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November 29, 2013
[Enjoy Cafe Bistro has a bright and fresh new look][1]
Enjoy Cafe Bistro has a bright and fresh new look

Along with his wife Manuella, Sebo Brestovca owns and runs Enjoy Cafe Bistro on the Great Western Road. The business first opened seven years ago and rapidly gained a reputation as a great neighbourhood coffee shop. In July, Enjoy Cafe shut down for a complete refurbishment. It re-launched in August as a bistro and cafe with a hot food and alcohol licence.

A very recent addition to 5pm, Enjoy Cafe Bistro’s new incarnation seems to be winning plenty of new fans as well as seeing lots of old customers returning. It’s a little early for Enjoy Cafe Bistro to have built up many customer reviews on 5pm but look at, say, TripAdvisor and it’s easy to see how popular the new venture is. At the time of writing, it is ranked as the Number One restaurant in Glasgow.

What crops up time and time again in reviews is the warm welcome and friendly ambience in Enjoy. The secret to happy customers? ‘We listen to them,’ says Sebo.

5pm: What prompted the change from cafe to bistro?

Sebo Brestovca: When we were open as a coffee shop, we found that we were selling more food than coffee. So, we closed for two months and did a big refurbishment. My wife, Manuella, used to work as an architect so she designed the new look. This is an old building so we wanted to keep that period character but update the feel.

Now we are open from 9am for coffee, breakfast, lunch and so on but also offer evening meals. It took a while to get all the building permits and licences but now we have a hot food licence, outdoor licence and can serve alcohol.

5pm: Can you describe the food at Enjoy Cafe Bistro?

SB: Essentially, the food is Mediterranean or modern European. We have lots of dishes from pretty much all the Med countries. For example, we have a king crab, chilli and rocket linguine; a Provencal daube and a Puy lentil and quinoa pilaff on the daytime menu at the moment.

We try and provide the best quality food that we can and buy locally. Our meat is from Andrew Reid butchers a couple of doors down. Our fruit and veg is from Roots and Fruits.

5pm: Is there one dish which stands out as the most popular?

SB: There isn’t really one most popular dish. The most popular thing on the menu is the three small plates offer. It’s £7.50 for three tapas portions. People like the variety. We have around a dozen dishes available for the three small plates on any given day. People can come back two or three times a week and have different dishes or work their way through everything. There are meat options, fish choices, lots of vegetarian options and a good range of vegan choices as well.

[The three small plates option is popular at Enjoy Cafe Bistro][4]
The three small plates option is popular at Enjoy Cafe Bistro

5pm: Were you always in the food business?

SB: Before Enjoy, I worked as a head chef in various Glasgow restaurants such as Pulcinella. Originally, I trained as an agricultural engineer but started in the restaurant industry when we moved from Kosovo fourteen years ago.

5pm: Was running your own place always an aim?

SB: Yes, I’m fifty now. Working for someone else is not easy as you get older. Working for yourself is harder in many ways but it’s different. We live locally and have done for twelve years so we know a lot of people around here. When the site came up, it made sense to open our own place near our home.

5pm: Is there anything you would have done differently?

SB: We would have done more advertising. Word of mouth is the best way to spread news of what you are doing but it is slow. We have always had great word of mouth but it is not quick. We have shied away from advertising, perhaps because we weren’t sure about how to do it well. Sometimes, it can seem too pushy and that is not how we are. If we advertise, we want it to be honest and truthful. We try our hardest here every day and, if we did advertise, we would want to reflect that. Perhaps we have been a little old fashioned.

[The smart exterior of Enjoy Cafe Bistro on Great Western Road][5]
The smart exterior of Enjoy Cafe Bistro on Great Western Road

5pm: What would you say has been the key to getting where you are?

SB: We have two great chefs working for us now but, when I worked in the kitchen, I always asked every customer what they liked. Almost 99% of our customers were regulars and we got to know what they liked and what they didn’t. We would alter what we did to suit their tastes. That was my secret: always ask the customer what they like. If they want something different from what we offer then I’ll talk to the chefs and see what we can put on the menu.

5pm: What’s the best thing about running your own restaurant?

SB: Over seven years, your regular customers become your friends. When they tell you that they have enjoyed the food you prepared then you don’t feel tired anymore.

5pm: Is there a downside?

SB: It takes over a lot of your life. When we are in the shop, we talk about business. When we go home, we talk business. Pretty much every night, either Manuella is working in the restaurant or I am. We hope to get to the point where we can both take a day or even two off.

5pm: On the rare nights when you are both off, where do you like to eat?

SB: When we do go out, we often go to the Ubiquitous Chip. It’s our favourite and it’s just a couple of minutes from here.

5pm: You can get anyone in the world to cook you a meal. Who will it be?

SB: I miss my Mum’s cooking. For my tastes, her cooking was the best. She was the best.

5pm: You can invite anyone in the world to your restaurant. Who is on the guest list?

SB: Old friends and family.

[Sebo and Manuella in Enjoy before it was renovated.][6]
Sebo and Manuella in Enjoy before it was renovated.