It's well known in Edinburgh that the city has a bit of a sweet tooth, and one little patisserie in Leith is serving up bakes that are not only satisfying that demand but also bringing some incredible French-inspired creations to residents and visitors to the area.
Ecossé Eclair was launched by Turkish couple Can and Tugba Misirlioglu in 2021, with the couple, who moved to Scotland 12 years ago, creating exciting choux pastries with a focus on the famous treat that gives the place its name.
"I've been a chef for a little over 17 years now, and it's been a lifelong dream to have a place of my own," explained owner Can. "I'm very experienced with choux pastry as I've worked with lots of French chefs and learned a lot, and have been inspired by them."
READ MORE: Edinburgh Airport restaurant flies up Tripadvisor charts overtaking top city venues
He revealed that his wife Tugba came up with the name, with Ecossé of course meaning Scotland in French in a nod to the country that inspires the bakes, as well as the country they now call home.
Can joked that it's even a nod to Turkey, as ecossé is the word they use for Tartan.
After finding a spot on Easter Road, work began just before the Covid 19 outbreak and it took over a year for them to finally be able to launch.
Tugba stated that though the timing wasn't great, they've made the most of it and are now thriving, she added: "It's going to be two years in July, and though lockdown did get in the way and hurt us a little, we don't regret it."
Can revealed that his experience mainly comes with chocolate, but wanted to try to focus on something that would stand out a little more.
"[Choux pastries] are one of my favourite desserts and in Turkey, it's also part of our culture as we enjoy great eclairs and profiteroles."
The pair hit upon the idea of focusing on these particular pastries as they struggled to find any spots in the capital that really specialised in them.
Since opening they haven't looked back, with Tugba revealing she recently left her job with the Turkish Consulate to help Can meaning they can now open earlier and have even started being able to do other items such as savoury eclairs.
Can revealed that Easter Road, which is also where they live, is becoming a bit of a hotspot for cafés, specialised bakeries and coffee shops.
"People really enjoy it. We've had really good comments and feedback from residents and visitors alike, and people are beginning to understand what we are trying to do," He explained. "There are not many pastry shops like us and we have a good French community who come and visit us.
"They often say that when they taste our eclairs, it takes them back home to Paris and if they say it's good, we know we are doing well."
Employing traditional methods to make their bakes, Can stated that the eclairs are more creamy than manufactured ones, as they use Creme Patisserie (like they do in the top bakeries in France) instead of whipped cream.
The couple also aims to use the best quality ingredients, sourcing products like pistachio and walnuts direct from Turkey, with everything made by them in-house, daily.
"We hope to extend our menu further in future, as there are lots of things we can make using choux pastry, such as churros and even a traditional Turkish bake called a Tulumba, which is delicious."
Our thoughts on their eclairs
We tried two of Écosse Eclair’s creations, starting off with a stunning wee Cranachan Eclair, which was pleasing to the eye with delicious flavours coming from the homemade whisky-infused Raspberry Jam and Chantilly Cream, topped with ruby chocolate and oats.
Next, we tried their Pistachio Eclair, which boasted an incredible pistachio cream coupled with a marzipan and crushed pistachio topping.
Both were delicious and really showed the difference in quality compared to some supermarket versions. The crème pat filling was far superior than the whipped cream added to wholesale items, with the pastry itself also mouth-wateringly crispy.
If you're a fan of Choux pastry, it really is worth making the effort to head down to see them, and with the trams now running to Leith it's even easier to get there.
READ MORE:
Edinburgh set for new 'Italian-inspired' street food café in busy neighbourhood
First look as Edinburgh's new Indo-Iranian eatery Chaakoo Bombay Café opens doors
We tried Edinburgh's new hot spot Asian restaurant and will definitely be back
