Cafe Society

 

The former Glass Lounge in Colwyn Bay

I have two favourite cafes in North Wales 
One has gone out of business and has shut for good.
The other re opened the other day and is holding on by the skin of its teeth.
The one that has closed had a rather stern barista and wonderful food.  The barista , some may recall spent almost two hours listening to an interview I had with my divorce mediator and at one emotional moment came to the table with a jug of iced water and napkins !
I’m so sorry she’s gone.


Y shed in Meliden


The other cafe at “ y shed” is modern and adaptable. It is situated in a converted railway shed and welcomes walkers and their dogs. I went today for breakfast and noticed Dorothy in one of the snap shots the owner takes of the canine visitors .
I ordered a large coffee and breakfast
The waitress thought I ordered a large everything so I was faced with a belly buster meal.
I can’t now eat for the rest of the day



I overpaid the bill in a gesture of support 
“ It’s just nice to have you back” I told the owner.....
We need to support these small businesses 
So please take a photo of your local coffee shop, or tea room or restaurant Or takeaway and send me the photo
jgsheffield@hotmail.com
Let’s big them all up 

And finally today I will leave you with Andy Grammer singing his own song
It’s infectious 





62 comments:

  1. I agree. My partner supports all locally owned restaurants. He's not a fan of chain one, or fast food. Although it's a bit expensive, there is a locally owned bookstore that I support. We have a bookstore which is a chain that sells books at well below the market value. And while it's tempting, I still support the locally owned one. There a more personal touch, as the sales people make an effort to help. me and suggest authors based on what they see in my shopping basket or recent purchases.
    They also have a staff picks corners, where if the staff is there, will speak to you about why they have chosen the book.

    I have rambled...sorry about that. And I will try and get a personal pic of this store. And of my favorite pizza place.

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  2. The Andy Grammer song sounded familiar - a slight variation on another more famous song but for the life of me I cannot remember its title.

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  3. I love the song and very impressed with the children's participation, both singing and their actions. I need to go back and listen to it again> > > > > >
    I'm hungry now I've seen that breakfast; I'm waiting for my grocery delivery and it's running late. sigh . . .

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    1. I found the video incredibly moving

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  4. We support 'local' businesses as much as we can. From groceries to coffee. We found a gem of a cafe called 'Uprooted' which is in the community of Musquodoboit Harbour, about 20 minute drive from home. The BEST coffee in the entire province in my humble opinion/we LOVE it strong and it is. Food is made from local ingredients and the chef really knows what she is doing.

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    1. Thanks for the photo
      I will post it tomorrow x

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  5. spouse and I support the local restaurants; we despise the chains. italian, chinese, japanese, thai, vietnamese - no chain can match these local faves!

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    Replies
    1. How lucky you are having so much of a choice

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  6. Baker and Graze Cheltenham have been amazing. At the start of lockdown they carried on baking and donated bread etc. daily to NHS staff; never letting them down. They then ran a pop up shop whilst quietly carrying on with their donations. They are back now as a café with a very safe environment and deserve support. Great business who quietly helped out straight away and didn’t shout about it.

    Really enjoy your blog thank you

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  7. Cafes and restaurants and bars can become such important parts of our lives. They serve us food. They bring us napkins. When they are gone, we finally realize what they meant to us. So much more than a coffee or a meal or a drink.

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    1. I think we are all appreciating things we took so much for granted

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  8. The White Horse at Woolley Moor. Amazing food. We'll be there the minute we're out of quarantine, only five days more to go!

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    1. Tell me what you’ve eaten ...vicarious pleasures

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    2. My favourite would be their starter of poached egg and black pudding with rocket, followed by sea bass or salmon on a bed of leeks and potatoes. Crème brulée for afters.

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  9. "A large coffee, and breakfast" sometimes our language needs an audible comma.

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  10. Most of our cafes areeopen again here in Leyburn John and the town is quite busy at weekends - not quite so much now thechildren are back at school but we get a lot of bikers which helps. Sadly I try to keep out of town at the moment - but I miss it.

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    1. Thought about you last week, we stayed near Whitby for a week but took a long drive around the Dales and through Leyburn. Such a beautiful area and so many bikers. My nephew married near Masham a couple of years ago.

