The Clock

Having been out for a long «training walk» last year in preparation for the Big Mountain, I found a spot in The Clock Café in the hopes of quieting my grumbling, breakfast-​less belly.
As I perused the menu, I noticed that when locals came in, orders would go straight to them — this was clearly a place where the locals returned and the staff took notice.
When a young mother came in with a pram, said locals cooed over the baby, to which she exclaimed «He’s the Prince of Morningside!» and they all filled the place with friendly noise.
They had to compete with an Italian crooner: the soundtrack from discarded 1940s vinyl salvaged from opera but not pop as we know it.
It works well with the eclectic décor — free form wood tables and chairs, a few clocks, art that is both for sale and for decoration, and a large downstairs area filled with curiosities. It was like a global village without any forced ethnicity… tiny sections of Turkey, Brazil, Scotland, Australia, North American Indian… pieces of each thrown together, as though someone had rolled a chest full of memories and then opened it as a café.
Breakfast was so huge I couldn’t finish it. The omelette left little room for any of the other accompaniments and the toast had to have its own plate. Not haute cuisine but it is what it says on the menu.
The selection of cakes and pastries, however, looked amazing and completely unnecessary after breakfast. Given they have a good standard of latte, I’ll be back to check out how the locals are doing, and how fresh that baklava is…
Overall, it’s a comfortingly strange mix but it seems the point of the Clock Café is that time stops, just for a little bit.

A full restaurant or café is always a good sign. In fact, there’s nothing more awkward that eating in an empty restaurant. When I walked past The Clock at the bottom end of Morningside Road it was overflowing with customers. So I thought I better check it out.
It’s an amiable place. The walls are decorated with local artists’ work (for sale) and the furniture is mis-​matched, which adds an element of charm. The menu is unpretentious, offering sandwiches, paninis, breakfasts, omelettes and the like. I just had a coffee, which was OK, no better.
The only thing that let this place down was the service. The staff were a bit short (in temperament, not height) and, juxtaposing the pleasant décor, made the place feel a bit cold. Still, the lady next to me loved her baked potato, so maybe I’ll go back and try one someday.