First, the positive points: Cute, retro decor with a great mid century modern vibe that really…read moremakes you want to come inside. The waitstaff are attentive and do not hang about. Now on to the incredibly unfortunate part: My breakfast. I ordered the Lebanese breakfast plate, which is avocado toast zhuzh'd up with hummus, fresh cream, feta, eggs, and purple cabbage (yes, the addition of this brassica should have been a red flag). What I got was a cute turquoise plate with a mound of what was my order covered in bright pink sludge masquerading as hummus. I'm guessing the chef thought that pink hummus would be an inventive choice against the plate color? Aside from the color, the taste was horrific and most-definitely not homemade. Hummus is at its core essence a 4-ingredient situation (chick peas, water, tahini, lemon juice) but this tasted like only the first two items were used). Underneath my "hummus" was a shed load of boiled cabbage and the lightest of smatterings of old brown avocado which tasted like avocado when it's gone brown and should, therefore, be binned. So two stars for the quaint ambiance and take my warning seriously and steer clear of what I ate. Hopefully, their other offerings are better.

This isn't part of the famous breakfast club chain but it's just as yummy and half the price…read more We were looking for venues to eat in in an unfamiliar area and stumbled upon breakfast club. With just half an hour to spare before it closed (it's only open till 3pm) we sped to the restaurant to find it bustling with customers. The menu is extensive with what must be around 50 items including a specials menu and loads of veggie options. I ordered the grilled cheese sandwich (£6.50) which was dripping with a ridiculous amount cheese. The order also came with a pot of slightly salty tomato soup to dip the sandwich in. Overall the breakfast club has amazing hangover food in a homely environment. Portion sizes are huuuuge too!

Our friend LOVES this place. Everything you order comes on a waffle. My wife had a waffle with…read moregarlic and cheese sauce with shaved ham. She thought it was very good - and she loves the coffee. I had the BBQ beef with Cole slaw - of course, on a waffle. The Cole slaw was excellent. The BBQ sauce was tasty, but the meat was extremely salty. The waffles were very good - nice and fluffy. The portions were good, and the prices as expected. They do add a 10% tip to the bill automatically (FYI). By the way, as best I could tell, the bathroom is unisex - both men and women use the same bathroom (toilet). Didn't bother me, but you may want to be aware if this is a concern for you.

Wonderful casual dining restaurant close by Roman Verulanium…read more Waffles have been taken to a 'higher level' here and come with tasty fillings you will be amazed by. Also lots of other food choices, shakes and desserts on the menu Additionally, the restaurant is very child friendly and accommodating. Plenty of parking available in the restaurant lot. This is a fun place to eat and highly recommended.

The farm's tea shop does the best breakfast I've had in the area…read more I went for poached eggs on toast with a couple of 'Speldhurst' sausages on the side. The breakfast menu is simple but the quality of the core produce is way better than anything I've tasted nearby - to date. I've also experienced a number of poached egg disasters at restaurants recently, but these guys nailed it. Hallelujah for the soft warm yolky loveliness... The service was great too - young and friendly staff who were happy to serve and help. I didn't get to see the lunch menu so can't comment on this, but I was also intrigued to learn that Masterchef finalist Chris Georgiou uses this place for a gourmet burger night which takes place from Wednesday - Saturday called Gastronomical. I'll be giving that a try for sure.

As a tea room-cum-cafe this place is a snap post walking nearby Trent Park. Sourcing ingredients…read morelocally is a plus. My first trip here I choose the vegetarian soup which was broccoli and Stilton while my wife also went veggie soup with their vegetable soup. Both hit the spot. Service was quick and friendly despite being busy. We'll be back! NB - Wednesday to Saturday evening the venue is taken over by Masterchef finalist Chris Georgiou with Gastronomical serving burgers and desserts. We will have to give that a go!!

The restaurant is in a unremarkable location. But the food, service and ambiance is great. Found…read morethe place on Yelp and if I lived near I would definitely be back as the locals seem to. Sunday breakfast was busy!

From the owner: Local breakfast/brunch and lunch cafe by day and pizza restaurant in the evening.read more

Amazing! Went for the first time today. SUCH great food. Donut burger; smokey and HUGE and so so…read morenice. Staff were extremely friendly and welcoming and didn't mind our questions! Definitely recommend!!

