TROVE IS A TREASURE
THE last time I visited Trove in Levenshulme I was led down their alleyway at night by a string of fairy lights. It was winter. I lost my footing, fell into a hedge, but eventually found a dimly-lit garage.
Inside was just as dark as the moonlit alley, but it was warmed by people stood clutching beers in woolly-gloved-hands, leaning on improvised bars, straining to see the grand extension plans displayed on the walls through the gloom. At the back of the garage was Katie and Marcus - the founders of Trove - busily plating up helpings of home-pickled veg and well-hopped pints.
It was the embryonic stages of Trove’s extension - a low-fi party to launch their Kickstarter event in a bid to raise money to transform the daytime cafe into an all-day restaurant.
It was a promising start, or glimpse of a start, with an impressive turn-out of supporters who truly wanted the best for this independent caf.
Despite barely reaching half of their £35k Kickstarter target, that garage has now been converted into a glistening open-plan kitchen, where chefs stand diligently waiting for orders. Extra seating runs along what was formerly the kitchen, adding valuable covers to what was a 20-seater cafe.
Trove was always easy on the eye. When it opened in 2012 it was a haven of simple, homely produce. Now it’s polished, preened and extended into a retreat of muted colours and folksy, functional design; it’s like a walk-in copy of Kinfolk.
Like the pristine Common Ground which recently opened in Altrincham, Trove is decked out in the kind of wholesome minimalism that makes you want to chuck out that gauche Cath Kidston kitchenware and repopulate your home entirely with hand-whittled spoons and tiny wee salt and pepper pots.
But more than design, community is a lynchpin of this restaurant. Writing on their website, owners state: “The cafe is still focused around the same large table we’ve had since day one, so that the people of Levenshulme can come and socialise and communicate. We love the idea that our neighbours can come to meet, talk and eat and new friendships might be made over a decent cup of coffee.”
It’s a lovely idea... if only the people were using it more often.
I mean, it’s good for people like me - who panic-book tables last minute. Burger joint Relish’d had a lucky escape when they told me that the ‘gold hadn’t arrived’ for their signature gold burgers. I happily left without ordering, leaving the waiter to their empty, Despartido-soundtracked restaurant, and snapped up a last minute table at Trove. But me and my partner had come from one empty restaurant to another.
The large table was full - but only of staff for their team briefing.
That’s not to say it doesn’t get busy in Trove. If you want a weekend brunch expect queues out the door, but when I visit on a Friday night at 7pm, there’s only two other tables.
So why is the nighttime offering failing to draw in the crowds after they were so supportive of the Kickstarter? Perhaps the food isn’t good enough? No chance. The menu here is as carefully curated as the uber-cool nick-nacks on their shelves. A selection of understated small plates favouring simple, seasonal ingredients all priced around £5 to £8.
A warm bagna cauda (£5) with raw spring vegetables is a good introduction to the food here. It’s a silky garlic and anchovy dip which, when paired with crisp radish or fennel shows how simple processes can make outstanding flavours.
Cured sardines still pack a fishy punch with a tomato salad (£7.50), and the garlicky sauce is made for mopping up with a side of Trove bread.
The tender salt beef (£8) is the favourite though, with homemade sauerkraut and pickles which and me and my pal fight over, followed by a fresh courgette, black olive crumb, sweet pickled chilli and feta (£7.00).
The drinks list too is beautifully compiled - a select choice of interesting and affordable wines and beers. I start with a tart orange wine - which tastes more like a dry cider - before a juicy glass of Barbera D’asti Bandita hits the spot at £7 a glass. I’ll be back for the croughnuts, salted caramel cream, and honeycomb - and to explore that wine menu a little more.
Trove is serving some of the best food in the city at the moment. Others are doing simple, paredback food - but very few are working at the same price point as this. Trove has done its part extended and upped its game - all it needs is the same support that people showed on that launch night.