The owners of The Cheesy Toast Shack in St Andrews have ventured from the east to the west side of the town’s beach to open their new café Dook.
Located at West Sands, Sam Larg and his wife Kate Carter-Larg, will serve up massive stuffed deli sandwiches, alongside a handful of other goods to hungry customers in the area.
Teaming up with Sam’s brother, Robbie Larg, the trio have given a new lease of life to the former Links Trust cafe which has been closed for the past two years due to the pandemic.
They are renting the premises from the trust and hope to entice more people to West Sands where they will not be to pick up coffee and cake or a lunchtime feast while out walking.
Sam was interested in diversifying and wanted to bring something new to the area following the success of their first venture, The Cheesy Toast Shack.
He wanted to move away from only offering one product – cheese toasties – and give those in St Andrews a new venue to enjoy.
Stuffed deli sandwiches at Dook in St Andrews
The takeaway style cafe boasts a changing menu, serving up sandwiches, ice cream, home bakes and more.
Centering the cafe’s offering around good quality stuffed cold sandwiches and speciality coffee, Kate says that Dook will be open seven days a week from 9am to 5pm.
“It is a great place for people to grab breakfast and lunch. We love St Andrews and we thought it would be a missed opportunity,” she added.
There will be a range of breakfast options including breakfast burritos, bacon rolls, sausage baps and overnight oats.
And for lunch, those visiting can grab sandwiches for £5.50 each on-the-go.
Options to date have seen roast beef and horseradish, roast ham and cheese, goats cheese, fig and onion chutney, and pastrami and Emmental grace the menu.
The offering will change regularly, ensuring customers have a wide choice available to try out.
Supporting local
Kate is hopeful the café will build a community similar to The Cheesy Toast Shack with the eatery using as many local suppliers.
She said: “After the pandemic we need to support local businesses.”
The team recently teamed up with Jamie Scott’s The Newport Bakery at their toastie shack and as a result of the popularity, the cafe will also offer their baked goods.
Dook will have bakes from Dundee firm Curations Dundee available to purchase as well.
Child and dog-friendly ice cream
Having had two children since opening The Cheesy Toast Shack in 2016, Sam and Kate also saw the venture as a way of providing options to families who visit the beach with their children.
The area is also a popular location for dog walkers and so it was important to the business owners that they had something available for family pets.
Kate added: “You are always trying to get kids out so the ice cream is a way of enticing families to come to the beach.
“People love to get a treat for their pet and it’s such a popular location for dog walkers. They love them as much as their children so they can get them a treat too.”
Takeaway and outdoor seating
Due to the pandemic, the owners have decided to only have seating available outside.
Kate said: “We still wanted to be mindful of the Covid-19 situation. I think people are a lot more cautious about being seated next to others and being in close contact with others.
“Although there is space in the café, it is not huge. So people can come in to order and get their food, but there won’t be any seating within the café.”
The firm has plans to host pop-up evenings and experiences in the coming months, and has toyed with the idea of putting up an outdoor marquee once the colder months arrive.
