The Edinburgh Reporter January 2021

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk BUSINESS 15
Le Petit Café - a little touch of Paris
Owners of Le Petit Café Mathias and Marion Briard
by Phyllis Stephen
Mathias and Marion Briard were
our models for the front cover of
our December edition.
I visited them at their café with
some copies of the December
paper which they are now sending
to family back in France.
The Briards came to Scotland
on holiday and fell in love with the
country. They had thought of opening
a café in Perth where they liked
the countryside, but decided it
was a better move to come to the
capital where there was more of
a buzz and a ready-made French
community.
Mathias has worked in the
restaurant business for over a
decade, owning a restaurant in
Normandy. They decided to open
a café in Scotland and live here.
Now Le Petit Café is open Monday
to Sunday 9am to 6pm offering
delicious freshly squeezed orange
House builder CALA has reported
high demand for the houses at its
Waterfront Plaza Development
in Leith. The homes are based
on a reinvention of Edinburgh’s
colonies and it appears that the
expansion of the tram route to Newhaven
is having a positive impact
on sales.
juice, coffee roasted in Kinross by
Unorthodox Coffee and macarons
from La Macaronnerie.
The lovely surroundings with a
chic décor and chandeliers are
only surpassed by the specialities
on their menu which change
monthly. Their main offering is the
French pizza - the galette - which
is a pancake with savoury toppings.
And they can also step in to
fill the gap left by any ski holidays
this year by serving you the sweet
crêpes you might otherwise miss.
After the success of the TV
series, they offered the "Emily in
Paris" breakfast for a while - and
struck gold as it was not only
popular with their customers,
but it also came to the notice of
the show's actors and costume
designer through Instagram. Don't
worry - they plan to bring it back
and there will be special celebrations
in February too for Valentine's
Day.
Leith homes on track
All 21 colony apartments were
sold in less than six months,
though there are still some townhouses
and apartments available
with all sizes from one to four bedrooms
on offer. Buyers have said
that the appeal of having a tram at
Ocean Terminal is a major factor.
The trams extension has put Waterfront Plaza on track
With a staff of three in the
kitchen plus themselves and a
waitress at weekends, they pride
themselves on recruiting the right
people and also training. All those
who work in Le Petit Café are
multi-skilled, and Mathias is just
as likely to prepare an omelette for
you in the kitchen as well as greet
you at front of house.
Marion studied communications
and worked in a perfumier
before the couple came to live
in Scotland. She now runs the
social media accounts where the
little piece of La Belle France is
fast coming to the attention of
Edinburgh foodies. If you become
a customer you are likely to go
back - and to encourage you to do
so there is a loyalty card scheme.
Their prices are determinedly
affordable, and the location next
to the Edinburgh International
Conference Centre is right in the
centre of the capital's business
district. And as a throwback to her
involvement in perfume the café
has its own scent - with a hint of
coffee. Ask to try it when you visit
the Morrison Street shop.
While some people may not wish
to go out, there is always Deliveroo
who will deliver the crêpes,
including gluten free varieties,
but you will be entranced by the
sophisticated atmosphere which
the couple has created.
And if you are out walking your
dog then feel free to take Fido in
for a drink of water and a treat.
This café is dog friendly too. Très
bon.
lepetitcafe-edinburgh.com
Lesley Coyle, Senior Sales Consultant
with CALA Homes (East)
based on location at Waterfront
Plaza, said: “Having the tram close
by is a big deal for buyers here and
it is referenced regularly during
early visits.
“I’ve no doubt it is playing a role
in our strong sales here. While
the pandemic has impacted our
behaviours greatly, we have buyers
who work near the airport, or need
to use the airport regularly.
“To many, they feel they can
now realistically consider Leith,
whereas before they’d have stuck
closer to their work.
“Many more are simply excited at
the evolution of this part of town,
something symbolised by the tram
extension – or having another
option that allows them to go
somewhere without the car.”
www.cala.co.uk
Bocca Bona want pizza the action
Chris Moonie (left) and Davide Scuccato
by Stephen Rafferty
A business partnership founded
on pasta and pupils had led to
the opening of a new pizzeria in
Balerno.
Chris Moonie and Davide Scuccato
both run successful Leith
businesses, but suffered the double
whammy of disruption caused
by the Edinburgh trams extension
and the coronavirus pandemic.
Davide’s La Riva restaurant in Assembly
Street provided hundreds
of lunches each week to pupils attending
Chris’s Mackenzie School
of English in nearby Constitution
Street.The arrangement was a
winner with teenage students from
Italy, Spain and Austria who made
up the bulk on the international
roll call at the successful language
and cultural school.
Following a major refurbishment
and investment, 2020 was
expected to be the school’s best
year with £2.5 million in revenue
forecast, but when Covid-19 struck
business disappeared as anxious
students remained at home in
Europe.
The economic fall-out of coronavirus
had a knock on effect on La
Riva, which was already dealing
with vastly reduced footfall due
to the ongoing tram extension
construction. But the two neighbouring
entrepreneurs decided to
combine their business and hospitality
skills to open Bocca Bono
pizzeria in Balerno’s Main Street,
filling a gap in the market.
The literal translation of Bocca
Bona is “good mouth” and it refers
to someone who enjoys good food
and appreciates quality produce.
Since it opened last month business
has been brisk and customers
are enjoying Davide’s pizza
making skills, honed in the Veneto
region of northern Italy from where
he originates.
Chris said: “La Riva had been
badly impacted by the trams
project which has been a real challenge
for many Leith businesses
and the pandemic was the topping
on the pizza which Davide could
have done without. My international
school was set up to enjoy our
most successful year in business
but that all came to a grinding halt
when the full consequences of
Covid-19 started to hit home.
“We have a good working relationship
and decided to combine
my business and marketing skills
with Davide’s food and hospitality
expertise. Our market research
showed Edinburgh is saturated
with pizzerias but there is nothing
in the Balerno area, and certainly
nothing remotely like Bocca Bona,
where each week we ship in the
highest quality fresh ingredients
direct from Italy.
“The initial signs are promising
and customers seem to appreciate
the care and effort that we put in
to sourcing traditional and authentic
ingredients. We hope that once
Bocca Bona is established that we
will open further outlets.”
Chris still hopes that in time he
will be able to reopen the language
school which was founded
in 2008. In addition to providing
English tutoring, the Mackenzie
School introduces students to
Scottish culture through visits to
leading historical and educational
attractions.
Meantime, he will launch Wee
Mack’s nursery in the same building,
catering for young children
aged from six months to preschool.
There are four large play
zones with access to an 80 sq
m play area and space available
for 70 children across four age
groups.
Wee Mack’s was created during
the Covid-19 pandemic and
therefore the nursery has been designed
to follow new government
guidelines regarding distancing,
infection control and hygiene in an
early learning setting.
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