A Meal Of Two Cities

The recession has a counter effect on some brave individuals: it provides a chance to take a chance, to instigate a change and to buck the trend by expanding rather than downsizing their businesses. The hope is that casting a wider net during the economic sea-change will have the capacity to generate more custom. It is also a good time, as one interviewee put it, for small businesses to capitalise on great offers on leases from potential landlords.

There are a few Glasgow-based food ventures that have recently opened sister enterprises in Edinburgh. Amongst these featured here are three very different establishments: I Love Candy sweetshop and boutique; Lebowski’s pub and bar and Mother India’s tapas café.

First up, is I Love Candy (ILC), and let’s face it, as the name presupposes, almost everybody does. When times get tough, research shows people are more likely not to begrudge themselves simple pleasures like pick n’ mix and more likely to indulge in nostalgia. There have been a tirade of pound store-style sweet shops popping up all over Glasgow’s de-gentrifying shopping landscape, but I Love Candy is an altogether classier affair with patterned wallpaper and rococo mirrors adorning the beautifully furnished stores.

ILC’s second store is in Edinburgh’s New Town and has been open since July. A marker of its popularity was its immediate popularity, though it was hard for the owners to discern how much footfall was due to the Fringe festival at the time, but fortunately popularity has sustained into the autumn with good support from locals and recommendations. The Edinburgh branch is very much a trial for the business to see how it survives in a true city centre location. Unlike the Glasgow West End main store, this branch lacks the benefits of nearby schools, university and botanic gardens, and a real neighbourhood or community feel. The hope is that, given time, the Edinburgh branch will be able to build up a sustained client base as well as attracting tourists, and signs are that this is already starting.

Lebowski’s is based on the relaxed ‘dude’ ethos of The Coen Brothers’ cult film The Big Lebowski (1998). The website even sells a selection of film tie-in T-shirts. It offers chilled drinks and casual dining in a central location. The Edinburgh branch recently opened off Lothian Road, at a popular junction and crossing point, near the Odeon cinema. Famous for its burgers, the renowned Lebowski Burger is one to try. The ‘Dude Lunches’ menu selection has a range of burger variation to take the leading role in your lunchplate. Also on offer is a great selection of cocktails and fully-comprehensive bar list including ‘oat sodas’, which could be beer under a synonym. The website showcases full menus as well as weekly in-branch specials. There is also an express lunch menu for those doing business or in a hurry, which includes a full range of freshly prepared open plate sandwiches with homemade coleslaw, as well as the recommended Über Soup of the Day, served in a huge bowl with thick buttered bread. The food is all handmade and cooked fresh from raw ingredients, and also on offer is a Sharing and Bites menu which offers a Scottish cuisine tapas-style selection. The Mussel Mountain, priced at £12, proves that it’s not all about bread and dainty dips for these dudes.

Also building on the tapas-style trend is Indian Glasgow mainstay Mother India, now with three Glasgow branches plus two delicatessens and a recent Edinburgh opening to the expanding chain. The Edinburgh branch is situated in Old Town, very close to the main University of Edinburgh campus, and brings its unique brand of Indian tapas to student lunch breaks and evening diners. The restaurant is open 7 days a week, until 10pm on weeknights and 10.30pm at weekends, and also caters for take aways for those in a rush.

Tapas dining recommend 3-4 dishes between 2 people as a rough guide, and this style is a welcome break from the huge, expensive and insurmountable main portions conventionally served a curry houses, where sharing mains apart from rice is generally frowned upon. The tapas mains start at a reasonable £2.95, with sides and accompaniments from chutnies to chapatis from a mere 95p. Personally, I’m partial to poppadom with my curry; and at 60p apiece there should be ample change in the kitty for a bus or even taxi fare home. Also available is a full range of full-size portion mains, with a wide variety available to choose from from karahi curries to traditional dishes and house specialties, as well as an impression selection of vegetarian dishes.

The food is best finished Indian-style with tea; there are a range to sample from – the Massala tea with cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and ginger is a traditional spiced tea served with milk and sugar worth seeking out. All the usual coffee suspects are also available.

The watchword seems to be to think across different scales: provide something small, like tapas or sweeties and think big by expanding on a successful franchise in opening up to new markets and setting up shop in another city. Small, but perfectly formed: these independent traders have got the recession all sewn up.