Not that we need an excuse, but when friends came over, it was he perfect opportunity to take them for breakfast to a place we’d been meaning to visit for ages; Eat at Denbys in Denby Village.
You can’t miss this little eaterie because it’s on the main road in the village, which means that although its own parking might be limited, there’s plenty on the road outside 😊. If you do, by some chance, manage to drive past Denbys, you’ll see the gorgeous flower garland that frames the door as you come back! As far as statement entrances go, this one is pretty and fab, and the interior is just as lovely.
Pale grey, statement floral wall paper adorns one wall (the others are plain cream) in the main room and also features in the lavatory. Shelves are laden with pots of faux foliage and there’s a marvellous little outside terrace with tables and seating that has a large contained Bamboo and colourful planters in; the sun was shining down, so this was proving very popular 😊.
We sat down and Lou (Denbys’ owner) came over to say hello, telling us that everything is cooked fresh-to-order so to expect a little wait. It seemed as if the world and its granny was coming to Denbys, which is lovely to see, but we did have to wait a little longer than ideal…good excuse to have another cuppa, then! For those who love a cup of Rosie, I can say that the brew at Denbys is very nice and certainly refreshing; the coffees were slipping down the lads’ throats easily, too.
The service from the young team was brilliant; friendly, polite and efficient, and among them was Lou’s daughter 😊. The family connection continues though, as Lou’s Dad is a butcher – no problem sourcing meat for this venue! Ever the meativores, His Nibs and TBW ordered the Full English brekkies (£10.95), BB fancied the American Pancake Stack (£7.45) but swapped out the Berry Compote for Mushroom, and I had the Eggs Royale (£9.95) adding slices of Avocado (extra £1.50).
One fab thing about Denbys is that it’s open-plan so you get a little waft of yumminess every so often, drifting over to you 😊. Our nostrils twitched appreciatively and our tummies rumbled in anticipation; we didn’t have too much longer to wait and began to tuck in eagerly.
Bestie Bird loved the thickness of her pancakes, and they were deceptively fluffy and light 😊. Lots of crispy Streaky Bacon was lazing over the pancakes and there was a separate pot of Maple Syrup on the side of the plate; perfect for adding as much or as little as you want, when you want.
Both the chaps were chowing down happily on their heaped plates of scrummy morsels, barely coming up for air; when they did, though, they only had positive things to say. Proper thickly sliced Bacon always hits the spot in a Full English, doesn’t it? The fried eggs were gorgeously rich-tasting, their yolks beautifully runny and dippable 😊. Hash Browns are one of those breakfast items that can make or break a meal depending on whether they’re soggy or not; thankfully, the Chef at Denbys cooks them so that they have audibly crunchy outers and soft inners – yum!!
Good quality Black Pudding features in the Denbys Full English (not in the Mini English, though) and I was lucky enough to get one of the slices passed over to me. I smiled happily as the deep, rich taste burst over my tongue, revelling in the flavour and texture. No such luck with the grilled Tomato half, though; oh well, you can’t win them all! I did snaffle a bite from one of the butchers Pork Sausages though and can confirm that, not only ate they amazingly flavoursome, they have zero ‘repeat factor’ – happy days 😊. I did get the softened, grilled field mushroom though: ‘slugs’ are still not fully on His Nibs’ radar! A pot housed a good portion of Baked Beans, as Lou knows soe folks don’t like bean juice to ‘contaminate’ the other elements of their breakfasts (me being one of them, actually – don’t judge me 😊!). A slice of toast - your choice of white sourdough or multiseed bread – and butter completed the ensemble, and what a belly buster it was for both men!
I had been making my way steadily through the pair of toasted English Muffins, generously piled with velvety slices of Smoked Salmon, silky Hollandaise sauce and creamy Poached Eggs…and the extra Avocado slices. At first glance, my plate might not have looked particularly hard to tackle but it was most certainly a case of looks being deceiving and my belly was filling up rapidly. Eggs Royale has it all: Carbohydrate, Fats/Oils and Protein, so you quickly get all the nutrition you need which is what makes it so satiating 😊.
Our servers were happy to clear a quartet of clean plates away, though they weren’t surprised as we’d replied that we were thoroughly enjoying our food when they’d asked, earlier. There is a great selection of cakes and bakes on offer at Denbys, and we were sorely tempted to try some but, for once (!), common sense prevailed and we decided against it. Lou must’ve read our minds though, and very kindly sent us away with some Rocky Road and Chocolate Brownie (usually £2.75 each) to enjoy at home.
Hot Wings happily given here to this fab village team 😊. One thing I would say is that I’d certainly book ahead to reserve a table (as we did); it has limited seating and was incredibly busy when we visited. To book a table ring 01332 952373 or visit the website www.eatatdenbys.co.uk Eat at Denbys is open Monday-Friday 8am-4pm, Saturday 9am-4pm, and Sunday 9am-2pm, serving Breakfast, Brunch and lots of yummy cakes and light bites.
