This is an adorable little place nestled in the heart of Portobello at 31 Lennox Street. It's slightly out of the way from the hustle and bustle of town. When we walked in we were pleasantly greeted by the manager (he could have been the owner but I'm not sure) and felt like we were regulars. We were seated by the large front bay window just as you walk in the entrance (best seat in the house me thinks!). The service was great and everything was on point. I highly recommend their lattes and chai lattes accompanied with a mixed berry scone with clotted cream and homemade jam. DE-LISH! And the scones were fresh out of the oven, even better!!! Alex got a homemade danish pastry which was perfect he said but was very jealous of my scone and he ended up getting one after his main course. Onto the mains.... I got the Eggs Florentine with smoked salmon on the side and Alex got the highly recommended Smoked Chicken Quesadillas with guacamole. Both were incredible! The quesadillas were toasty and melty with smoked chicken, chunky veg and salsa. It came with guacamole on the side and some salad. Very very tasty! The Eggs Florentine were perfection, slightly runny but not too much as to go all over your plate, not vinegary at all, the toast was thick cut and toasted lightly, and the hollandaise sauce had flecks of fresh mint in it which was a lovely addition that made a difference! (They did have the eggs benedict but I am allergic to bacon so I got the florentine, which is minus the bacon and with sautéed spinach instead) Alex and I make it a point to always get the 'Eggs Benedict' or 'Eggs Florentine' (plus smoked salmon on the side) if it is on the menu for brunch. The reason we will be doing this is because Alex and I are always in the pursuit of THE PERFECT eggs benedict and hollandaise sauce. We believe a truly good brunch restaurant has to master the art of the 'Eggs Benedict'. They can't be too runny, over cooked, toast over toasted, broken and soggy, hollandaise sauce can't clot, and the poached eggs can't be vinegary (that's the worst!). So from this blog entry forward, in each place we go, either Alex or I will order the eggs benedict (if it's on the menu of course) and the other will order the "best thing on the menu" or whatever comes highly recommended by our waiter/ess. We will then judge accordingly: 'Eggs Benedict' and the other highly recommended meal, the service, atmosphere, decor, how comfortable or uncomfortable the chairs were, how long we had to wait, etc. Please note, Alex and I are just like you, we are not food critics or chefs. We are just good food lovers in search of a great brunch place we can enjoy on Saturdays and Sundays, and maybe share that info with friends! So in the end we were so full we resisted dessert (Alex then had his mixed berry scone he had been eyeing up since we had our coffees at the start) and we enjoyed a pot of earl grey tea. They served tea in the cutest little dainty teacups and saucers, I swear you feel like you are at a tea party! The decor is charming and homey, warm and cozy with purposefully mismatched cushions, teacups and bits on the tables. The colour palette was cream and duck egg blue and is perfectly reminiscent of the history of the building, as it used to be a dairy. There is also and upstairs for more seating but we didn't get a chance to take a peek, maybe next time! There will be a next time for sure! No screaming children, just fashionable, quiet, content people enjoying their find of a great brunch place hidden in the heart of Portobello.
SERVICE * * * * *
ATMOSPHERE * * * * *
VALUE FOR MONEY * * * *
DECOR * * * *
EGGS BENEDICT * * * * *
WOULD WE COME BACK? YES DEFINITELY
