When wandering around Arbroath, Webmor’s is not easy to stumble upon. Visitors may be drawn to the cafés and restaurants around the harbour and even when walking through town, this newly occupied coffee shop is set back down an alley from the high street.
We went along this week to see what the new owners have created in their little oasis.
The alleyway itself looks really pretty with potted flowers lining the pathway and displayed on the steps. This really goes a long way to mould people’s impressions and I immediately thought I was going into a bright and cheery place.
As Webmor’s used to be a restaurant, the entrance seems rather grand with a large vestibule hall, which is also where the loos are located. Customers walk through another door to actually enter the café itself but once inside, the decor is really lovely.
A comfy sofa is available as well as lots of simple tables and chairs but my eyes were instantly drawn upwards towards the mezzanine seating area surrounding an impressive double height ceiling. Although this could leave the cute space feeling rather vacuous when not full to capacity, fairly lights have been stretched horizontally to form a sort of false ceiling which not only makes everything feel more cosy but is a really pretty feature.
There is a lot to see when seated. Not only are the cakes of the day displayed on the traditional counter but there are shelves full of cute items for sale such as Harris Tweed handbags and artisan jewellery. There is also a little corner with a bean bag and toys for children, which is a lovely idea and makes families feel very welcome.
The menu is very much a classic café affair with hot and cold filled rolls, paninis and cakes as well as breakfast items and pancakes available all day. Although there was nothing particularly new or different about the menu, good, traditional food made well is not to be sniffed at.
The soup of the day was lentil and sweet chilli, which sounded intriguing, and soon a steaming bowl arrived with fresh bread. The smooth, homemade blend was exactly as described and had the familiarity of a good lentil soup but with a sweet kick.
We had also ordered a panini described as a “pizza panini”. It was served with a salad garnish, potato salad and crisps making this a hearty lunch and the flavour combination of chicken, pasta, pepperoni, mozzarella and oregano sounded promising.
Unfortunately, although seemingly toasted on the outside, the sandwich was stone cold in the middle, with the cheese barely softened. I have no doubt that had we mentioned this, it would have been rectified immediately but we were slightly put off and decided to over-order on the cake instead. Other classic options had included coronation chicken, egg and watercress and roast beef with red onion marmalade and other tables did seem pleased with their choices.
As I am rather partial to a gin and tonic, I couldn’t resist ordering the sponge with the same name. Although I knew that it could never taste exactly like the drink, this cake did have a really lovely bittersweet flavour. It was lemony with a crusty sugar drizzle and had really pleasant bitter tones through the sponge too.
We also ordered the smiddy loaf as I had never heard of it before. What arrived was a dark fruit-flecked slice served with butter and reminded me of the tea bread my grandma makes. The sultanas kept things very moist and it was not overly sweet which is why the butter complemented it so deliciously.
Although the first two slices of cake were nice, the third blew both of them out of the water. The courgette, cocoa and walnut bake was outstanding. It had the moistness and texture of a good sticky carrot cake but with an earthiness of the cocoa and nuts. The subtle frosting added a little kick of sugar as, again, I was pleased that the cake itself wasn’t overly sickly. I will absolutely be searching for the recipe as this is certain to be a crowdpleaser.
Webmor’s are proud of their vast selection of teas and on the day we visited, they were offering a peach lemonade iced tea which they had blended with their preferred brand of Tea Pigs tea. What I really liked about this drink was the little extra touches of a ripe strawberry and fizzy peachy sweetie perched on the straw as it was presented. It is thoughtful touches like this that people will remember and will have customers returning.
As well as cute presentation, the staff could not have been lovelier, not only with their welcome but their chat, their regular checking to see if we were OK and their cheery disposition in general. This will also provide a fabulous foundation for building relationships with regular customers.
Webmor’s is still very new and is perhaps still finding its feet but they are hard at work creating an atmosphere and a theme of good classic food and drink and a welcome-all attitude. They clearly care about their customers and I really hope they continue to draw people down their pretty alleyway.
Info
Price: Soup: £3.50; sandwiches and other light lunches: £4.40 – £8.75
Value: 8/10
Menu: 6/10
Atmosphere: 8/10
Service: 9/10
Food: 7/10
Total: 38/50
Info: Webmor’s
Address: 66 High Street, Arbroath, Angus, DD11 1AW
Tel: 01241 873987
