Everybody knows that after a heavy night the best recovery tool is a good old fry-up; don’t ask me why, but it is. The previous night, The Man and I had got together with a group of good friends to enjoy some rather fine food and more a few tipples of varying sorts. No surprise, then, that our bodies woke up wondering just what on earth we’d thought we were playing at: a classic case of us saying “ We’re still 21” and our bodies retorting “No you’re ruddy well not!”.
After rousing our bodies into some semblance of normality we got in the jalopy and headed to Belper for a return to Café G. I’m ashamed to say how long it’s been since we were last there (so I won’t) but I can still remember how scrummy the Mediterranean Breakfast (£9) was, as unconventional as it is to Western thoughts on what breakfast should be. As I looked at the description I smiled happily; it looked as if it had stayed true to its roots in my prolonged absence. The Man Bird was also happy to see a full bodied fry-up on the menu, and not just any old fry-up; the Full G is a real beast that offers 3 rashers of Bacon, 3 Sausages, 2 Eggs, 2 Hash Browns, Mushrooms, Tomatoes and Beans alongside a slice of Fried Bread and 2 slices of toast and butter for the stonkingly good price of £8.90!! We also needed hydrating, so I had a pot of tea for 1 (£1.50) and His Nibs had a cup of gee-up juice/caffeine loaded Coffee (£2.30).
Since our last visit, Café G has had a bit of a spruce up and a re-jig that makes a lot more sense. At the front of the café is an area decked out with comfy tub chairs (perfect for a quick pit-stop whilst you’re out shopping or for elevenses with mates) and the rear of the venue is more suited to eating in with its sturdy, solid wood tables and more substantial seating. Once we’d made our choices, The Man went up to the counter, located at the midway point of the space, and gave our table number as he placed, and paid for, the order.
We’d picked a table that gave us a clear view of the open kitchen and the team were hard at it, making sure that no-one had too long a wait, and ensuring the food was cooked to a high standard. Several plates of mouth-wateringly good smelling breakfasts passed us and our nostrils twitched in appreciation; luckily our morsels weren’t too far behind – my tummy was growling impatiently!
If it’s colour that grabs your gastro attention for the first meal of your day then the Mediterranean Breakfast will fill your eyes, heart and tummy with gladness. Verdant Olives and Peppers, ruby toned Red Cabbage and Mixed Leaves all combined to provide visual appeal, bolstered by artfully charred Halloumi, Cheddar Cheesy toast, whipped Feta and a fried egg. Now this might sound like a hotchpotch, thrown together assortment of items that you can’t imagine working well as a team, but all I can say is “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it”.
This platter has a great combination of comfort factor and nutrition points; the Cheesy toast and fried egg was wrapping their arms around my fragile body whilst the Olives, Peppers, Cucumber, Red Cabbage, Mushrooms, Onions and salad leaves got to work bolstering my vitamin and mineral intake. The fried items weren’t left to swim in grease and nor did they have any residual taste of fat or oil and there were lots of contrasting tastes and textures in here to savour; the dressings on the salads were sharp and tangy which cut through the richness of the cheeses and the Hummous. Even the Naan Bread slices seemed to blend in seamlessly with their peers...even more so when I spread the whipped Feta on top of them.
Across the table, His Nibs was worshipping at the altar of the sacred fry-up, his lips moving in a reverential prayer of thanks at the bounty before him! As the flavour from the thick, juicy Bacon flooded over his tongue, a look of total joy resembling someone who has received a saintly touch came over his features; the one where your grin covers your entire face, I’m sure you can all picture it. The sausages were quality ones; nicely seasoned, good sized and not shrunken and shrivelled by the cooking process. The Man even began to tuck into the Black Pudding slice, but one look from me saw him sharing out the spoils and I’m glad I did pester for a bit because it was a hearty, rich tasting minx.
In this health conscious day and age it isn’t often that you encounter fried bread, but as chickadees, His Nibs and I used to love this – I used to top mine with chopped tinned Tomatoes! Seeing the enthusiasm I had for this much-maligned element of a classic fried brekkie led to my wonderful husband giving me a whole half-slice and the tomatoes on his plate so that I could recreate the memory – no wonder I love my Man Bird.Much as he loves me, there was no way he was parting with any of his beloved Hash Browns though; they soon got demolished and went into the abyss that is his tummy! Café G’s Hash Browns are a lot deeper than the usual retail ones and their Chefs cook them to a delicious golden shade that ensures the outers are superbly crispy, which only enhances the comforting softness of the inners.
Currently, due to pandemic madness and Avian Flu effects, there are glitches in the availability of good quality hens’ eggs so, when you get them, you appreciate them all the more don’t you? The pair of delights on His Nibs’ breakfast plate had that glorious creamy richness to their yolks (which shone like sunshine, I should add) and he couldn’t resist dunking some of the toast that he‘d cut into fingers into the ‘liquid gold’. It had been quite the morning for recreating childhood (or should that be chickhood?) memories and pleasures. The rest of the toast got topped with the Baked Beans, whilst the Mushrooms got passed over to me; I thought he’d got into Mushrooms but clearly not, which suited me just fine!
Whilst I’m not going to say we were utter piggies, let’s just say that our plates were squeaky clean! Mind you, we were ravenous when we arrived at Café G in Belper and we were also feeling the effects of a heavy night; plus the fact the food was delicious, so there was never going to be any going begging was there?!
Hot Wings awarded to Café G again; we’ll try not to leave it so long this time until our next visit!
