La Barantine — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

I paid £12 for a box of 12 macarons. Visually the macarons look superb and there's some interesting flavours. However, there was no proof in the pudding. I'd consider myself a macaron snob: the macarons at La Barantine were hit and miss.

Unfortunately nearly every single macaron in the box fell into either or both categories: a) wrong texture or b) poor flavouring. Firstly, a number of macarons crumbled (and fell everywhere) as soon as I bit into them. This was because the were shells hollow. There was no meringue-like chew to them whatsoever. Secondly, the actual flavour is disappointing. What one mostly tastes is pure sugar. The purported flavours are barely perceptible, save for the pistachio and salted caramel which were rather nice. I shall be sticking to other bakeries for my macarons.

La Barantine took over Patisserie Madeline in Stockbridge. The former had some of the best macarons in Edinburgh. I was hoping the newcomers would live up to that standard. Unfortunately not.

I do feel that the staff could have been friendlier or more cheery. On a more positive note, the pastries and cakes here are lovely. In particular, the framboisier and financier...

Had a lovely lunch and coffees with my friend with whom I hadn't seen for months. Wonderful array of pastries and breads to choose from too. Staff were lovely even when a rude person came in to ask my friend and I how long it would take for me to finish my hot drink which I had barely started. Her male friend/partner then came in to complain and basically threatened the staff when my estimated time to finish my drink was not to her liking. The staff were wonderful - polite and consummate professionals throughout. The two ladies sitting in the only other table were flabbergasted at how rude the woman had been to even disturb our lunch. I recommend this place for the food, service and also the wonderful muesli bread I bought to go when settling our...

Small french-style cafe offering sandwiches, soup, breads, pastries and cakes to eat in or take away. We were lucky to get a table, so we sat in. The sandwich was excellent, the baguette was really tasty. The meal deals are very restrictive in what you can buy as a dessert option. I tried a vanilla eclair, which was only okay. The pastry was nice and crisp, but there was a vanilla crème pâtissière filling (no cream), which was quite bland. The chocolate on top was like a hard, thin chocolate bar. The hot chocolate was very good, and not too sweet. Overall, I would definitely go back, even though the prices are a little on...