Cakes and Coffee at Patisserie Valerie, Edinburgh

When an email pops into your inbox asking you if you’d like to try cake and coffee at Patisserie Valerie on George IV bridge, it’s very hard to say no! With coffee and cake being Mr Edinburger’s great love (I’d say if you asked he’d put them above me!), he was willing to miss the Sunday football for this trip out. We’ve had cakes before as take out but liked the idea of sitting in. Joining us today was Mr E’s mum 🙂

There are now three Patisserie Valerie cafes in Edinburgh, with the George IV one being opened for almost two years now. We’d always known about the North bridge one but had somehow missed this one. On arrival we bypassed a couple trying to make the hard decision of what they wanted to take-away and met our friendly waitress. We were shown to our seat and quickly handed a menu. We had thought there was just cakes and beverages available but were pleasantly surprised that there was breakfast, brunch and lunch available. The cakes on offer have a continental feel about them.

Deciding what to have was a problem. We all decided to order something different and try a bit of everything. Our coffees and tea arrived promptly and then we ordered. We ordered the cheesecake, double chocolate gateaux and strawberry tart. Our chosen cakes arrived and we couldn’t wait to get stuck in. Mr E was thoroughly enjoying the cheesecake and claimed it was probably the biggest slice he’d ever been served. It had a lovely light topping with a crunchy base. I personally think I would have liked a deeper base and less topping but it was pretty tasty. Definitely a winner.

The strawberry tart was also delicious. The sticky, glazed strawberries on top of the custard and pastry base was excellent. The base had the right amount of crunch and was easily cut.

Our third choice the double chocolate gateaux was probably the winner out of all three. The light sponge was matched with an equally light, rich chocolate filling. To top it off there was a giant profiterole.

We had a great afternoon and enjoyed taking our time eating and chatting. The staff were lovely and more than happy to attend to our needs. Our plates were cleared and we enjoyed a further hot drink without feeling like we were being rushed. The only thing we’d change would be removing the sheeting, which I know makes it easier to pop on the plate but would make it even more presentable. We enjoyed our afternoon and left on a sugar high along with a selection to take home. We dare you to walk past and not be lured in by the window display 🙂