27 May 2023
James Cameron grabs a sandwich in the French Row eatery…
The confusingly named Co. Natur (Company Natur?) is a delightful looking delicatessen on French Row. It bursts out onto the narrow strip, a floral oasis of peace and calm in a busy culinary thoroughfare. The garden theme continues inside, with trailing strands of pink flowers hanging down over a beehive themed floor. There are even a few gnomes hiding around the place if you look hard enough. The whole effect is of a pleasant summer afternoon lazing around in the sunshine.
There is a clear emphasis on natural and fresh ingredients at Co. Natur (Colonel Natur?),
which makes the shortage of vegetarian and vegan options slightly surprising. There were only three vegetarian meals on offer, two of which could be made vegan, but the staff were very helpful in coming up with a suitably substantial offering.
My vegan companion ended up with tomatoes, mushrooms and avocado on a muffin, with a side ordering of salad and beans. The vegetables were perfectly seasoned, which really brought out the flavour of the avocado and mushrooms, and the tomatoes were nicely dressed with seeds. The overall impression was of fresh flavours bursting out.
My choice had to be the Salt Beef sandwich on rustic sourdough, and I was patting myself on the back when it arrived. Massive slabs of juicy meat were barely contained by substantial wedges of bread, slathered in mustard, cheese and gherkins. I had to reconstruct the sandwich half-way through eating as the contents were spilling out, and the fantastic flavours lingered long past the last bite.
The drinks menu is long and varied, and I went for a pleasant Iced Spiced Chai, though it could perhaps have been a trifle more iced. If you are in the mood for afternoon tea rather than lunch they have you covered, with some very tempting looking cakes including a couple of vegan offerings.
With most mains costing over ten pounds the pricing is not super cheap, but then where is these days?
Co. Natur (Carbon Monoxide Natur?) is a great place to have a catch up, it’s quiet and unhurried and you could easily see the hours slip away. The music was chilled, but the slow pace seemed to influence the service. There seems to be an inverse and counter-intuitive relationship between how busy an establishment is and how long you will be waiting for your order.
However, if you embrace the relaxed pace of Co. Natur (and keep an eye out for low-hanging light bulbs) you may find yourself in a state of bliss from their nourishing and calming atmosphere.
