CAFE STRANGE BREW

THE strangest thing about Cafe Strange Brew? It’s not strange at all. As far as I can make out, anyway. In fact, looking around this afternoon over a bowl of Turkish eggs with yogurt, chilli, garlic and coriander, I see white walls, white tables and two nice, chatty women behind the counter. So far, so normal. Another woman did walk in moments ago and in the midst of a friendly exchange announced loudly enough to hear over the radio playing in the background: “Oh no, I wouldn’t go anywhere else for my coffee now.”

This being kind of unusual, everyone looked up sharply at that point and stared. Even the two kids at the corner table nose deep in their laptops and free wi-fi. I’m sure I’m not the only person who was wondering if I was witnessing a brilliant crowd-marketing plan where someone is paid to walk in every 30 minutes or so and announce the same thing in loud, plaintive tones.

Alas no. It turned out to be simply her reaction to the news that it was after half four, this fresh-feeling cafe was shutting up and she might try somewhere up the road for coffee.

By now, though, I’ve pushed away the Turkish eggs and am deep into a fattoush that is turning out to be a meal in itself. Back in the day the only way to get a really good fattoush was to brave the spinning disco ball, men in shirts open to the navel and pulsing Europop at Prince Armany’s under Jamaica Bridge in Glasgow. Now that was strange. But brilliant.

Since then I’ve struggled to find somewhere that properly makes the classic middle eastern summer salad – crisp toasted pitta bread pieces soaking up the juices from the lemony sumac, with chunks of fresh vegetables coated in dressing, pomegranate and mint popping through it. It’s a meal in itself.

As is this example. Whether it’s fully authentic I couldn’t say – assuming there is even a recipe for fattoush – but it is very good. On completely finishing it I return to the Turkish eggs. But ordering them was a mistake entirely on my part. It wasn’t until I had forked up some of the attractive chilli, garlic and coriander surrounding the eggs and suddenly been slapped on the chops by a very sharp sensation that I realised that’s

PHOTOGRAPH: STEVE WELSH A clean feel, decent value for money and nourishing, well-prepared food make Cafe Strange Brew very likeable indeed