As part of the Site Gallery’s recent multi-million pound renovation, an opportunity landed at the feet of Hayley, Tom and Owen who, at the time, were part of the team at the Grind Café in Kelham Island.
Hayley tells Exposed: “Site Gallery got wind that we were maybe looking to do our own thing and approached us about pitching for the café space next door. They bought into our vision and our plans for the place.”
Walking into Site Gallery on Brown Street in Sheffield city centre and swinging a left into Kollective, it’s easy to why it’s a match made in aesthetic heaven. Kollective’s décor suits Site Gallery’s minimalist appeal. With the help of the ‘arty one’ Tom, and his interior designer wife, the café was decorated by the team themselves. The blocks of soft, light colour around the café make for an airy, spacious feel – one which Exposed appreciated when we took over two tables to sample the ever-rotating menu.
Owen, who with the help of Tom built the very table we gathered around, takes our order of sweet potato soup with Halloumi croutons, smoked salmon and smashed avocado with poached eggs, and plantain fritters and scrambled ackee, peppers and tomatoes. All of which were outstandingly sublime, in particular the plantain fritters and ackee, with the latter acting as a vegan alternative to egg. Hayley described the thinking behind this dish: “We try to be as inclusive as we can. We’ve got vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free dishes. The menu changes weekly and we try to give our regulars something completely new to try.”
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Owen adds: “It’s completely new every week. Our most popular one was a smashed pumpkin dish which absolutely flew out the door. We’re going to introduce a greatest hits menu in the run up to Christmas so keep an eye on it.”
As we cracked on with our planning meeting, it became apparent that Kollective can serve a purpose for just about anyone. There was a family with young children enjoying the superb brunch menu and a couple of solo-diners working on their laptops enjoying the coffee and indie playlist. Hospitable as ever, Hayley rounds off our natter with the ultimate ethos behind Kollective: “We just want a place for people to come in and enjoy their food!”
Kollective is open at 8am Tuesday to Friday and 9am on Saturday and Sunday. More info here facebook.com/kollectivekitchen
