Out For Breakfast At Mustard Cafe In Heanor
Going out for breakfast at the weekend is one of the things His Nibs and I really love, so we were more than a tad happy to be invited along to Mustard in Heanor to try their offering. On-road parking is limited to a handful of spaces near the venue, so we decided to park in Tesco’s car park (we needed to also grab a few bits from there afterwards, so it made sense) and walk the few minutes back into town.
Mustard is located on Ray Street - a road back from Heanor’s main road - but, trust me, you’ll see it as soon as you round the corner!! Painted an unmissable shade of bright [mustard] yellow, even the strongest sunnies won’t diminish its impact! A-boards on the pavement beckon you to pop in and, as soon as you step over the threshold, you’ll be glad you did; rather than feeling like customers, you’re greeted like long-lost friends or family. Dogs are welcome, and there’s a bowl of clean drinking water down at floor-level just inside the door for them to slake their thirsts. Children of all ages are beckoned into the fold, too, so Mustard certainly offers something for everyone.
The interior of Mustard has splashes of the striking yellow, and these are complemented by a fabulously tropical wallpaper, dramatic, black ceiling and those gorgeous ‘spider’ lights. Sturdy tables (complete with vases of coloured grasses) are paired with a mixed assortment of chairs and the corner ‘snug’ has tub chairs and a sofa to chill on. But this is only the beginning of the quirkiness that Andrew and Taya clearly love…going beyond the first space, you come across ‘Betty’s Boudoir’, with its stunning circular table, plush high-back chairs, and piano – because why not??!!
Opposite, there is a long table which is going to be just perfect for the upcoming Tapas evenings, and there’s even a wall of ‘Sticky Beaks’ don’t panic, you’ll not be gazing upon my mush, they’re a variety of miniature rubber ducks. Andrew is just waiting on his liquor license to come through, and then he will be installing a little bar area, too. Tucked right at the very back is where Gourmegg creates their [beyond-amazing!] Scotch Eggs, Andrew and Taya’s ‘baby’ since 2017…and this really has been a year-long labour of love to get finished and up-and-running. Anyway, I digress; but if you want to discover ‘Gourmegg’ for yourselves, please pop in to Mustard and buy one to take home.
As usual, His Nibs opted for the full English, aka Mustard’s, Breakfast (£12.95, to which you can add on Black Pudding for an extra £1.95) and I fancied the Smashed Avo (£8.95), a tempting morsel of toasted Bloomer bread topped with Chilli flake-pimped smashed Avocado, Vine Tomatoes and Poached Egg. Unlike The Man, I added on some Bacon for £2.95; go hard or go home is my philosophy! Before the eating though, came the supping: Hot Chocolate (£3.75, minus Cream and Marshmallows) for Him, Latte (£3.65) for me. Both were good sized cupfuls and had been artfully decorated – mine with feathers in a love heart, The Mans’ with a stylised Mustard logo. The Hot Choc was beautifully creamy and silky in the mouth and I savoured the rich flavour of my 47degrees coffee, and we both relaxed back into our chairs, waiting for our food to arrive.
You could hear and smell (!) all manner of dishes being cooked in the kitchen, and it wasn’t long before our server – with possibly the biggest grin in the world on her face - came over with our breakfasts. After checking whether we wanted any sauces, she bade us ‘enjoy’, and left us to tuck in.
His Nibs had requested his egg be fried, in keeping with it being [traditionally] a fried breakfast; you can, though, also opt to savour them poached or scrambled. Cutting into its centre, The Man discovered a delightfully rich-tasting, runny yolk that proved to be perfect to dunk in the meaty Pork sausages: award winning ones from Owen Taylor, no less. ‘Proper’ farmhouse Bacon had been crisped beautifully so that its edges were gently crunchy but the middle was moist and soft. The Hash Brown was a deep golden tone and was super-crisp on the outside, contrasting with the soft inner – there’s nothing worse than a soggy Hash Brown to dampen the brekkie spirit, so The Man was grinning like a loon at the crunch that could be heard every time he cut into the triangle.
Sliced Mushrooms had been delicately herbed, so I was soon munching those happily – I will never understand the aversion The Man has to this glorious foodstuff! Then again, he loves Corned Beef, whereas just the mention of it makes me gip; my Nana always used to say that it wouldn’t do if we all liked the same things, bless her, and I guess she was right. Vine Tomatoes were juicily squishy from being roasted and beautifully sweet; there’s something fab about letting them pop in your mouth when you’ve put a whole one in. Chef had put the Baked Beans in a separate pot, so a second ‘mini breakfast’ was soon fashioned by His Nibs larruping them onto the slices of toasted bloomer bread, as has become his recent habit.
Now, over the years I have had more than a few Avo smashes on toast, but I can’t recall a bigger one than this particular minx! The toasted white bloomer bread [from neighbouring Heanor business, Stacey’s Bakery] was irresistibly soft, with that comforting floury hint that makes you sigh contentedly. In all honesty, I could just’ve eaten the bread, with a pat of butter on the side…but even better was the chunky, Chilli flake-zhuzhed Avocado that, whilst sublimely creamy, also had a pleasant ‘buzz’ at its finish. The halved Cherry Tomatoes were delicious, their bright note complementing the richer Avo very nicely. For me, though, it was the partnership of the Avo and the sumptuous yolk of my Poached Egg that stole the show – the velvety texture and depth of flavour had me captivated. As with His Nibs’ Bacon, mine was marvellously tasty, and its meaty oomph and hint of salty tang was all the seasoning my dish needed.
Both of us cleared our plates; even the Balsamic glaze on my plate got swiped up with the bread, and we’d both eaten the Pea Shoot garnish! As well as our choices, Mustard offers Breakfast Sarnies, topped Muffins, Pancake Stacks, Eggs Benny, Veggie options and, of course, their Gourmegg offerings. All dishes are served 9am-2pm.
Hot Wings very happily given to this great Heanor Coffee House and Bistro – we are already planning to take friends there for a chilled-out weekend bite. To book a table, or place an order for collection, call 01332 683428. Mustard is closed Mon-Weds, but opens Thurs-Sun 9am-2pm, and if you head over to their Facebook page, you can also keep up-to-date with the events they run.
All Prices Correct At The Time Of Publishing
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