oh CRUMBS
This month’s Café Profile spills the beans on Cardiff’s original vegetarian haven Words: Sophie Jones | Photo: Sophia Epstein
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estled in the middle of the Morgan Arcade is a piece of Cardiff history you wouldn’t expect to find. Crumbs Kitchen has been feeding hungry vegetarians for over 40 years and their chunky wooden salad bowls take you back to a time when hair was long, love was free and wholesome living was all the rage. The café is known for its meat-free menu, which also caters to dairy and gluten intolerant customers. With excellent coffee and a gorgeous setting in the historic Morgan Arcade, it’s no wonder the place has such a dedicated following. Paul Cobley and his brother Ron took over management of Crumbs two years ago. Since then the café has been reborn. “We are more popular than ever before,” says Paul,
“Come Saturday, there is a queue out of the door and right down the arcade.” Swansea born Paul has a varied background that’s as mixed and exotic as his famous salads. Five years catering aboard the luxury cruise ship The QE2 preceded a stint in the running of an independent health food shop. Like so many others, Paul remembers coming to Crumbs with his father as a kid. Those memories brought him back time and again until, one day, he saw his opportunity. “As soon as I saw it was up for sale, I leapt at the chance,” he recalls. Crumbs’s famous salad recipes have been preserved, but Paul brought
his own expertise to the hot food and cakes. He also redesigned the space in Crumbs. Pale eggshell walls, light wooden furniture and warm lighting now give the café’s cosy, wholesome vibe a matching aesthetic. The brothers have since opened a Crumbs Kitchen in Swansea, but their Cardiff base remains the original haven for wholesome veggie cuisine.
“Have you tried the gluten free cakes?”
asks Paul, proudly. “They’re delicious!”