Is this the most bohemian street in NG1? Looking out on Broad Street from the perch of one of the tall stools at the stylish new deli-café Edin’s, it certainly feels that way. From the legendary Wild Clothing store to hip bars like Muse and the arty glamour of both the Broadway and The Screen Room cinemas, it’s a street that’s certainly having a moment…
Directly across from Edin’s is Shaw’s cafe and restaurant, the bistro-style restaurant housed in an atmospheric old industrial building with its own distinctive, often eclectic, vibe (although the food could be rather hit and miss). So it’s no surprise to learn that the eponymous Edin Gondzic was formerly one of the proprietors of Shaw’s. The Bosnian entrepreneur obviously knows a good location when he sees it. And now he’s brought his unique European sensibility a few yards across the road to this new operation.
Edin’s one of those rare places where you feel at home almost as soon as you walk in. The sofa with overstuffed pillows, the skilfully mismatched tables and chairs, the baskets of fruit and veg, the classic black and white film posters, the copies of Gazetta dello Sport and Le Monde, the Latin jazz soundtrack… all this could be horribly pretentious in the wrong hands, but here it feels right. In fact, if you’re ever suffering from a hangover in the Hockley vicinity, we recommend soothing it away here.
The set up is trendy cafe-bar up front, proper restaurant in the back. You order from either from the constantly changing blackboards or from the menus – single sheets of paper stuck onto wooden slabs.
Dishes range from light tapas and meat and cheese plates to full meals. But there are no rules here, it’s that take-or-leave-it continental ethos – so, in the spirit of the place, we decided to share a range of dishes in no particular order. So we ended up sampling the tempura prawns (£5.95), cheese omelette (£4.95), falafels (£4.95), cous cous salad (£4.50) and home-made fries (£2).
The tempura prawns were particularly good – four chunky examples of fresh seafood encased in a crisp batter and accompanied by a sweet chilli dip with a wickedly hot kick. We also enjoyed the omelette which was, as you might expect from a continental kitchen, cooked runny – and given a real edge by the generous Halloumi filling. Meanwhile, the falafels were obviously freshly made and that distinctive spicy chickpea filling was spot-on. The only disappointment was the salad which, although very healthy thanks to all the red chard, featured lumpy and hard grains of cous cous.
While most of the pricing seemed fine, the small portions of chips weren’t particularly good value – at £2 a throw, we needed three between the pair of us and we’re not complete bloaters (honest). So if you want to load up on the carbs, this might not be the place.
The wine selection consists of around 20 well-priced bottles – which you can also purchase (at half price) and take home. We opted for the house red (good value at only £8.50), an easy-drinking Campo Nuevo Tempranillo from Navarra in the Basque region of Spain (currently one of the most exciting wine-growing areas, according to those in the know).
Finally, we shared a fulfilling dessert of American cranberry tart (£2.50) with the wholesome goodness of thick, buttery pastry and the lush, bitter-sweet tang of the cranberries. Washed down with a superb Cappuccino (£1.85), the meal ended on a (caffeine) high.
Edin’s offers a welcome hangout throughout the day and evening. With the espresso machine firing up at 8am, and the last glass of wine poured at 11pm, it’s that kind of place. And that means a diverse range of punters, too. From creatives discussing projects over 9am lattes to stylish shoppers nipping in for a quick lunch, or diners before (or after) the latest Brazilian blockbuster across the road at Broadway, Edin’s fills a niche in the market. Although Rosy Lee’s Tea Room next door looks like an interesting prospect, too.
There’s also a genuinely continental feel here and it’s an intangible quality. Perhaps Edin himself just has knack for creating it. Or the fact that we heard both Italian and Spanish (and Texan) spoken around the small dining room makes it feel like the real deal. Add in the free Wi-Fi and the daily papers to flick through and you’ve got a café that’s a cut above.
Although the dining room wasn’t particularly busy on our visit, the front café section was rammed, perhaps because it’s not immediately obvious that there’s more room at the back. Word of mouth recommendation should sort that out, though.
Thanks to Edin’s, you may not feel the need to get that train to St Pancras for the Eurostar. The quintessential continental café has come to us instead. David Sandhu
Edin’s Deli Café, 15 Broad Street, Nottingham. Tel: 0115 924 1112. Open daily from 8am to 11pm.
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