It's the day after the Royal Wedding and some people (myself included) are going to be in need of a big, juicy fry-up. If you are lucky enough to be waving your flag over the long weekend in Devon, you need to make a detour to the beautiful Dartmouth and the fun and via Cafe Alf Resco. Dartmouth is a stunning, eccentric town in South Devon located on the River Dart. It boasts narrow cobbled streets, a fabulous colourful market bursting with local produce, some fine eateries, and even a castle ruin! Brightly coloured boats are moored and people relax on the river front, fishing for crab and munching on gourmet ice-cream. Right in the heart of the town is Cafe Alf Resco (what a name), famous with the locals for its relaxed, rustic and brilliantly put together open kitchen and dining area and delicious brunch.
The cafe is open from 7am until 2pm 365 days a year, and thanks to this, they have got the art of brunch down to a tee. The coffee is roasted locally and is strong, rich and earthy and the banana milkshakes (which are definitely fine for adults to drink, especially ones with hangovers) are sweet, creamy and sticky. The smiley staff gave us plates overloaded with good buttery toast whilst we all decided whether to go for 'Alf's Breakfast or Big Alf's Breakfast'. With some swapping of ingredients here and choosing new things there, my Brother ended up ordering a plate with three pieces of bacon! You can really play with this to suit your tastes, plus it's suitable for vegetarians and the health conscious among us with a good choice of muesli, fruits and vege alternatives.
Me and my sister wolfed down an incredible cinnamon toast, a hunk of crusty wholegrain bread smothered in grilled butter, cinnamon and sugar and followed it off with a 'Big Alf'. We watched the staff come into life behind the ornate wooden counter as the orders flowed in and they switched from waiters to chefs! Everything is cooked behind the counter on some impressive and attractive machinery including an original French Parlour Stove c.1880 and tasted top notch and very fresh. The eggs were rich and runny, the bacon, salty and crisp, and the sausage, although a bit cheap looking, tasted deliciously herby. The waiting staff were a bit confused with who ordered what, but they carried on smiling, bringing us free rounds of toast until we were all over-comfortably fed. read more