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    2. Once lockdown is over I am resolved to venture more around Britain

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  11. Barbara Anne1:48 pm

    That is one amazing breakfast! Seeing it has made me hungry, too. Let me put the kettle on ...
    What a lovely idea to photograph favorite small eateries. We no longer eat out because I have avoid all contact with beef thanks to a Lone Star tick bite 3 years ago. Fortunately, DH is a marvelous cook.
    Delightful song and audience - ta!.

    Hugs!

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  12. I've recently returned from a holiday walking the North Wales coast and had an amazing meal at The Bistro in Rhyl. I have to admit that Rhyl wasn't a place where I expected to find excellent cuisine, but I was wrong! It's at the western end of Rhyl, near the Marine Lake. Really excellent food and good value for money too.

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    1. The bistro is famous for its food. It had a sister restaurant in Prestatyn for a while we used to go to a lot.....

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  13. Getting food out is but a fuzzy memory here, I'm afraid. Between budget, Covid, living in the middle of nowhere, and few places with quality worth supporting, our go-to for local food is the farmers' market. Does that count?

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  14. I remember Oriel Mostyn having a cafe...does it still? Good coffee and chocolate cake! Over twenty years ago mind you!
    The one just about in your area which was still going is Pete's Eats in Llanberis. Knows the appetites of hungry climbers, cyclists and walkers!

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    1. Yes the gallery has a lovely cafe...the best onion soup I have ever tasted

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  15. Oh, I'll have to send this clip to a friend who is a voice teacher and conductor, primarily for kids. Wonderful.

    I have no idea when we'll feel comfortable going out to eat again. In the interim, every Wednesday night, we order takeout from a local place.

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  16. We DO have to support these places as much as we can. I'm sorry one of your favorites closed. :(

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    1. Me too...you must have a local favourite steve

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  17. Eat, eat, enjoy. I have become a huge tipper these days. On the trip last month, I left a $20 tip on a $35 dinner one evening.

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  18. Any cafe that allows dogs has to be a good one! Just looked up Meliden on the map, to see how far from Knighton, Powys, where I'm staying next week. Too far :( Another time :)

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  19. We are still staying home. No coffee shop here, darn it.

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  20. just found your post today. How wonderful it was to hear and see Andy Grammer singing with those children!! I could tell he was absolutely in love with them and the beautiful music they made alongside him. Thank you for posting this. It made my day!

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  21. I don't go anywhere without my dogs and they aren't really to be trusted at a coffee shop.Only when on holiday do I go to farmers markets.At Christmast I support locally and buy most of my gifts but unfortunately our Church Festival has been cancelled this year x

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    1. Dorothy is a bit manic for it today so I went on my own

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  22. a proper UK breakfast but is that a bucket of ketchup in the middle? what do you put that on?

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  23. That song made me smile : )

    Enjoy your cafe breaks. I imagine you are still full now from that breakfast!! We had just gotten brave enough to go into shops again now, and it's all taking off again, so back to pulling up the drawbridge.

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    1. I didn’t eat anything until right now and it’s nine pm

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  24. Had the best fish, chips and curry sauce at Pier6, Broadwalk Cafe at Bridlington last week. Great service and Covid regs. Only took photos of the food though!!

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  25. Yeah, I find myself tipping more and telling the people working at the drive through windows to keep the change. They have been working through the crisis while others have decided they rather collect the exaggerated unemployment payments.

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    1. We all should tip more if we can afford to

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  26. Will send pics! And thanks for yet again filling my heart with love.

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  27. I love that they have photos of visiting dogs! Yes, we must support our local businesses!

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  28. omg...canned tomatoes. if that isn't a flashback! we used to have them all the time when i was little. i haven't thought about them in many years. seriously, didn't they just open a can of tomatoes and put them in a little side bowl? they always tasted a bit like the can?

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  29. Yes, definitely! Support the small restaurants. Last weekend I ordered Indian food and it was wonderful. It was take out because there was no seating. We will all appreciate restaurant seating when it returns.

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  30. It is so tragic the Businesses we're losing due to Pandemic. I too overpay as a sign of Support and Hope my Favs hang on. We did take-out all thru Lock Down and it sustained so many businesses when they were forced to close to the Public, to still be able to do Delivery runs and Take-Out Orders. Every one that has closed its doors for good will be sorely missed... my Heart aches for those who lost their employment and means of support during an already intensely stressful time. In our Country the Pandemic and Politics are so stressful we NEED comfort foods!

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