The signs went up in 2019 but it took a further three years for new cafe Avocado to open its doors. The pandemic delayed a makeover of a former shop and, as co-owner Yassaman Falahati, said: "We wanted it to be perfect."
The family-run healthy eating cafe in Long Eaton offers breakfasts, lunch, cakes and drinks. Some of the dishes have a Persian twist, inspired by the family's heritage.
Yassaman, a 23-year-old graduate from Nottingham Trent University, and her brother Pedro, 30, are behind the counter and in the kitchen, rustling up the kind of dishes that demonstrate healthy eating doesn't have to be boring. The morning kicks off with eggs royale, avocado on toast, omelettes, porridge, pancakes and croissants.
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For lunch salad bowls come with toppings such as feta cheese, organic eggs, saffron chicken, salmon, falafel and halloumi. For those wanting hot food, there's rice bowls with meatballs, salmon, halloumi and the best-seller saffron chicken, using the spice that's popular in Persian cooking and also gives the vibrant yellow colour to one of the cafe's desserts called shole-zard, aka saffron rice pudding.
The specials board at the Long Eaton cafe features nargesy, a dish with spinach and egg, flavoured with onion and garlic. Another Persian speciality is Caspian cotlet, a salad or sandwich, with a minced beef and potato patty.
Even though the emphasis is on healthy food, there's still room for the occasional sweet treat so homemade cakes are also on sale, but Yassaman said: "I try to keep the sugar level really low. We do banana bread and homemade fruit cake. Every couple of days we do something different."
As the name implies avocado features in a number of items - on toast, in croissants with feta and in the salad bowls. Coffee is supplied by Coffee Central in Nottingham, and, besides standard tea, the menu offers chai, herbal, green and cinnamon or, for something vitamin-packed and refreshing, smoothies are whizzed up with fruit or greens.
The cafe is located in what used to be a photographic studio on the corner of Tamworth Road and Salisbury Street next to a crossroads. A busy spot with plenty of passing traffic and pedestrians on their way into and out of town, a seat by the window makes it the perfect position for people watching.
Yassaman, who combined a degree in business and management with part-time work in the Cancer Research charity shop in West Bridgford, said: "We designed the whole place ourselves picking up ideas from our travelling. We wanted to open in 2019. We got the property and had just started when the pandemic happened. We couldn't order anything or see anything so it was postponed. Then they said cafes could do takeout but we wanted to see our customers.
"It's been a long wait but we're finally open and we are happy to be open. We didn't want to have to rush. We wanted to put our heart into it."
The corner cafe is cheerful-looking with neon signs and greenery and seating for around 14 inside, plus two tables in a shady spot outside. Pedro said: "We wanted to open something beautiful and cosy and to bring something totally different. There are so many cafes in Long Eaton but nothing like us."
Avocado will be joining platforms such as Just Eat and Uber Eats shortly, offering a three to four-mile delivery radius covering Stapleford, Toton, Sandiacre, Beeston and Chilwell.
It currently open seven days a week from 8.30am to 5.30pm but the hours could change once they've worked out the quieter times.
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