On a wall in the Haricots Deli and Bistro is the inscription: “The place where all the cool beans, string beans, fine beans and those full of beans, can spill the beans.” This quirky quote stems from the word haricot – a kind of French bean – and it's no surprise that coffee beans also come into play to connect the bistro and deli to the adjoining New Street café, the Fre
On a wall in the Haricots Deli and Bistro is the inscription: “The place where all the cool beans, string beans, fine beans and those full of beans, can spill the beans.” This quirky quote stems from the word haricot – a kind of French bean – and it's no surprise that coffee beans also come into play to connect the bistro and deli to the adjoining New Street café, the French Quarter. Jenny Gird is the owner-manager of the popular café and has been involved in it since its opening in 2009, before taking it over completely from the previous owner, her sister, last year. The business has cultivated a strong following and even attracts “some regular customers who come in here just about every day for tea and coffee,” Gird said. A large part of her market are the local schools and the university, particularly the lecturers, she told italGrocott's Mail/ital. “I do a lot of functions for Rhodes as well as a bit of catering for the schools,” she said. Gird doesn't like to rest on her laurels though, and to grow the business she opened up the flat behind the restaurant to sell bread, cheese and fish. She also wanted to make the venue family-friendly and so has rabbits in the back yard for children to pet and play with. Her challenge is always finding something to keep the excitement going, she said. She adjusts the menu on a regular basis and brainstorms often to come up with fresh ideas, although the menu's cheesecake is a regular feature that is the café's triumph. “Oh my word, the cheesecake, she gushed. When I started here, I thought: ‘Right, I’m going to find the best cheesecake. I’m going to go through every recipe I can.” And so she did and Gird hasn’t been able to stop making it since. As the business grows, instead of employing more staff, Gird prefers to hold on to her permanent and casual staff members to rather give them more and varied work with a pay rise. Because at the moment I don’t think they are extended to their fullest,” she said. She also plans to offer them training. “I’d love to send them on sommelier courses – wine-tasting – and management courses,” Gird said. Gird has experience as a Home Economics teacher, so she taught her kitchen staff how to cook and bake. “And then it’s just really the university of life,” she said. And with her motto of quality over quantity she hasn't gone wrong yet.