We had planned to have an afternoon tea at this lovely little café while visiting Newbury. We…read moredecided to go for a quick lunch, a couple days before the planned afternoon tea. Well, it was a good thing we did, since we didn't get to go back for afternoon tea... Just as the name suggests, it is located right by the canal. It was very picturesque, peaceful and relaxing. They also have seating upstairs, and had histories on the canal, with photos posted all around the wall. Their cakes looked amazing, but I decided not to order any dessert on this day. Yes I know, a big mistake! Our friend ordered Heavenly Hot Chocolate, and it looked so pretty! We went with Teashop House Blend Tea, and Earl Grey. The young boy who brought the teas (I hear this is a family-run business) was trying to very careful not to mix them up. But the funny thing was, he totally mixed the tea up! LOL. We didn't realize until half way through... I thought the House Blend tea tasted so much like Earl Grey. For lunch, we had Ham, Cheese & Chutney Sandwich and Eggs Benedict. They were both tasty, nice portion, and filling. Our friend went with something healthier, and ordered one of their vegan sandwiches. It is nice to have that option if you want or need vegan dish. We had a nice quick lunch here. It was adorable and cozy. The food was good, not amazing, but good. I think the sweets might be better than the actual food...I will never know, unless I go back! Lesson learned: don't never expect your plan to go just the way you planned them...and have your dessert first!

I love this cafe It's a wonderful location; you can sit along the canal watching the swans, the…read morebaked goodies are delicious, the staff friendly and the cafe itself is quaint with beautiful painted china dotted around

On our last day of our holiday in England, we decided to try and find a cafe that served up a tasty…read moreEnglish breakfast. On our hunt, the Hardware Cafe came up and we decided to give it a try and were not disappointed! The only negative thing was that my stomach could not accommodate the entire contents of the dish! Coming from an American that has had many Full Englishes after having married a Brit, just try the Hardware Cafe!

This is probably the best corner cafe I have visited…read more The menu is varied and reasonably priced and pleasant mannered staff Also provided is bed and breakfast but I can't review this as not used the facility Clean family cafe with toddler amenities Good range of non alcoholic refreshments

Delicious food! Super friendly and helpful staff! Absolutely…read morewonderful experience, will most definitely eat here again when I'm in town.

