ROCKING THE BOAT
The undercover cafe critic
Scone Spy visits the home of shipbuilding.
SCOTLAND has a proud history of making quite wonderful things.
We’re a laboratory for producing scientists, for instance. We’ve distilled some immaculate whisky – you might have tried some.
And those big boats we used to build weren’t bad, either. They were shipshape, quite literally, and then some.
Govan was the home of shipbuilding in Scotland for decades before the industry largely disappeared over the horizon.
The area was left a little run down, I’m sure the residents wouldn’t mind me saying.
Actually, knowing some fiercely proud Govanites, they probably would mind and would tell me precisely why I was wrong, yet do it in a funny way, of course!
The area around Govan Cross though is looking perkier than ever these days.
And, rather than ships, it’s producing another Scottish speciality, one which deserves a visit from the Scone Spy.
Café 13 has popped up across from the spruced-up subway station, which is particularly handy if you want to drop in for a visit. And you really should. Perhaps the owners thought Govan Cross was actually on the other side of the Clyde, in Finnieston – the apparent “Coolest Place In The UK” (copyright magazines much hipper than this one).
With quirky, understated
wall art, wood-panelled walls and vegan cake selection it certainly wouldn’t look amiss in the achingly trendy West End.
And the new Glasgow clashes with the old to wonderful effect here.
A student-type, sporting a moustache which surely once belonged to a Victorian strongman, taps away on a laptop while sipping a flat white.
At the adjacent table is a woman wielding an armful of Rangers tattoos. The hefty steak pie on her plate doesn’t stand a chance.
Since it’s midday, we eschew the steak pie. My companion goes for a vegan burger – which is delicious mock pulled pork dripping with vegan smoked cheese and a chipotle sauce.
I’m still not sure what Sriracha sauce is, but it’s on the chicken wrap I order. It’s spicy, garlicky and a bargain for £6.45 with chips.
Of course a spot of lunch is how your Scone Spy warms up for the main event.
Café 13 hasn’t put a foot wrong yet with its refreshingly mixed clientele, pleasant staff, impressive menu and charming décor.
But the scone, it has to be said, isn’t the best.
It’s a decent size but a little too dry, and there’s only a wee packet of jam, barely enough to cover a melba toast, much less two big, fluffy sides of a scone.
Ah well, perhaps it was an off day! I suspect Café 13 might just have been a little bit unlucky.
So don’t let it put you off dropping in – this place is much more than just a steady ship.