Chesterfield (or Chezza, ChezVegas to locals) is home to a surprising number of great places to eat and drink, once you scratch the surface. One such venue is Soresby Street Café, which recently celebrated its second ‘birthday’, and its owner/Chef (a lovely chap called Jamie) invited The Man and I along to see what he and his team offer.
Situated in the heart of the town, Soresby Street Café is proof that small can be mighty (and pretty); outside, there is a lovely pavement terrace with seating for about half a dozen folks that was full of people taking advantage of some mid-spring warmth and sunshine. Inside, the dog- and child-friendly venue has a great, chilled atmosphere that was matched by friendly service. There is a nice privacy space between the wood-topped, black legged tables, and I loved the pair of low, squishy chairs in the centre of the space, imagining myself kicking back with a coffee after shopping in the marketplace.
Food and drink themed murals were on the walls, situated between large squares of trendy faux foliage; more faux foliage was draped around the black, modern lighting pendants to add visual interest without being ‘cluttery’. A couple of subtle touches tell you that this isn’t a run-of-the-mill ‘caff’ stylish cups and saucers are utilised to serve the hot drinks (complete with Biscoff biscuit on the side), and the crockery that holds the food is also pretty swish – not your bog-standard, characterless stuff. Whether you’re consciously aware of it or not, these minor tweaks add a whole lot of sensory detail that influences your impression of a place.
We’d rocked up about 10.30am for breakfast (which is served all day) and there were already most of the tables occupied; clearly, Soresby Street Café is a popular place to come and eat and/or drink, whether it be families, couples, or friend groups. Children ranged in age from being in prams to teens, and the most well-behaved pooches sat beside their owners, patiently waiting for a morsel or two to come their way. Soresby Street Café is on one-level inside, so it’s perfect for those using walking-aids or smaller, buggy-type prams.
To kick off, we ordered a black coffee and a Latte, and the top of my frothy coffee was decorated with a delicate, feathered heart design done by the lovely Erica. Having never knowingly had coffee from local, Dinnington-based company Heavenly Coffee, I have to say that they do a mean bean. Whilst we were sipping, it was time for us to decide what we fancied to eat; actually, His Nibs had made his choice already as he’d spied the Large Full English (£12.95) on the café’s Facebook page that morning! I couldn’t make up my mind between the Smashed Avocado and Eggs on Sourdough Toast (£9.95) or the Buttermilk Pancakes with Crispy Bacon and Maple Syrup (£9.95). In the end, the Smashed Avo ad Eggs won out – I’m a sucker for Avocado.
Our table gave us a cracking view of the counter, so we saw all the barista action happening, and could hear the sizzle of things being cooked in the kitchen further back. We could also see the temptations in the displays; the Fruit Scones had got our names on for supper, that much was certain!
Soon enough, our brekkies were in front of us and, after requested sauces had been brought over, we dug in eagerly. The Man Birds’ Large Full English really was large, make no mistake! Whilst His Nibs was cutting into, and eating, the thickly sliced, meaty-tasting Bacon, I cheekily stole a bit off one of his Sausages, pleased to discover that it didn’t have any dreaded ‘repeat factor’ to it. Maybe next time, I’ll steal The Man’s thunder and order myself a fry-up? Baked Beans should absolutely be housed in a separate pot, and they happily were here at Soresby Street Café, meaning you can forego them entirely, add just a few (or dunk items into them), or make a second breakfast out of them on the slice of toast that comes with this dish. As per usual, I got the whole, grilled Field Mushroom passed to me, though the softened, deliciously sweet, grilled Tomato stayed firmly on His Nibs’ plate. If you like your eggs to have addictively rich, creamy-tasting yolks, then let me tell you that Chef Jamie is your man to go to for brekkie.
Full transparency: it was the homemade Chilli Jam that swung my decision to go with the Avo-n-Eggs, and it was every bit as magnificent as I’d been hoping. A subtle but distinct heat came through on my palate, balancing the creaminess of the Avocado brilliantly, as well as that ridiculously good egg yolk. The Sourdough toast wasn’t annoyingly hard to cut into; I don’t mind putting a bit of effort in to cut food, but I don’t want to be endlessly sawing away either, y’know? Another thing I really liked was the snot-free texture of the egg white; in my opinion, if you can’t cook a poached egg perfectly every time, you have no business being in a professional kitchen! Harsh, but true. As with His Nibs’ fried variety, the yolk in my egg was tantalisingly rich and deep in its flavour, with the most intense sunrise yellow hue to it.
Whilst we were chomping happily away, the serving team had come over to make sure we were enjoying our food, and smiled as they took away a couple of spotless plates back to Jamie in the kitchen when we’d finished eating. Proof that miracles can happen (and women of a ‘certain life stage’ will totally get this), I remembered before we left, that a couple of those Scones had got our name on for later in the day! We soon had one plain- and one fruited- Scone, complete with pats of Butter, Clotted Cream and Strawberry Jam packed up, suitably secure for jalopy transportation.
We skipped lunch and had an early dinner, so those mid-dense, lightly crumbly Scones did indeed make a perfect supper treat. The fruit was plump and sweet, nestled in the rich, buttery scone body and we piled the thick Cream and fruity Jam on each half of our scones. Given how delicious these sweet treats were, I would have no hesitation in trying the other cakes on offer at Soresby Street Café another time. In fact, all the food had been top-notch, as had the service, so Hot Wings are very happily given to this cracking Chesterfield eaterie.
To book a table, call 07427 167902 or visit the Facebook page ‘Soresby Street Café’ and ping them a message. Jamie and his team are open Mon-Sat 9am-3.30pm. Closed on Sundays - for now, but keep your eyes peeled because the Café will soon be opening on Sundays.
