Moco/Toast is an interesting combination of coffee shop and sandwich bar which sits in an almost, but not entirely, unremarkable spot on West Street. I say ‘interesting’ because rather than some form of uber-hip deli-eatery-indy-coffee infusion bonanza, it appears quite literally as two separate businesses occupying the same space. As such this is going to be a bumper review; two for the price of one you lucky devil you.
“How does that work?” I hear your keen self interject. Well cool your jets buster, that’s exactly what I was about to explain. Rather than following the rather ubiquitous open plan cafe format (like that of Starbucks or you know, most places) it does quite a good job of -appearing- to be two spaces. The business is housed within two of your standard ground floor West Street units and thus from the outside appear completely separate. Each has its own window, signage, door and logo. When you enter however, the central wall which once divided the two spaces has been partially knocked out creating a windowed effect between them. Towards the back of the shops the wall ceases altogether and one can walk freely between them. There is no consistency of aesthetic between them but they are undeniably one and the same (they do share a bathroom after all). “Does that -really- work though?” I hear you utter with an edge of skepticism. Well, perhaps we can come up with an answer to that with a little further exploration.
Moco (the sharper readers amongst you will have guessed that this is the bit that serves coffee) is laid out with a nod towards New York diners. A row of fixed, chrome banded tables line the wall opposite the counter with bench seating and stools in dark red leather. Spots of exposed brickwork and low hung lighting complement this ‘urban’ look. The dark colour palette alongside the subdued light make for a warmer and slightly less sterile environment than most. The aesthetic is nice and far from unpleasant although it doesn’t feel organic. There’s a certain, ‘store-bought’ element to the furnishings and atmosphere. The thought and effort towards something interesting and urban is to be applauded but it lacks the genuinely characterful feel of other independent spots such as Tamper (the nearby New Zealand themed coffee shop). “So it’s a mildly pleasant place to sit then?” Yes, exactly. “Good. Can we have some substantial information please?”. Sure thing.
As a self styled coffee shop, it’s not very good. The selection of hot drinks peers down at you from a high, red, back lit board. The board is big and the choice small. You know the bog-standard choice of espresso based drinks (americano, latte etc.)? Those. As far as I’m aware they don’t use any special fair-trade, eco aware, have-sleepovers-with-trees and make everyone happy Guatamalan beans either and if they do they don’t mention it. As such the fare is uninspiring. There is a slightly broader tea selection with a fair range of fruit and green teas although these can be seen behind the counter in the brand boxes they were bought in. Brands that are available in your local supermarket I might add. The hot drinks in Moco then are astonishingly average. The one redeeming quality it has though are the prices. No drink pushes past £3.50 (a lamentably rare luxury these days) though few fall under the£2.00 mark. Good, but not amazing. Sadly, the staff in Moco are pretty disappointing. My experiences have varied from the most basic politeness to overt disinterest. It’s rather damaging since I feel that a place can’t reach the lofty heights of greatness without a strong personal element behind the business.
So what about Toast? Well, Toast manages to be precisely as fair-to-good as Moco, but in an almost opposite manner. The aesthetic is very consistent with the fashion of ‘bland sandwich shop’. A large green board above the counter lists the food and a glass display case offers pre-made paninis. Other than these two features there are three booths opposite the counter against the wall and sorry, that’s all your getting. So bland is Toast that whenever I get food there, I take it through to the warmer atmosphere of Moco. “Why have you been there more than once?!” I hear you cry incredulously. Well sir or madam, I’m happy to say that your incredulity is misguided as the food from Toast is pretty swell.
They specialise in toasted paninis and sandwiches and unlike the bland butty bars it’s masquerading as, the quality of the ingredients are pretty good. Their menu is well thought out so as to offer variations on pretty tired fillings that are very tasty. I could recommend their chicken Caesar or anything with pastrami but to be fair, nothing I’ve ordered has been disappointing. The best bit of all this however is the price. Nearly everything on their menu falls below £4.00 and whereas this is heavier on the wallet than a supermarket, it’s generally less than you would expect from somewhere to sit down and eat.
So, let me get back to your earlier question of whether Moco/Toast works. Neither side of the business is anything exciting and I can’t help but think that either could be improved by focusing time and capital into just one. Having said this however, I would still recommend the place. It’s situated close to the University of Sheffield campus and is just the right distance from the I.C. to make a good sanity break, without being a mammoth trek into the city centre. If you want to take half an hour or so out of your studies to grab a coffee and a tasty sandwich Moco/Toast offers a cheap solution with a good atmosphere for what you pay. It is not exceptional but if you can get over the terrible coffee choice, is probably the one of the best compromises you’ll find between price and quality.
Contact Details:
202 West Street Sheffield England 0114 272 7474
12While2 