A windswept brew on the seashore of Rhosneigr
With Notos being the Greek God of South Prevailing winds, a cafe by that name has a fitting existence in the Welsh town Rhosneigr, whose boundaries border an often turbulent sea on the isle of Angelsey. We visited on a stormy Saturday, thirsting for a coffee after a neighbouring parkrun.
Sitting on a hill that pours down into the sea, the town of Rhosneigr’s most frequent visitors are surfers, wakeboarders and the prevailing south winds. On the Saturday in which UK and Ireland were being raged across by Storm Kathleen we braved the gales for a parkrun in Newborough Forest before seeking shelter and coffee in the well named Cafe Notos. The small cafe, tucked between taller buildings on either side, was brimming with people when we arrived, the sounds of plates clinking and the coffee machine humming creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere as we ducked in from the wind. With walls adorned by colourful paintings and the window countertops embellished with a blue resin, the overall feeling was of a warm nautical sort as we were pointed towards the only free table by the far wall. Notos highlight this tie to the sea on their website, drawing attention to a love for the wild ocean that borders their cafe walls. With sustainability and environmental awareness as a core value, they seek to demonstrate this at every level of the business. Produce is sourced locally, a zero-waste store to stock up on bulk goods sits at the back of the shop, and a focus on eco-friendly packaging and goods ensures that their efforts are evident across the cafe and in their menu.
Coffee Jargon
The four of us were quick to get coffee orders in, opting for a mixture of flat whites and cortados. Like many cafes in North Wales, the speciality coffee roaster of choice was Heartland, a coffee that we were all familiar with. Notos serve the Landmark blend- a mix of Peruvian, Brazilian, Guatemalan and Columbian beans- which I’d tried previously in the roasters itself. On offer was also a Honduras blend and Notos seem to rotate this alternative regularly across different Heartland roasts. Our coffees were served up in beautiful blue ceramic cups made all the more enticing by a velvety looking milk. A first sip confirmed this texture, the recognisable Landmark blend proving smooth and chocolatey with a lingering nuttiness. The coffee was a little more bitter than in the Llandudno roasters and this was more noticeable in the cortado. The milk texture was perfect however, enough so that some people were ordering second rounds after their food.
The breakfast menu embraced the afore mentioned environmental value. There was an array of vegan and vegetarian options, with local produce taking centre stage. Notos serve up typical brunch items but with a creative twist. Halloumi breakfast baps, oreo french toasts and a variety of pancake combinations. My avocado eggs were drizzled with a spicy sesame rayu which brought an authenticity and edge to the millennials revered classic.
We stayed in the warm cafe for over an hour, tables constantly in flux as people and parkrunners replaced one another as soon as soon as a spot became free. With warm service, breakfast staples with flair and most importantly great coffee, stop by Cafe Notos after a day surfing or a blustery walk along the seashore (park run optional but it did make the coffee taste that little bit sweeter).
