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Cafe Morello |
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| A friendly face in the centre of the fine city of Norwich | ||||
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Cafe Culture - August to December 2010 |
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| Savoury Menu
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September 22nd It is almost officially Autumn and at the Cafe we have put soup back on the menu this week, due to popular demand. So what's happened? You guessed it! It's been the best, sunniest, hottest days of September so far. Perhaps I should have started soup at the beginning of August!! It's been lovely today and so warm in the yard that many customers wanted to sit in the sun. The flowers in the yard are still looking really good so it's a very pleasant place to rest after a busy shopping day in the City. The busy Lizzies I planted this year were very slow to get going but they have really come on well now and the hanging basket sufina have also got their second wind. This causes its own problems though because the winter pansies are now in and really need to go in the baskets but I can't bring myself to remove flowers that are looking so good. I have planted up a few containers so have brought some into the yard and some I will keep at home until they can be brought in. So I am hopeful that the yard will look good deep into winter. Although the large majority of our customers are regular and come to see us frequently, some come much less frequently or maybe have a break, but this week we have had several who have come back after a while away and it's so nice when this happens and I think we surprise some by remembering them. Then there are the holiday makers who only come once a year but still come back to see us. It was particularly good to see Jodie Richter, from the States who was back for a visit to the UK. The last time she was here with her sons Noah and Isaiah and there is a picture of them in our customer section. This time the boys had not come but their mum brought some pictures of them and I was amazed by how much they had grown. Its lovely when our customers take the trouble to come back and see us and its an affirmation that the homely, friendly atmosphere we try so hard to maintain brings many rewards.
I can't finish without mentioning my surprise
birthday present which Pam and my girls gave me this year. A 24 hire of a
Harley Davidson and as you will see from the pictures I had a great time. The
bike was, for the bikers out Just click on the photos to increase their size.
See you in the Cafe, 23rd
October Isn’t winter fast
approaching? With all this wet stuff and high winds. But isn’t it all
the more welcome when the sun does break out and I think I appreciate
those clear blue skies all the more because they are less frequent at
this time of year. I hope you will come
and see us this school holiday week. We have some lovely warming, home
made soup, and I have even done a lovely Pumpkin one for later in the
week which has Spinach and garden peas included and it is soooooooooooo
tasty!!!. We have decorated the Cafe with Halloween creepy crawlies,
that will also include the staff as Friday and Saturday approach!! will
have special cakes on offer with disgusting looking icings and of course
sweeties for the youngsters, (If they dare dip their hands into the
special bowl), guarded by a very possessive skeleton!!!!! So we hope you will
come and see us and have some fun too. We have just started a
new young lady called Danielle who will be working over the holiday so
be sure to say hello and make her feel at home. The recent frosts are
seeing off the last of the ‘busy lizzies’ Some are hanging in there
and I have left them up so we can enjoy their last show of colour. They
are such good value, having flowered since May right thru the summer,
non stop. I have been planting winter pansies as replacement so
the yard will not be completely without colour this winter. So I thank you once
again for your continued loyalty to our little Cafe, we never forget
that you, our customers, are the most important part of the equation
that makes Cafe Morello the success that it is. And we look forward to
seeing you in the near future. Steven 30th
November. As we get ready to
welcome in the festive season of December the Cafe trade has kicked up a
gear with shoppers out looking for those essential presents. This means,
particularly over the main lunchtime period, we are getting very busy
and the pressure on tables becomes a challenge.! We thank all our lovely
customers who understand and realise that sharing tables is the norm
with us, as there are only 9 tables inside. I know this is sometimes,
not comfortable, for us generally reserved ‘British’ types, but you
know it FUN! It opens up whole new areas of conversation and the
Cafe often buzzes with the sound of strangers getting to know one
another. Of course its not compulsory to talk to those you are sharing
the table with but if you don’t, you are missing out on an interesting
social opportunity. Also we have noticed
that the pressure of busy shops, hectic schedules and cold weather has
affected the humour of some of our customers, particularly if they have
never visited us before and they find it hard to adjust to our friendly,
welcoming attitude. They may not know, at first, that it’s not
‘false’, we are actually having a good time and we love to see lots
of customers and we are always like this. It’s what makes us
‘different’ and why people come back. So when you come in feeling
harassed, be ready for a mood change!! November has certainly
been a hard month with lots of rain and now all this snow. Fortunately,
it does not seem so bad ,so far, in our area and we have continued to
stay open as normal and the city has remained busy with shoppers. But we
are aware this could change at any time. Our Sunday opening has been a
success as we have just done our 2nd one and customers are
taking the time to come and see us and take a break from their busy
shopping. Pam and I were in on
Friday night for 4 hours putting up the Christmas decorations, so we
hope you enjoy the atmosphere we have created. We do not have
‘carols’ playing or any type of background music .Many years ago we
did have music but the licences got too expensive so we stopped it and
it was one of the best things we ever did. Our customers appreciate the
absence of musak. We live in a world so full of sound it’s nice to
have a place of quiet....BUT don’t expect that in Morellos!! When we
are busy the room gets so noisy with the sounds of numerous
conversations and it sounds corny I know, but ‘that’s music to our
ears’. Its the sound of satisfied customers, having lively
conversations, in a relaxed atmosphere. What better endorsement can
there be that we are getting things right? So as December is
nearly on us I will take the opportunity, on behalf of Pam, all our
staff and myself, in wishing you a very ‘Happy Christmas’!!!! God Bless, Steven and Pam
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Cafe Morello: 2-3 Orford Yard, Red Lion Street (opposite Debenhams), Norwich, NR1 3TB. Telephone 01603 764441 |
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