After a joyous long weekend, spent climbing my first Munro, slicing my shins to pieces through fields of heather, and generally having a lovely time in Perthshire, it was back to auld claes and parritch, today. To soften the blow, I thought a good bacon roll would set me up for the day.

Exterior

I toddled along to the Grassmarket, as it has a profusion of cafes, not all of which I’ve tried. Café Jacques was the first one I came across, so I popped in there.

A menu was proffered, but I was clear that a bacon roll and an espresso were what was required, so I didn’t bother looking. On reflection, I probably should have, as a warning of the tourist-trap prices would have been handy, though the lack of any prices on their chalkboard did lead me to suspect that this might be the case.

While forlornly looking for prices on the board, my eye was caught be the gold and silver detail of their cornicing, which was lovely. The compact space is nicely appointed, with scenes of classic Paris adorning the walls. Given its name, I imagine this place used to be French in influence, but now has a much more Mediterranean feel to the menu.

Bacon roll

Espresso arrived first and was solidly decent. The bacon roll was really rather good, with a massive sesame-seed roll generously filled with good crispy bacon. I applied a good glug of HP sauce, to add the required tang. However good it was, £3.20 was too much to charge.

So overall, while the fare on offer at Café Jacques was perfectly good, the service friendly, and the setting smart, this isn’t one for your shortlist. On a sunny day, their outside seating will ensure they do good business, but there is much better value on offer at other nearby locations.

Scores
Blythe scores Café Jacques
3.5/5 for food
3/5 for presentation
3.5/5 for service
3.5/5 for setting
giving an overall 13.5/20

Today’s quester was: Blythe

I ate: crispy bacon roll

I drank: espresso, water

I wore: lilac shirt

Total bill: £5.10