Sunday Brunch at Brew

I have found my new favourite brunch, and it's at Brew Coffee Co. on Whiteladies road. I had been tipped off by Beth the previous day and so Kym and I wasted no time in meeting up for a Sunday brunch there. This site has always been a coffee place for as long as I can remember but it's latest incarnation as Brew is the first time I have been tempted along to try. It was fairly busy, but it is quite a small venue, the menu consists of a variety of things on sourdough or bagels, with vegan options also. You can also order porridge or yoghurt with many toppings.

Our eyes immediately honed in on the Brewfast (£7) which is smoked bacon, poached eggs, avocado on sourdough topped with tomato relish. I was starving. So two orders of the above were made along with two pots of English breakfast tea.

Aren't you just salivating looking at that? It was as good as it looks, the crown jewel being that tomato relish, sharp and sweet in equal measure it really gave the avocado an extra zing. The sourdough toast was plentiful and delicious and the poached eggs runny but not watery. Basically my perfect breakfast.  Kym and I wolfed down this plate with whoops and ahhs. In short, looking for a new place to wallow away a morning, go to Brew.  For a bit more information check out their website.

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.

A Healing Breakfast at Cafe Cosmopolitan

The other weekend Rich and I were flagging, it was time to do the supermarket run and energy was running on empty. We decided to find something breakfasty and near the shops so after browsing Cotham Hill and considering our usual Deco Lounge we decided to pop up to Cafe Cosmopolitan just up from Richer Sounds. Cosmopolitan almost sits on the fence of the Clifton version of a greasy spoon, although you can be assured this is no Tasty Stop à la North Street, although that is a bit of a guilty pleasure, a story that will have to wait for another day.

The decor is clean and bright with a good amount of outdoor seating. The menu is mostly made up of panini and all day breakfast, we went for the small and large full English, with a tea and coffee. 

Large Full English

My Smaller Full English

 Apart from, what my sister would call butter bombs, warm bread with butter only smeared on the middle like a bomb of butter has fallen on it, the breakfast was really good. Admittedly it was no Rosemarino level breakfast in terms of flavour but as a standard full English I was very happy. The sausages were meaty and of good quality, the bacon and fried egg were perfectly cooked and none of the items were greasy so it didn't feel really unhealthy afterwards. 

Breakfast Extreme Close Up

If you are passing the area and are low on funds but high on hunger check out Cafe Cosmopolitan, a small full English is only £4.95 and a large a mere £1 more and you get a cup of tea or coffee thrown in. Top marks all round.

Brunch at Rosemarino

Saturday was the first consistently sunny day Bristol has seen for weeks. It was warm and beautiful outside perfect day for brunch. We had already agreed to meet Jamie and Boz for brunch and they had been dying to try Rosemarino. Rich and I have been to Rosemarino a few times so we didn't need any convincing.

Downstairs the sun shone down on us from the above windows it was a perfect morning. I already knew what I wanted so I sipped my previously ordered Pago cloudy cherry juice, my new current favourite soft drink perfect for a cherry fanatic, whilst the others decided. I was going for mushrooms on toast with parmesan, truffle oil and pan fried sage leaves, for everyone else it was Eggs Royale all round with various sides of bacon. Eggs Benedict in it's various forms, is Rich's favourite breakfast bar none, I occasionally make it for him, having perfected the poach a few years back, but he would be quick to agree that I am far too slack at providing aforementioned dish.

Pago Cloudy Cherry(hoping more places stock it soon)

Mushrooms on Toast with Parmesan (plus side sausage)

Mushrooms on Toast with Parmesan with Crispy Sage Leaves

For me, a mushroom fan, I have tasted no finer breakfast than this in Bristol so far, it is rich, creamy, indulgent and heavenly. It says a lot about the superior quality of this dish to sway me from Eggs Benedict or a Full English, though I have had Rosemarino's full English before and it is wonderful.  The earthy sage and truffle oil brought out a lot of the flavour of the mushrooms whilst the cream and cheese made it indulgent and helped make a king of this ingredient which is usually treated as a side line in the breakfast line up.

Eggs Royale with Side Order of Bacon

Eggs Royale with Side Order of Bacon

All you could hear from our table for a good 5 mins was the sound of steady enthusiastic munching, peppered with the odd mmmmm and mutterings of 'so good'. The quality of the bacon was particularly praised the sausage too was fantastic, herby and really meaty. The Eggs Royale was declared the best in Bristol and totally perfect, the eggs were beautifully runny and ran into the salmon and through the hollandaise, a taste sensation right there.

Having not been for brunch at Rosemarino for ages it was so great to return and I think we will probably be paying them another visit for Rich's birthday brunch when the time comes along next month. But what I really want to do is to pay them a visit for dinner one evening. The menu sounds superb and if it's anything like as good as their breakfasts then sign me up asap! To check out any of their menus visit the Rosemarino website.

Brunch at Deco Lounge

I love The Lounge bars that decorate Bristol and beyond, I used to live down in Southville close to the original Lounge where it all began. Now I live close to Deco Lounge in Cotham and they are both so relaxing to visit. There is definitely something about the atmosphere at The Lounges that I go back for again and again. Last weekend I ended up at Deco Lounge twice, Friday night was a catch up with some girl friends where we partook in wine, spicy cashews and fries and Saturday Rich, myself and our friend went for brunch.

Our friend and I went for the Lounge Breakfast, a full English, whilst Rich went for the Lounge Eggs, pretty much eggs Benedict, which looked so tasty I was almost wishing I had ordered it. Rich went for bacon as well as salmon and it was very nicely presented, he ate it all without letting me have any, so it must have been good! The full English comes with the usual trimmings, for me the thick cut bacon and herby sausage patty are the best in this breakfast, the mushrooms were bland and they clearly had used low sodium baked beans, which is not on at all! Having said that it was tasty on the whole and I still think the atmosphere at Deco Lounge and it's Lounge brothers and sisters is hard to beat. Definitely worth going any day of the week for coffee, a glass of wine or just some nice home cooked style food or tapas.

Although their breakfasts are good I personally think Rosemarino does a better brunch, I would travel far for their mushrooms, with parmesan and sage on toast with truffle oil. Now there's an idea for next weekend...