The Preservatory, Fendalton

The Preservatory, as many of you will know, has recently reopened on  Holmwood Rd, Fendalton, in a brand new building housing a florist, a Cookshop, Boulangerie and dairy. What bothers me, however, is that it may have lost its Mojo; there is a sense of despair at the seemingly unfinished fit-out of the interior, the lack of any point of difference, a sort of pervasive soullessness that leaves you wondering.

I realize that this place is now the number two location for this business, with the Preservatory’s catering now being undertaken on Sir William Pickering Drive out near the airport and, no doubt, their café a step up from what we can see in Fendalton. They are clearly not at all interested in ‘catering’ for the locals anymore and this is evidenced, in my view, by the early closing times, the lack of trading on Sunday and the minimal fare on offer. As the one and only café in the suburb of Fendalton a little more effort could have gone into this enterprise. It has about as much charm as a factory cafeteria. Even the dairy next door has invested in a grunty new espresso machine because, I suspect, so many people are disappointed to find the P closed more often than not.

For all of this you must know that it is still eminently possible to find good food and stimulating, flesh-tingling coffee a la Scala in this establishment.

A mushroom, asparagus and strawberry salad drew me in and favoured me with  cooling flavours;  a subsequent cabinet concoction, bacon & cheese panini not quite so fulfilling or in any way as inspiring. The hope is that some of the fabulous fare that the Preservatory used to have in its old store will return to tempt local palates. After all, it’s at least a 10 minute fast walk to the nearest competitor.