A couple hope to bring a taste of Hong Kong to Nottingham, after taking over a café. With a Hong Kong-inspired menu, they have spoken out about their ‘diverse’ customers and plans for the cafe that they run with just one other member of staff in Mapperley.
The Espresso Gallery is on 568 Woodborough Road. In January, new owners took over.
After moving to the UK from Hong Kong in 2021, Eddie Chan and Constance Yiu started to make the Espresso Gallery their own. Constance said: “We have a mix of both local customers and customers from Hong Kong.
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“Traditionally, January and February are quite slow but gradually, we’re picking up. The cafe is small and cosy, we have a garden behind the shop which isn’t being used because it’s winter but as we talk to customers, they’ll be sitting out there in the summer.”
Eddie Chan is also a photographer. He did a lot of the interior design in the café.
Constance continued: “We have a small exhibition downstairs from a Japanese artist who has visited different parts of Hong Kong. We want to bring Hong Kong here and introduce different elements.”
The café's current offerings include Hong Kong-style waffles for £6.35 and the classic frittata for £6.95. The café also sells hot drinks and has boxes of tea for sale too.
Eddie and Constance have plans to hold local photography competitions. Constance added: “Eddie has been running cafés in the Hong Kong scene for over 10 years but in 2021, the whole family moved to the UK.
“Nottingham is very quiet and there’s a good balance of convenience and space for our daughters. Hong Kong is intense and busy. We’ve come here for more space, to grow and to learn.”
Residents in Mapperley were glad to hear of the café having new owners. Jessica Fox, 31 said: “I’ve been to the Espresso Gallery a few times, it’s good to see a cafe going strong in the area.”
Jessica, a sales assistant, said . She continued and said: “It’s nice for people to know that it isn’t just Mapperley Top that has all the shops and that they can branch out too.”
Jacob Lee, a barista from Mapprely said: “It’s clearly not your average coffee shop and I always like trying new places so I’ll have to go in one day. I never knew it was there and I live in the area.”
The 25-year-old continued: “It would be nice to try something traditional from Hong Kong that I’ve never had before.”
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