A familiar face in a new setting
One pleasing aspect of Edinburgh’s specialty coffee scene is the way certain characters reappear in different guises. Lae, the man behind Bedrock at the Grassmarket end of West Port, is one such figure.
Originally from Luang Prabang in Laos, he polished his craft at Peter’s Yard and Söderberg, before deepening his understanding of coffee at Williams and Johnson in Leith. I last saw Lae enjoying the afternoon sunshine after his final shift at Longshot, the Pitt’s excellent coffee bar he had set up and managed.
Now he has moved on, working alongside Todd Johnson, one of the founders of Williams and Johnson in Leith, to create the highly promising Bedrock, which opened in May.
We did everything apart from the electrics
The two spent over three weeks preparing the space themselves. “We did everything apart from the electrics; that’s not something an amateur should do!” Lae explains. They have done a good job of it.
The interior is warm and inviting, with yellows, terracotta and natural wood giving the place a settled, comfortable feel. Bits of artwork add a splash of colour and intrigue. On a sunny afternoon it was pleasantly quiet, as I looked across the road to The West Port and Geddes Garden. “A garden in a city centre!” was Lae’s surprised reaction to this ‘green oasis of mixed woodland, herbaceous beds, vegetable boxes and wild area’. Then a rush of customers changed the mood entirely.
Bedrock is primarily a takeaway, but a handful of seats line the edges, enough to rest for a few minutes with a good cup. Given how close it sits to the Grassmarket and a cluster of Fringe venues, it will see very high custom as August approaches. Lae is already prepared, with a team of three capable baristas well settled in and the coffee machine well calibrated. The early starts at the Pitt, particularly on cold winter mornings, had started to wear on him. Now he can walk to work along the Cowgate, away from the sharp coastal winds that blow in off the Forth.
Nice coffee machine !
One of the most noticed features of Bedrock is the coffee machine. It’s a retro-style La Marzocco with long lever handles that catch the eye from the street. While I was chatting to Lae, a passing enthusiast put his head around the door purely to say “nice coffee machine!” It is not just decorative. The machine produces high pressure, up to 12 bar, and excellent consistency.
The espresso I was served flowed out of the portafilter in a satisfying way. The coffee was Faustin Ribarimana, a Rwandan single origin from Williams and Johnson, with tasting notes of cherry, red liquorice and almond.
Also on offer was a Peanut Butter and Jelly espresso. One customer, accustomed to high standards in Australia, remarked on the “Melbourne quality” of what he was served, admitting that Australians tend to be fairly particular about their coffee.
Loyal to local roasters
Lae plans to rotate the coffees, drawing mainly from Williams and Johnson’s range, proudly roasted in Leith, but also from other Edinburgh-based roasters. These include the highly regarded Obadiah in Abbeyhill and Carter, a newcomer based in Bonnington. Carter coffee is starting to appear around the city, and clearly making a mark. “I am sticking to local roasters,” Lae says, “places I have a personal connection with, and can visit.” The whisky-flavoured coffee is also selling well.
For visitors, a tin of whisky coffee beans makes a fine gift. Alongside espresso-based drinks, Lae is among the growing number of baristas who promote batch brew as one of the better ways to get at the deeper subtleties of coffee. He had just run out when I arrived, which speaks to a growing demand for that style. As high summer approaches, the food offering is growing too, with grilled sandwiches and Asian variants now on the menu.
On that sunny afternoon, a couple served just after me left the shop with their cups. One turned to the other as they headed towards the Vennel: “Oh, that’s excellent.” As well as tourists, Bedrock has quickly built up a group of regulars. Office workers from nearby businesses come in regularly, and a couple of worker from a nearby hotel are apparently not satisfied with the coffee on offer where they work!
When I suggest that this part of the city is becoming fairly competitive, with the Source, Hawker and Lovecrumbs all close by, Lae sees things differently. He views them not as rivals but as part of the same community.
Several of these neighbouring places helped him out in practical ways during his early weeks, and he feels there is plenty of custom to go around. The different places also serve different styles. The Source is well known for its forward-thinking approach and its “super funky” coffees, which are not always what every customer wants.
Bedrock sits in a different place: approachable and easy-going, but with a genuine seriousness about the coffee it serves. That seriousness sets it apart from the many tourist-oriented places nearby, which generally lack a true commitment to coffee.
Bedrock Coffee, at the Grassmarket end of West Port, already has solid foundations.
Bedrock Coffee, 13 West Port, Edinburgh, EH1 2JA
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