Date of Visit: 02.10.09 "Pure Treasure - Great Chef with…read moregreat passion" Review: You first enter and feel that it is both casual and reasonably lively and Family friendly. I know Mill Hill and this is not my usual spot for breakfast or lunch so I was intrigued by Mill & Brew. The head chef was previously trained by Jamie Oliver and his passion for food and caring about the ingredients really shines through. Quick tip to the owner "don't let this one go". A great menu catering for all including a good vegetarian and vegan options with lots to select but my only criticism on the menu is that the Breakfast and Lunch menus are very similar and only a couple of new dishes added for lunch. Also although there are cakes and other dessert items no specific in house desserts and I would love to see this moving forward. All portion sizes are large so feel free to order more single dishes and share so you can get a chance to really sample the fantastic menu selection. I will be going again and would highly recommend this establishment to all. Parking: Ample station parking and also street metered parking also which although is limited to 1.5hours at around £2 you can go back and get another ticket. Decor & Lighting: A rustic cafe feel but really well done so you just feel comfortable at a light casual place to meet for a coffee or a full meal. Heating and Cooling: Noted they have AC and during our time the AC was off but temperature was perfect, not hot or cold. Ambience & Acoustics: A great feel but acoustics wise there were a few people around and it did sometimes get hard to have a conversation but being hard walls and high ceilings this would be an acoustic issue anyway. Service: Excellent service by all members of staff as each would come and ask if all was ok so very attentive. DB Level: 77.3 dB We had the following: Coconut crush - My friend had this and suffice to say it must have been to her taste as nothing was left. Berry burst - Textured and fresh and I am no fan of blueberry but loved this combination. I would recommend this for all to try. Beetroot smash (Poached beetroot smashed with organic yoghurt, topped with pomegranate, crushed walnuts & pistachios finished with fresh apple on sourdough) - A take on the usual avocado on toast but using an english ingredient. The bread is crispy with the beetroot both light and sweet. All very well presented and I for one not being a fan of beetroot was a bit worried about this one but I was pleasantly surprised and I am glad we had selected this from the menu and is a must to try. English breakfast (Two fried eggs, smoked streaky bacon, award-winning sausage, homemade baked beans, a baked tomato, Portobello mushroom, potato & onion rosti and toast) - Again a well presented dish. All the ingredients used and specially selected. The beans being fresh and not the canned variety with a great light taste. You also get a little salad with light fresh dressing. Along with the best crispy bacon I have had which was really crunchy. The award winning sausage had a light spice and perfectly cooked and not too meaty. The tomatoes and mushrooms along with the perfect egg and the most amazing hash brown all work in perfect balance. M&B banana pancakes (Triple-stacked fluffy pancakes! Choose between our classic smoked bacon and maple syrup or our caramelised bananas with sweetened cream cheese & toasted hazelnuts) - Sweet and fluffy but be aware this is a large portion which we shared and still could not finish the entire dish. Real care and attention taken to the dish which would not go a miss in most fine dining establishments. Albeit they would probably charge more and give a much smaller portion. Halloumi rings - A nice touch and variation on onion rings. A nice light and crispy batter and works well as a side dish also served with a home made dip which works well. Fries/Chips (Hand cut, twice cooked, crispy chips) - Great chunky chips which are rustic with the skin left on. Again served with a great home made dip. A treat for all. Chicken Schnitzel Burger (Free range crispy chicken breast fillet in a brioche bun with baby gem lettuce, homemade coleslaw & mature cheddar cheese, topped with siracha mayo) - A nice homely made item, crispy, crunchy and nice taste to the batter coating. Really fresh and worth every penny. Conclusion: The slight issue we found is that the Wi-Fi needs improvement as there is poor signal and no real cover. But food wise and atmosphere wise there was no complaints at all other than wanting maybe more items for Lunch and having their own home made dessert menu. All the food is fresh and all ingredients sourced with care and attention. I would be happy to have the same food in the top city hotel and I do think this chef is going places so why not try out where he started his own vision before you have to pay more for the privilege in years to come. Great food and good value.

Lovely, very friendly young lady quickly brought us our drinks. Food came promptly even on a busy…read morenight. Huge portions. Solid, down home cooking. We both had salad, meatloaf, peas, potato and a little dessert. We'll be back.

I absolutely love this place! The staff were super-friendly, the food was DELICIOUS and the sun was…read moreshining (they didn't control that, but it was a nice bonus for them and their lovely little courtyard)! And all for a very affordable price :) I sat in the glorious sunshine and basically inhaled a plate of avo, scrambled eggs, feta, softened onions and crispy fired potatoes. With balsamic, because that's how I roll - this plate was worthy of better than mere ketchup! I also indulged in a small but decadent latte, and asked for 'a big water' - so they bought me a nice little jug of tap (which is great, I was nervous they might try the hard sell on bottled - I don't pay for water!). I'd had a chance to eye up the cake counter as I entered, and I could not stop myself from ordering a slice of the lemon meringue pie - it was my favourite dessert as a child and it's been so long since I had some! I was served a HUGE portion, and though it was tasty it just wasn't quite everything I hoped it would be... Probably more my skewed memory than any fault of Ally's Kitchen! The meringue was light as air (but I like mine with more substance), with a lovely browned crisp outer edging. The lemon curd was sweet but still refreshingly tangy, and unfortunately the base was ever so slightly soggy as the lemon filling was quite juicy! I would also say the portion size was a bit unecessary, but who am I to complain about that? I would rather a smaller slice and a smaller price though (£5??) Anyway, overall my experience was delightful - I am hoping to move to the area soon, and will definitely pay another visit or two to this cute, friendly little cafe! My bill totalled £16, including my option to add just over 10% tip. Not bad at all!

Just had a fantastic Full English Breakfast. A good plateful that has set me up for the day. A…read moresteaming mug of freshly brewed coffee to go with it. nice views across the Heybridge Basin but, unfortunately, much too cold to sit outside. I am going to revisit during the summer (if we get one). Well worth a visit if you are in the area.

Visit the tearoom often, my favourite at lunchtime are the sandwiches on granary bread all fillings…read moreare very very tasty and last time I had a cheese ploughman's it was the best ever. All the staff are very friendly and helpful at all times.