It is a little known fact that Sir Isaac Newton, one of the smartest people to ever walk the earth, devoted a third of his life to the pursuit of alchemy.
Of course, turning base metals into something completely different was beyond even this genius.
But residing in the kitchen at Coffee Denn, Mumbles, is someone who may just of cracked it.
For what surely started out as simple base ingredients - egg and cheese - arrived in front of me in a material form I've never come across before.
A flying saucer orb with a dark, oily crust which gave way to a polystyrene rubber compound that should take the interest of Bridgestone, Michelin and Dunlop should they be looking to develop a lighter, longer lasting tyre for use in heavy industry. The cheese-like substance providing extra grip, if the chef can work on a tread pattern, they're onto something big.
Light as air but durable in the extreme. Albumem and yolk magically transformed into something with the mouth feel of a Brillo Pad.
My 'omelette' was accompanied by some nachos and a salad containing a quartered up orange. I dare say if there was some Marmite and a can of tuna going spare in the store cupboard they would have happily lobbed them on the plate too. My dish was like staring into a time warp. It could easily have starred in an episode of Heartbeat.
The Mumbles is a beautiful place, set as it is on Swansea Bay. But if you ever need to make a pit stop at Coffee Denn (there is surprisingly little choice), avoid the hot food here at all costs here and stick to their pretty array of cakes and scones. read more