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The Omnivore
The column for those who like to swing both ways… foodwise
San Co.Co in Leeds’ city centre has the feel of a neighbourhood cafe in an area awash with Costas, Caffé Neros, and Starbucks. What sets it apart from the others is that they make bloody good food delivered with a smile. Simple as that.
The caff sits at the top of New Briggate, detached enough that one feels as if one has found a little, hidden gem, but also close to Trinity Leeds shopping centre’s hustle bustle.
San Co.Co (peculiar name whose origin I never got to the bottom of) specialises in breakfast and that turn-of-the-century urban invention called “brunch”. We were after belly-filling fare that would set us up for the rest of the day. San Co.Co came up with the goods.
There’s only one dish I want for breakfast when I eat at a place with a Middle Eastern vibe: shakshuka.
If you want a dose of history and culture on a plate, then, eat some shakshuka. This breakfast staple emigrated from North Africa to Israel with Maghreb Jews. It is usually cooked in a cast iron skillet (I don’t know if ours was as we were seated upstairs), and it consists of poached eggs sitting atop a rich sauce of tomatoes and vegetables. Ours came…
