In spitting distance of the gothic spendour of the Minster
is a small café with its own unique personality (It is also on top of the Roman
forum basilica complex that developed into the earliest churches……ok shut up
Rosie, blog on food not archaeology……) There is something about this café with
its crowd of very obvious tourists, determined regulars and people who go to
York to shop for Christmas presents (like me), that makes me happy.
This cave like little café not only has tables that
are made from singer sewing machine tables it is also papered with old sheet
music….even the toilets. It has ambient jazz music playing in the background
which leads to a very pleasant and quirky atmosphere.
It has a relatively small menu that has a selection
of soups and sandwiches. These are all freshly made on site. I had a very juicy
tomato soup with a side order of hummus and pitta bread and olives. There is a relatively
small selection of vegetarian food; even the tomato soup was on the menu with
pesto and parmesan cheese; however the staff were very accommodating and I just
asked for the soup without the cheese. There were also cheese sandwiches and a vegetarian
mezze available. I drank a ginger and lemongrass drink which was very unusual: refreshing
and tasty.
The staff were very friendly and obviously enjoyed
talking to the customers. One of the best things about the café is the people
watching as it appeared to attract a number of characters. It is very family friendly
with a number of people with babies in the café. All in all it was a very
enjoyable experience and I will definitely visit again. However it becomes very
busy at peak times so be prepared to wait for a table.
http://www.cafeconcerto.biz/page2.htm
