The Man and I were asked along to try breakfast at H&H at Koo in Chesterfield by its new owner, John Makin. We know John from another venue he is the General Manager at, The Sitwell Arms Hotel, but hadn’t realised that he had taken this great Chatsworth Road café/bistro on. Parking can be a bit of a pain on Chatsworth Road at peak times, but we managed to find a spot on a side road a couple of minutes’ walk away and just strolled back.
If, like me, you were wondering who ‘H’ and ‘H’ are, they’re Johns beloved pooches: Honey, a Lhasa Apso, and Heidi the Schnoodle. It goes without saying, then, that H&H at Koo is dog-friendly throughout the venue whether you choose to sit outside or inside. Fresh water and complimentary dog biscuits are available on request for your furry family member, too. The venue is a really snazzy little spot whose outdoor space has kerb-appeal by the bucketload, thanks to potted Bay Trees, Palms, planters of colourful Begonias, and an attractive, curved iron fence. Seating is on wicker chairs and the tables have parasols at them to shelter from the sun’s glare or the odd summer shower; attached to the front of the building is an awning that covers the al fresco seating nearest to it.
Inside, the décor is beautiful: Marine Blue walls have gold-edged shelving at their top, paired nicely with a feature wallpaper that is a gold and blue diamond pattern. Gold cage-type pendant lights hung above our window-side table that had a beautiful faux orchid arrangement on it. Distressed-effect tables were paired with Cream, ‘jumbo’ Cord fabric and Tan Suedette upholstered the mid-back chairs, both complementing the décor beautifully. Clearly, H&H at Koo is getting a great reputation locally, as the place was properly buzzing with folks out for a lazy Sunday morning breakfast. You definitely need to book a table Saturday and Sunday to guarantee a spot!
H&H at Koo has a superb menu for Breakfast and Brunch, ranging from Granola Pots (£6.95), Almond- and Plain- Croissants (£2.95 and £2.25 respectively), Toast and Preserves (£3.50), and Eggs Florentine (£13.95). Unsurprisingly, His Nibs went for the H&H Full English (£13.95) and I fancied the Smashed Avocado (£11.95), adding on Smoked Salmon and a Poached Egg for £3.50 and £1.50 each. The first job, though, was ordering hot refreshments – John had offered tap water for the table when he’d seated us, so we didn’t need to ask for that. The Coffee and Teas are sourced from local Clay Cross business, Arden Coffee. I always love to see businesses supporting each other. John also supports a business 20 miles away (in Braithwell, near Rotherham), called Happy Friday Treats, to provide his Cakes, Cheesecakes, and Macarons. We brought home some Salted Caramel Cheesecake and a slice of Raspberry and Vanilla Sponge for supper…both were absolutely marvellous!
Bestie Bird and I do like us a pot of loose-leaf Tea, and the Breakfast Blend that John serves is a bright, bold little number that certainly gets you gee’d up – just the sort that we enjoy together when she’s over this way! His Nibs had a Black Coffee and this was equally confident in the mouth, but what got us talking was the thoughtful touch of a complimentary chocolate that accompanied our drinks.
All I’m going to say about the Full English is get your appetite sharpened and pull your shoulders back: Chef is a feeder! The top-quality ingredients used here meant that this brekkie slapped. Thick slices of ‘proper’ Bacon had a fantastically deep flavour to them, eliciting smiles of happiness from The Man as he chewed each piece slowly. You all know that I’m a picky Patty when it comes to Sausage, but I am pleased to report that the lightly seasoned one served at H&H at Koo has none at all; what it does have, though, is a seriously good taste and texture.
Whole Mushrooms had been gently fried to soften them and their gentle earthiness popped in my mouth as I got each one passed over to me. I didn’t get either the slice of Black Pudding or the grilled Tomato, though apparently both were spot-on; one was rich and deep in taste, the other soft, sweet and juicy. Chef had fried the Egg to millisecond perfection: the white was fully set but not crisped at the edges, and the yolk was fully runny. A thick slice of seeded wholemeal toast had got individually wrapped portions of butter resting on it, softening it nicely for when The Man was ready to spread it before the bread got dunked in the egg yolk. Yet again, Picky Patty brigade will rejoice when I say that the Baked Beans were ‘on the leash’, i.e. housed in a pot to prevent them contaminating the other elements on the plate!
Blowing the triumph trumpet, my Smashed Avo, Salmon and Poached Egg dish easily won the prettiest competition…by miles. The Muffin had been halved and toasted before being generously loaded with warmed quarters of intensely sweet Cherry Tomatoes and plenty of creamy tasting Smashed Avocado that tempered the tang of the crumbled Feta cheese. A rich Balsamic glaze decorated the fresh Rocket leaves that adorned the top of the dish, a snot-free Poached Egg peeking shyly from under it. As with The Man’s egg, the yolk was impossibly rich and luxuriant in its taste, its silkiness partnering the carefully arranged slice of Smoked Salmon seamlessly. In all honesty, I didn’t need to order the add-ons to the Smashed Avocado dish, but I’m jolly glad I did as they were both tremendous. Even though it was ‘only’ breakfast, Chef had taken great care when it came to presenting our meals – especially mine. The toasted Muffin was in the centre of the plate, with the slices of Salmon either side of it, and the contrasting colours of the Tomato, Avocado, Rocket and Balsamic all popped on the plate. It was a truly stunning dish, both visually and in taste.
Earlier, I alluded to the Raspberry and Vanilla Sponge and the Salted Caramel Cheesecake that we’d brought home, and I really ought to clue you lovely peeps in in more detail, shouldn’t I? The balance of fruit and Vanilla in the sponge was superb, and the texture was light and airy to the bite. What I liked most was the pieces of face-scrunchingly tart, freeze-dried Raspberry; they seemed to intensify the rounded mellowness of the Vanilla frosting, whose piped swirls decorated the top of the slice.
No prizes for guessing that it was His Nibs that had chosen the Salted Caramel Cheesecake – he does love the stuff! The biscuit base was that easy to cut into density, without disintegrating into a million crumbs; Lord knows, that really grinds my gears. Fans of Cheesecake will love the fact that the body had that clinginess that means it coats your cheeks and tongue so you can really savour it, and it still had that glorious tang to it from the Cream Cheese. It always baffles me when you get an overly sweet Cheesecake; like, why? They weren’t meant to be like that. Crowning the whole dessert slice was a layer of golden Caramel that did indeed have an ozonic edge to it on the palate – well done Nicola (Mrs Happy Friday Treats).
H&H at Koo is also open in the evenings as a wine bar on Friday and Saturday until 10.30pm, and there are plans afoot to extend the food times. Sunday-Thursday H&H at Koo is open 8am-3pm and, if I worked in ‘[Chez]Vegas’, I would stop off and grab one of their signature salads to have at work at lunchtime. As it is, I will just have to plot a return to sample the Afternoon Tea that John and his super-friendly team offer (£24.95pp or £29.95 pp with a glass of Prosecco). Children, and those needing Gluten Free food, have their own specific menus as well.
Hot Wings very happily awarded to this fab Chesterfield Café/Bistro – The Man and I wish you every success, John!! To book a table, call 01246 205604 and to keep up-to-date with all the latest tea, visit www.koo.cafe
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