Enticing eating
Alan Jones gets all organic in Entrading café with a menu which is ethical, imaginative and delicious
ituated in the heart of the busy business
district of (ilasgow is a cafe and shop
that some might find a bit of a surprise. lintrading is a combined high street eco-store and cafe. Like the retail trade. drinking and eating in our city centres have become overly homogenised by chain coffee houses. pubs and restaurants. It is therefore very refreshing to walk into a city cafe and store which is pretty unique in concept. The principle is to reduce the environmental impact. in the products it sells and how it sells it. liven the yearly carbon footprint of the business has been calculated.
No corporate tasting coffee here or fake bonhomie. lintrading , the ‘lin‘ is for environment - offers vegetarian and vegan food without an Afghan coat in sight. ()ften such cafés can be run in the spirit of a I‘)7()s hippy commune. where an element of suffering is a part of the vegetarian experience. Worthiness takes pride of place on the menu and cardboard tasting food is passed off as cuisine. Not so in lin-trading. Interested and engaging staff chat over the counter as the food is freshly prepared and then brought to the table. Lamentably. table service in caf'es is becoming an endangered part of cafe experience.
The decoration is spotlessly clean and stylish. whilst coloured blinds and lampshades add a bit of vibrancy. (ilass top tables and designer chairs sit within stark white walls with a projector beaming ever-changing images of landscapes. rainbows and seascapes reminding you that while you are tucking in. you are also doing your bit to help save the liarth.
There is a pile of magazines to encourage you to linger and enjoy the fare. You can flick your way through a National Geographic as you tuck into one of the soups on offer. The spicy peanut soup was satisfyingly thick and included a good mix of vegetables: corn. celery and peppers all combined to make an enticing broth. It comes served with fabulous bread. from Trusty (‘rust organic bakery brought all the way over from liast l.othian. lnhouse baking. chunky
THERE AREN'T MANY PLACES YOU CAN GET BOTH A HEMP T SHIRT AND A GREAT LUNCH
sandwiches. baps and paninis are on offer whilst for the bigger appetite there is the platter. You can choose four items from the menu and combine them with a bap: warmed piquant falafel. cold pasta salad with sun dried tomatoes. green salad and crunchy coleslaw.
An all day breakfast is also on the menu with tempeh rashers made from soya beans. Tempeh has a limit texture. sometimes a little chewy but pleasant in flavour that is quite mild. ‘nutty’ and
ENTRADING
88 West Regent Street, Glasgow
0141 332 2424, www.entrading.co.uk
A cafe with a clean conscience. and an appetising menu. Takeaway and off-license available. Eco-shop sells kitchen and
household goods. Open Mon—Sat 10am—6pm.
slightly tangy. nothing tastes quite like it.
lintrading allows a one stop easy choice for consumers who crave a very light carbon footprint. There are not many places where you can pick up a hemp t—shirt. unbleached baking cups. recycled aluminum foil and have. a great lunch at the same time. Being climate conscious never tasted so good.
GREEN YOUR EATS - ETHICALLY MINDED CAFE's
Calla Angels
24-27 Brandon Terrace, Edinburgh, www.coffee-angel.co.uk
A new arrival to Canonmills that's locally owned but comes with the branding and feel of a big slick chain. The coffee served is triple certified: organic. Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance. while most of the Suki range of loose leaf teas are also organic. Tea and coffee delivery service also available.
10 THE LIST 5—19 Feb 2009
We
57 Bank Street, Glasgow, www.bolshieclothing.com
A Kelvinbridge shop selling organic, fairly traded and sustainable clothes. with a funky wee coffee bar sewing Tapa's coffee (specially blended in Dennistoun) as well as loaves from the Trusty Crust artisan bakery in East Lothian — both of which are organic businesses.
Em Shed
19 St Leonard's Lane, Edinburgh, www.engineshed.org.uk
Excellent organic lunches and snacks prepared on- Site in the unfussy upper-floor cafe of a former railway shed that now operates as a training centre for adults with learning disabilities. With workshops nearby producing both bread and tofu for the cafe and wider distribution.