Date Night

Last weekend was the first weekend in awhile that Joe and I didn't have plans. While we've thoroughly enjoyed the friendships we made and being part of this community, we really did welcome a low-key, quieter weekend. We actually realized that it had been quite some time since we spent any length of time alone together, so decided to make a date night out of Saturday evening.

After a bit of research, we decided to book a table at Cafe Marlayne, a little French restaurant right off the Royal Mile. The reviews were stellar, the menu looked great, and they were running a great special.

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It turns out that the reviews were pretty accurate and the menu was actually as good as it looked (always a plus, in my book). The restaurant had two floors--a main level and basement seating. The main level was a bit more cafe-like, a little brighter, a little more open. We were seated downstairs and found the red walls, fireplace, walls with French film posters, and quiet music to be a great ambience--a bit trendy, a bit mysterious, a little bit seedy. The food was fantastic. After reviewing the handwritten menu, we both ordered crab atop an avocado/tomato/red onion salsa with a lime mayonnaise sauce, for our first course. For the second course, Joe had lamb (which he said was amazing) and I had roasted cod which was cooked perfectly.

The evening was so lovely with a quiet corner table, good French food, and time alone with each other. Definitely a great date night and definitely a place we'll go back to!

(For our Edinburgh friends: Cafe Marlayne actually has two locations and I hear that the food is fantastic in both, though the menu and atmosphere are apparently different. We went to the one on Fishmarket Close, off the Royal Mile. I doubt you could go wrong at either).