I live in a quaint little street here in Edinburgh, William Street in the West End. My end is full of wealthy ladies' clothing boutiques (useless to me) and three pubs (not so useless, but I don't drop in as often as I could).
A couple of months ago, a little coffee shop opened in the other end of William Street, but being down the quieter end and not screaming out, it wasn't until my boyfriend popped in to try their coffee that we realised we have a haven of good affordable coffee in our own street and excellent food (although, before you get too excited, you'll need to go there during the week - they're not open on weekends unfortunately).
Ewan and Mark, who run KG's ('K' for Scotsman Ewan's surname Kasprowicz and 'G' for Englishman Mark's surname Green), are super friendly and chatty guys. We struck up a conversation with them when we first came in about how they lived in Melbourne for several years, working in restaurants and cafes there (Ewan's the chef and Mark's the barista). They told us they loved Melbourne, and when dreaming up their new business, they were keen to offer West End locals healthy food and variety, making good use of Scotland's excellent produce. They didn't want to just offer sandwiches or stodge. They also added that coffee in Edinburgh is generally crap (as in, you have to be selective - there are definitely some great coffee spots here).
Mark uses Artisan Roast beans. Well, lots of cafes in Edinburgh do, and they like to make a point of it, even though high-quality Artisan Roast beans are useless unless combined with a good machine and someone who knows how to use it (and I don't profess to be one of these people). Thankfully, Mark's coffee is smooth, strong, full of flavour, with crema intact and looking lovely. Your sugar is no good here.
Back to Ewan's food. As I said, I was amazed that when I first went in there, it's not all about sandwiches. Sandwiches are a big lunchtime thing here, and it's fair to say they're easy and can be really healthy, but they can also be dull, and useless people who must eat gluten-free.
They still serve sandwiches here - as well as stovies, a Scottish potato and meat stew - but the fillings for the sandwiches are presented in a glass cabinet in KG's that is vibrant with colour - filled with roasted Mediterranean vegetables, caramelised onions, tomato and basil salad, roasted parsnips, thinly slized chorizo and good-quality ham. Always fresh-looking, not like the congealed slop you see in the refrigerator cabinets in some other sandwich shops.
Aside from this variety, I love Ewan's hot lunches. They're 3.80, regardless of the dish, which changes daily. I've had grilled crispy sea bass with a citrus salsa and rocket and roast new potatoes, chicken and sweet potato curry, roast chicken breast with crispy pancetta and tomato and vegetable ragu, as well as more hearty dishes like sausage and parsnip casserole. It's always been hearty and been wholesome, with plenty of vegies. Ewan must feel strongly about this, because he never falters. I could eat his lunches every day and know that I'm eating well. And 3.80?! I've paid much more for this kind of food in restaurants, and been more impressed with the quality of Ewan's food.
As well as these hot lunches, there are two hot soups each day. I could get soup from the cafeteria at my work, but don't see the point when they're always delicious, interesting and wholesome here. My favourite's the Thai butternut squash (which, as an Aussie, I know as butternut pumpkin). Finally, I also need to commend Ewan for his sausage rolls. He makes them with pork (which is great in Scotland), plus sage, apple and Arran mustard "from the Isle of Arran," Ewan emphasised. All wrapped in flakey, caramelised puff pastry.
I'd love these guys to open their shop on weekends, and to make me breakfast, but as most of the customers are from the local West End businesses, it's not viable for them to be open on weekends. This won't stop me going constantly for my morning/afternoon coffee and hearty hot lunches and soups. If you're in the West End, bypass Pret a Manger for a change, and give KG's a try.
No comments:
Post a Comment