Nucleus

This morning TTO & I went to one of our favourite cafe haunts, the New Arts Centre Cafe aka Nucleus in Chatham High Street. TTO goes there every week on Thurs mornings, as he meets up with some writing friends; I tag along every now and again, but, if I could, I'd be going almost every day, particularly in lovely sunny weather like we had today.


NAC is a secret gem, hidden down an alley off the High Street. The first indication that it's there, is the huge sculpture on the wall:




with this sculpture on the opposite side of the alley, on top of a shop:






Once you turn in to the alley, you can easily see the cafe; there are tables and chairs outside, all the better to enjoy the sunny weather




They also have folding doors at the front of the cafe that they open in good weather, which is perfect for fair-skinned damsels like me :-)


Inside, it's a combination of squishy chairs and sofas for lounging, or tables and chairs for dining



with a corner for internet access, and, of course, the food bit!




The majority of the food is made by the staff, not just sandwiches, baguettes etc, but also soups, chilli's, pasta, and some lovely cakes.


This morning, I had a large cappuccino, with a piece of homemade cherry cake; TTO had lemon cake. Sorry I didn't get a photo of it, but it didn't hang around on my plate long enough!


I love it, because it's so comfortable; you really feel as if you could hang around and relax. Because it's part of the Nucleus Arts Centre, there is local art displayed on the walls, and you can also visit the gallery next door to the cafe when they have exhibitions.


TTO, myself and Marilyn, one of TTO's friends from his writing group, were once lucky enough to be invited by local artist Peter Reeds, to view his studio space, and some of the work he had finished or was working on. I had seen some of Peters work before, as he has some exhibits at the Brook theatre, and it was a privilege to meet someone I already admired, and to see his working space. Next time you're near the Brook, pop in and check out the paintings upstairs.


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