Taking the plunge is something Janice Langdon knows all about.
With little experience of the hospitality industry but with a deep passion for Molly’s Cafe Bar, the mum-of-two threw caution to the wind by taking over the popular Stonehaven venue she had come to love as a customer.
Four years on and Janice has turned the tide on the beautiful beachfront cafe, breathing new life into the quirky venue not only through new decor but also through delicious homemade and locally sourced food and cocktails.
After weathering the storms caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Janice is riding the crest of a new wave as she adds a new flavour to the eaterie in the form of a new head chef Graham Burgess.
Janice says he will be focusing on seafood to complement their extensive drinks menu.
We caught up with Janice, 62, to find out all about Molly’s and how she found the confidence to take a deep dive from her job as a school classroom assistant into the challenging world of hospitality.
Can you tell me about your background?
I worked in the bank and then I worked in a school as a classroom assistant. I also lived in the Middle East for four years from 2016 to 2020 for my husband’s work.
We came back to Stonehaven just before Covid. My daughter worked at Molly’s so when it became available I took it over.
There was a lot needing done to the place so we gave it a major revamp. I knew nothing at all about the hospitality business so it was a leap of faith.
We had been going to Molly’s as customers for years and I always thought it had potential being on the beach front. I had this vision about how it would look.
How would you describe Molly’s as a venue?
It’s for everyone. We serve breakfast and lunch daily and evening meals on a Friday and Saturday night.
It’s quite a quirky cafe and we have an excellent team of staff.
We also use local suppliers and coming out of Covid, we’ve also hosted small weddings which is lovely. The weddings are a bit more intimate and relaxed.
What tasty treats are on your breakfast menu?
Our breakfast menu is very popular, especially our full Scottish breakfast which goes down well on Saturday and Sundays.
The breakfast includes bacon, sausage, haggis, black pudding, hash brown, potato scone, slow roast tomatoes, mushrooms, Heinz baked beans, fried egg and white or granary toast.
The breakfast also includes your choice of tea, filter coffee, apple juice or orange juice.
We also have a vegetarian and gluten free breakfast plus homemade pancakes served with either smoky streaky bacon and maple syrup or natural yoghurt, berry compote and homemade granola.
Also on the menu are eggs benedict, eggs royale or eggs florentine as well as scrambled eggs and homemade granola.
And for those looking for a good lunchtime feed?
We have sandwiches, toasties, paninis and toasted ciabattas served with a range of fillings as well as a side salad, coleslaw and crisps.
Our homemade Cullen skink is also popular – it’s a secret recipe.
We also have salads and sharing boards such as the mezze sharing board with falafel, halloumi, sundried tomatoes, olives, feta, pitta bread and sundried tomato hummus. We also have haddock and chips on the menu.
Funnily enough, we took that off the menu for a while but we had so many complaints that we put it back on as people love it.
Can you tell us about some of the delicious highlights on your evening menu?
Our evening menu is available on a Friday and Saturday night.
At the moment we have an Indonesian curry which is served with flatbread and rice. Also popular is our Chicken Balmoral and our sharing boards which are delicious.
We also have a Thai red curry on the menu and a barbecue bacon and cheese burger which is served in a brioche bun.
For starters we have a haggis and black pudding spring roll. Our cajun halloumi fries served with salad and sriracha mayo have been popular too. We also have a prosciutto, pear and walnut salad with beetroot glaze and beetroot pearls.
And for sweet-toothed customers?
At the moment we have a summer berry cheesecake, key lime pie and a meringue with a summer berry compote.
We also have a cheese board too with Arran cheese, artisan crackers, grapes, chutney and quince.
Do you have a kid’s menu?
Yes, we have a kid’s menu where they can choose from hot dog, mac n cheese, haddock goujons and chicken goujons all served with chips and a choice of Heinz baked beans or garden peas and including a diluting juice, Fruit Shoot, milk or fresh juice for £5.
What about cocktails?
Yes, we have a great cocktail menu.
Our espresso martini always goes down well.
Other cocktails on the menu include our gin fizz, pornstar martini, raspberry mojito, sangria, strawberry caipirinha, spicy grapefruit margarita and watermelon spritz.
Can people also pop in for cake and coffee?
Yes, I source my cakes from Cakes By Chloe Stonehaven.
She makes everything from chocolate brownies and crunchie tiffin to Ferrero Rocher rocky road and raspberry and white chocolate blondies.
Chloe used to work for me while slowly building up her business so it’s great to be working with her.
The cafe is also the perfect place to celebrate special occasions isn’t it?
Yes we’ve hosted weddings and also big birthdays like 40th, 50th and 60th and we’ve also had a couple of hen parties too.
People really love the fact that we’re a smaller and more intimate venue.
Are furry friends also welcome too?
Yes, we are dog-friendly outside.
For more information about Molly’s Cafe Bar check out their website, Facebook or Instagram.
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