Googies Art Cafe

Location: here (Google maps is somewhat out of date)
Date: 19th February 2011

Right next door to the previously reviewed Django's Jazz Cafe, this reasonably new cafe offers a range of food, drinks and in the evenings, live music. Two members of our party selected the Big Breakfast. Note that this is only served until midday. Which led to a brief quibble with the waitress when she took over ten minutes to take our order, meaning that we were just past twelve o-clock when we ordered. At £6.95 the Big Breakfast had a lot to deliver, and with two sausages, bacon, black pudding, beans, egg, tomatoes, mushrooms and a mountain of toast plus a choice of tea or coffee and an orange juice we were looking forward to a feast. Boy did we get a lot of anticipating done! While I appreciate that busy kitchens take a while to prepare orders, I was ready to eat my own arm by the time food appeared.

Food was good, with nice, herby sausages. Mushrooms were particularly nice being large, flat mushrooms sliced. Grilled tomatoes were also a treat. Toast was plentiful and from particularly nice soft, crusty bread. Coffee was a little bitter, but quite drinkable with breakfast; tea brewed from loose leaves was outstanding. We had to chase the staff for the orange juice, but when it came it was welcome and refreshing. Our companion reported that her Eggs Benedict was served with rather vinegary Hollandaise sauce and drowned by toast, which distracted somewhat from the perfectly poached eggs.

Overall: Nice fry up, with high quality ingredients. Let down somewhat by details. High price would probably see me going next door 7.5 / 10.