Wednesday 2 March 2011

A review of Jam Cafe


12 Heathcote St, Nottingham, NG1 3AA

Returning from Australia fully versed in the attributes of Melbourne cafe culture, I found myself eager to seek out a replica breakfast-eating, coffee-drinking experience in my University hometown of Nottingham. A place which would fit into the everyday furniture of my life would be hard to find, or so I thought.

Picking up a copy of Impact, the uni’s surprisingly insightful student magazine, I found Jam Cafe featured as ‘Cafe of the month’. I soon worked up the courage to explore the rain-soaked, warren-like streets of Nottingham’s Lace Market, and managed to find Jam Cafe relatively easily.

Although marketed as an art/music/film cafe, Jam Cafe is nowhere near as pretentious as its image might suggest to the unaccustomed punter. Playing a sound track that could easily have been lifted from my own Ipod, I felt immediately at home slipping into a chair, being greeted by the friendly staff and offered a well needed menu. Familiar films playing on a screen at the back of the cafe, you can easily while away a few hours here alone without feeling like a lemon/plum/other suitably lonesome fruit. 

On opening the menu I was pleasantly surprised - great value for money, 10% student discount and loads of choice for any time of day. Homemade baked beans, dippy eggs with soldiers, salads, soups, sandwiches and a selection of hot pots can usually be found on the menu as well as more experimental dishes such as curried haddock... 

Jam cafe is probably my favourite cafe in Nottingham. I say probably because there are so many amazing ones in the city it makes it rather hard to choose. But Jam Cafe wins on its versatility alone, setting itself apart by covering all bases – quirky style, a great selection of fresh teas and coffee, a varied savoury menu as well as amazing cakes. This, along with the fact that it’s open in the evening with alcohol served and live music makes Jam Cafe almost too good to be true. 

Check out their website, Facebook and Twitter.

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