Pre-Theatre: No
Takeaway: No
Tags: cafemarlayne restaurant licensed french
Details not yet confirmed.
Contribute
Review this business
Sign up or log in to edit this listing
Connect
5 user reviews:
from andy (100%) on July 17th, 2007 (1 year ago)
Cafe Marlayne, 76 Thistle Street, EH2 1EN, Edinburgh
Little gem of a restaurant slightly hidden away in the New Town on Thistle Street. Very small - cosy verging on cramped. The night we went (a Tuesday) we hadn't booked but were lucky to get a table - there are only 8. While we were there they had to turn a couple away - make sure you book, even on supposedly quiet nights.
Menu is largely dominated by fish. I had mussels to start and then monkfish. Both were excellent. The monkfish dish was the tastiest dish I've eaten for a while. The menu changes daily and is well priced. Most expensive main was under £15 with the average probably £13.
Only thing that let them down slightly was that one of the two waitresses was a bit short. In manner, not stature. A shame, but the food more than made up for it.
(+2) (+2) (+1)
from nettles (94%) on July 20th, 2008 (1 month ago)
Cafe Marlayne, 76 Thistle Street, EH2 1EN, Edinburgh
A great intimate place hidden away on Thistle Street. Simple decor and lovely handwritten menus which I hear change quite often but after reading Andy's review, I think I had the same menu as him! So, it doesnt change everyday but certainly often enough for the joint not to invest in printed menus.
For starters my partner and I shared the scallops with boidon noir (black sausage) which I wasnt sure about the pairing but worked beautifully. I was a bit upset after we had finished it to see the same dish going out with the roe still attached to the scallops as ours hadnt been so luxuriously adorned. The basil vinegrette was lovely and fresh and the asparagus a nice touch.
For our mains my partner had the whole seabass and I had the monkfish. Monkfish is one of my favourites and I was pleased that it wasnt overcooked to a rubbery texture as you so often get. The fish was a large piece still on the big tail bone and cooked to perfection with a nice crust where it had been seared. The fish came with a nice tapenade and was topped with roasted red peppers that I thought tasted nice but didnt add much to the dish. My partners fish was delicately flavoured and cooked as nice as my monkfish.
All of the mains come with a side of veggies which was served for two in a bowl and was pleasantly surprised by the obvious attention to the veggies. Each obviously cooked separately and much attention paid to each. On the bottom were luxirious potatoes cooked in what I can guess was cream, butter, garlic and a healthy dose of black pepper. One top some of the sweetest carrots, steamed broccoli, and fine string beans.
Dinner we finished off with cappuccino but next time will have to save room for dessert as the hand written board looked to good to pass up for next time!
(+2) (+1) (0)
from ddcook (65%) on September 14th, 2007 (11 months ago)
Cafe Marlayne, 76 Thistle Street, EH2 1EN, Edinburgh
Well that was a tasty meal! The atmosphere in this place is fantastic, small, cosy, but not too hot or not too noisy from being squashed into such a dinky place. Menu has enough selection to keep you interested if you go back several times but not so much that it overwhelms you. My Mussels to start were fantastic, my dining partners pigeon salad equally tasty with the pigeon perfectly cooked to be moist and tasty. Main, my steak was good though not outstanding and I have had better in town, ordered rare it was probably closer to medium/rare, ordering Rare in a French restaurant I expected it to be spot on. The lamb however was fantastic, so full of flavour and perfectly cooked. Accompanying it all was some extremely tasty and flavoursome fresh veg, excellent stuff. We were so full from 2 excellent course that we could only stretch to sharing a creme brulee for desert, which was excellent and nice and crispy up top. Great wine menu too!
Overall would have been a higher rating but the fact my steak was not quite as rare as I would have expected and I have had better steaks for the same money elsewhere in Edinburgh drags it down slightly but in no way stops me wanting to go back for more.
(+1) (0) (0)
from julieadair (29%) on March 10th, 2008 (5 months ago)
Cafe Marlayne, 76 Thistle Street, EH2 1EN, Edinburgh
There's a real foodie haven in this stretch of Thistle Street - and even behind it, if you count the lane and Cafe St Honore. Cafe Marlayne is a wee gem. Tiny but friendly and real value for money in terms of the food, its quality and the range of the winelist. Booking essential but, if you can't get in, and are happy to head into the Old Town, there's another - slightly larger - version just off the Royal Mile.
(+1) (+2) (0)
from pops (18%) on July 23rd, 2007 (1 year ago)
Cafe Marlayne, 76 Thistle Street, EH2 1EN, Edinburgh
My favourite restaurant in Edinburgh. Cosy, intimate atmosphere and great food. Would recommend most dishes although personal favourites are the steak or the lamb... followed by the sensational key lime pie! Only complaint is the food is so good I often cant move after I've been there through eating so much :) Would definitely book in advance. Closed Mondays. Very reasonably priced. Much prefer the Thistle St restaurant to the one off the Royal Mile and have heard similar comments from a few people.
(+3) (+3) (0)
- La P'tite Folie, 61 Frederick Street
- Dusit, 49a Thistle Street
- Fishers in the City, 58 Thistle Street
- Iris, 47a Thistle Street
Sign up or log in to hide these ads.
About our advertising
