Archive for the ‘Cafe’ Category

Forge ox heart burger - Forge & Co, Shoreditch -London Food Blog

Forge & Co located on Shoreditch High St offers a unique new social workspace for interested takers. Across four floors, Forge & Co lends it’s offices, hot desks, meeting rooms and event spaces to growing businesses without the burden of overheads. While on the ground floor their Canteen serves a contemporary menu from their British brasserie.

Set in a 1950’s Modernist building, their reasonably priced menu focuses on seasonal modern British cuisine that is locally sourced. They dish up a varied menu across breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner menu. There is also a friendly nod to the traditional English Sunday roast offering a selection of roast meats with all the trimmings. They also offer a great selection of share platters and drinks that include bespoke East London cocktails (of course!), a friendly and affordable wine list, and brewery-fresh local craft beers to cater to the after work drinks crowd.

Leek & Caerphilly cheese croquettes - Forge & Co, Shoreditch - London Food Blog

Leek & Caerphilly cheese croquettes (£5.00) melted in the mouth. Beautifully crumbled, they were soft, creamy and cheesy. The mango and peach puree added a lovely sweetness, cutting through the fattiness of the croquettes.

duck rillettes, toast & cornichons - Forge & Co, Shoreditch - London Food Blog

The duck rillettes, toast & cornichons (£7.50) arrived filled with large doses of shredded duck. This was richly flavoured and textured with duck pieces however this was let down with the bread being slightly stale.

smoked mackerel, potato salad & poached egg - Forge & Co, Shoreditch - London Food Blog

The smoked mackerel, potato salad & poached egg (£7.50) was overall a beautifully flavoured dish. The smoked mackerel enhanced the overall flavour of the potato salad, adding that extra depth of smokey flavour to each bite. With the addition of fresh herbs this gave the dish a lovely lift.

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During the truffle season, Devon Cafe has been serving up truffle specials on their weekend menu, most notably their luxuriant ‘ultimate toastie’. A toasted sourdough served with grilled mixed mushrooms, melted fontina cheese, fried egg that is topped with lashings of black truffles. As if it wasn’t already popular enough, this ‘toastie’ gained incredible notoriety after a SMH review. Lines quickly began snaking it’s way down Devonshire street and disappointing customers by selling out by 10am.

I’m back at Devon Cafe and I’m here to get my last bit of truffles before the season is out. This is my second visit to date (see previous post) and I am have been dying to taste my way through their truffled treats.

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The Bather’s Pavilion is separated into a restaurant and cafe, owned and operated by Serge Dansereau. There is also a kiosk to cater to those passing on by looking for a quick bite. (The kiosk is also very good). You can’t book at the cafe. Simply turn up and grab a seat.

The cafe does a great breakfast and an even better lunch. I would know, I am permanently stationed there for breakfast. The best pancakes in the world are being served right here. Fluffy and thick. Baked chorizo eggs and eggs benedict are bang on the money too. The venue also promises stunning views of Balmoral Beach. So gorgeous, you’ll be swept away and misplace yourself at a beach holiday resort. Amen.

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Brought to you by a husband and wife team, Devon Cafe is lead by a formidable ex-legion of Guillaume chefs right at the helm. Stirring double the trouble, Devon has two ex-Guillaume chefs. One from Guillaume at Bennelong and the other from Bistro Guillaume, Melbourne.

Meeting with Derek (husband) & Noni (wife), you quickly begin to understand their passion and love behind their food. They intend to push if not, merge the boundaries between fine dining and casual cafe culture, turning their food-baby-love-child (Devon) into something really special. food collage - thin border fpn

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gnome space

Gnome is located just moments away from the main hustle and bustle of Crown St. It’s a great spot for breakfast, brunch & lunch. It operates as a cafe by day and wine bar by night. So you can wine and dine on Wednesday to Saturday nights if you fancy.

Food is cheap and cheerful, which is great given that the produce is locally sourced, sustainable and organic but it comes without the price tag. Staff are switched on and personable in their approach,  that when you order your next round of coffee, they remember your coffee order to the letter – no questions asked. You really can’t go wrong.

coffee

Brazil takes on the ocean trout sandwich ($12). Served with capers, dill, mascarpone & watercress. At $12, I am really impressed with the quality of ingredients and serving size of the sandwich not only in its entirety but also with the generous helpings of ocean trout and subsequent fillings.

ocean trout

I opt for the ultimate self destruction and take on the super grilled cheese ($12). It’s stuffed with cheddar, gruyere, buffalo mozarella & prosciutto. The cheeses are fit for purpose and are served at melting point. Again, at $12 I more than impressed with the variety and quality of cheeses. And more so, at the amount of it that is served.

So much so, that the sandwich had this pulsing white buffalo centre, which I had to squeeze and pop open. Which was pretty spectactular. And to top it all off, there are these beautiful prosciutto layers on top that blends remarkably well. Adding a meaty saltiness against all the other creamy and crunchy textures of the cheese and bread.

super grilled cheese

Welcome to Gnome Espresso & Winebar, for a great little find.

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