BRAMBLE RAMBLE
Our famished Scone Spy hotfoots it to another hidden gem.
SO much for spring, eh? Never mind snowdrops, we’re still dealing with actual snowstorms in April, heavens above.
And so it’s through a triple threat of rain, sleet and snow that I trudge to what I’ve been told is a hidden gem in Giffnock.
It’s a term I feel is banded about too frequently these days, though the charming Bramble Café certainly fits the bill.
But considering the long queues outside it at weekends, I think it’s safe to say the word is already out about this wonderful wee place.
So I’m here on a dreich weekday lunchtime to snare a table.
It’s like stepping into a different world – light, bright, airy and calm, with colourful tulips topping each table.
And I’ve arrived just in time. After I’m seated, the rest of the café’s eight tables fill up quickly.
With the quality and variety of the lunch dishes on offer, as well as the friendly service, it’s not hard to see why it’s so popular.
Bramble’s menu doesn’t deal in the ordinary. No run-of-the-mill sandwiches or jacket potatoes here.
As well as porridge, full breakfasts and fluffy pancake stacks, exciting dishes include huevos rancheros (spicy Mexican eggs), nasi goreng (an Indonesianinspired breakfast rice bowl with prawns and veg),
chimichurri (egg, halloumi, avocado and pesto on Italian bread), breakfast burritos and brioche French toast.
There’s also an enticing range of eggs Hollandaise options.
I’m tempted by eggs Benedict, served on a huge doorstop wedge of delicious, grilled Italian bread and topped with a pile of shredded ham hock, poached eggs and apple cider hollandaise.
It’s so tasty I wolf it down to the point where I’m almost at risk of being too full for a scone.
But floating above the bar and Bramble’s glorious cake display is one of those cute slogan plaques you see hanging in most cafes these days.
“Diet starts Monday!” it advises.
Now that’s the story of my life. This scone scoffing business isn’t exactly forgiving on the waistline.
True to form, I can’t resist a homemade fruit scone. The triangular whopper is soft, fluffy and sweet with a nice, crunchy and oaty crust. Yum!
I like that it comes with a healthy serving of strawberry jam and a mound of soft butter, none of this tiny, single portions in plastic packets nonsense!
After hoovering up every last crumb, I’m close to bursting but cast a longing eye over that row of huge homemade cakes, including coffee and walnut, chocolate, lemon drizzle, Victoria sponge and a blueberry loaf cake.
No wonder Bramble is so busy, there are just too many delicious things to taste in one sitting.
That diet will just have to wait…