Sunday Milkshakes and Brunch at Rocotillos

Last Sunday we had arranged to meet Rich's youngest sister for brunch and she had chosen Rocotillos, famous for their delicious yet filling milkshakes and American diner food. We arrived just before 11am and it was already rammed, luckily Natalie had secured a booth. The booths in Rocotillos are notoriously tiny, they do not make for overly comfortable eating if there are more than two of you in a booth, and we were a four so it was implementation of t-rex arms and elbows so as not to knock your neighbour's food off their forks.

Seat grumbling aside we eagerly pawed at the brunch side of the menu, eyes bigger than our stomachs. There was no question of not ordering a milkshake, I tried to protest but I was met with many voices of derision and 'but they are the reason to visit here'. So I ordered the week's special which was Raspberry Pavlova and Rich went for his favourite Banana one. Now for any of you who has experienced the sheer indulgence of a Rocotillos milkshake knows how huge and daunting they can be when paired with food. This was no exception. I had chosen the three crumpets with scrambled egg and side order of hash brown for my brunch whilst Rich went for the banana pancakes with maple syrup, bacon and a scoop of ice cream, a complete American style sugar overload.

Uber Milkshakes

I can be overly picky with scrambled egg, I make some of the best scrambled egg I've tasted, other than at The Vineyard hotel when I was 15 and breakfast was made completely to order, there has been no place to top that or my own. I make mine loose, creamy and you must cook it on a very low heat and take it off before it looks ready, it will have time to finish off on the residual heat. It is no accident that my family used to get me up early on a Sunday to make them breakfast by affectionately poking my cheeks and calling for the Egg Monitor (or Egg Mont for short) to rise from her slumber.

Crumpets with Scrambled Egg and Hash Brown

So in retrospect I should not have broken my, never order scrambled eggs out rule, because they were slightly disappointing in texture but that is only because I have such ridiculously high expectations and standards. After a little salt and crumpet placement they were pretty tasty though and the home made hash brown was good too, nice and soft but with a slightly crispy coating on the outside.

Banana Pancake Stack

By the clean plate that Rich presented after about 10-15 minutes of steady munching I am guessing he found his generous portion of banana pancakes the perfect partner to his hunger pangs. The bacon of his I sampled was certainly great quality and the maple syrup really brought out the smoky flavour, although an American staple it's definitely a combo that us Brits are still getting used to but it does really work. I first tried it when I was about 8 at my uncle and aunt's house, she is American, and always used to cook up American pancakes with scrambled eggs, bacon and the obligatory maple syrup. However I still build a pancake fort to protect my eggs from total contamination to this day.

Veggie Breakfast (companion breakfast)

Steak Breakfast (of one of our dining companions)

I do recommend Rocotillos for a lazy weekend brunch they offer something a little different to the usual, it's not super fine dining but it's certainly fun and comforting, now if only they would sort out the seating.  Follow Rocotillos on Twitter for their latest news and updates.