Our top six of the brunch bunch
THERE is no denying the lure of a good full English breakfast, and you can’t beat a doorstep sandwich for lunch, writes Becky Jones.
But if you are feeling hungry in the middle of the day and don’t fancy either of these dishes, don’t worry because there are plenty of delicious brunch options available around Leicester.
In fact, so popular is this meal (generally eaten between 10am and 2pm) that many places even have dedicated brunch menus.
We’ve picked out six of our favourite independent places to enjoy brunch in Leicester – focusing on the places that serve brunch during the week, rather than just at weekends.
James’ Cafe Bistro, East Bond Street
With its delicious, freshly-made food, James’ Cafe Bistro is, in my opinion, one of Leicester’s best foodie hidden gems.
The family-run cafe is just down the road from the rear entrance to the Highcross shopping centre, and is well worth a visit next time you’re out shopping.
There is an impressive selection of food available on the menu, which is served from 9.30am until 5pm, Tuesday to Friday, and 10am until late on Saturday.
For brunch, you could try the American pancakes, crepes, or Eggs Benedict – the latter being one of my favourite dishes on the menu here.
Two perfectly runny poached eggs are served on toasted ciabatta, with a lovely homemade hollandaise sauce and side salad, and your choice of bacon, spinach, mushrooms, ham or smoked salmon.
Pictured, above, is the delicious Eggs Benedict with mushrooms (£6.75).
100&6, Queens Road, Clarendon Park
Opened in March, this neighbourhood bar and eatery is proving very popular with locals (and us!)
Focusing on seasonality and locality, the main menu features a wonderful selection of small plates, which can be enjoyed as a snack with a drink, or as small courses as part of a main meal.
There is also a dedicated brunch menu – served between 10am and 2pm, Monday to Saturday. Having been tweaked in response to customer demand, it currently features dishes including sweet potato pancakes with feta, chilli and maple syrup, home-cured salmon, scrambled eggs, chives and charcoal sourdough.
A recent convert to tofu, I went for the vegan option of chargrilled red pepper scrambled tofu with chimichurri and sourdough (£7.50).
This was deliciously different and full of flavour, enhanced by the zingy, garlicky chimichurri sauce. And not only does the sourdough bread taste good, it is great to know it’s made locally by Bisbrooke Artisans in Oakham.
You can enjoy your food while relaxing in the lovely surroundings, which are loosely based on highend homes in the area.
You can also treat yourself and eat your brunch in the venue’s “bedroom”!
Kai, St Martin’s Square
So, I may have told you about Kai’s American pancakes once or twice before, but honestly, they are superb!
They can be found on the all-day brunch menu at this little independent eatery in St Martin’s Square.
The pancakes are made with organic flour and are available with an impressive selection of toppings including streaky smoked bacon and maple syrup, peanut butter and banana, Red Leicester cheese, bacon, onion and maple syrup, and smoked salmon, lemon creme fraiche, smashed avocado, dill and olive oil.
In my opinion, you just can’t beat the berries, bananas and maple syrup version (£6 for stack of three, £7.50 for stack of five).
The pancakes, though big, are light and fluffy, and the combination of banana chunks, berries, maple syrup and dusting of icing sugar is delicious.
Jones’ Cafe Bistro, Queens Road, Clarendon Park
This family-run restaurant is probably best known for its Jones 666 Challenge (featuring six pancakes, six rashers of bacon, six sausages, six eggs, six hash browns and six slices of toast!)
But it also serves up wonderful waffles. They are available with the likes of bacon, eggs and maple syrup or blueberries and maple syrup (£5.50), which is the one I chose.
The two thick waffles were lovely and fluffy in the centre and crisp on the outside. Together with the blueberries and maple syrup, it made a delicious combination.
Other options include avocado brunch, American pancakes, Eggs Benedict or Eggs Florentine. Breakfast and lunch menus are served all day.
St Martin’s Coffee, St Martin’s Square
I’m a big fan of bacon and I love a good naan, but I’d never have thought of putting the two together. If the bacon naan (£5) I tasted at St Martin’s is anything to go by, it’s definitely a winning combination!
The naan was soft and chewy and the bacon was lovely and crisp.
Plus, it’s pimped up with a combination of homemade brown sauce, Tandoori tomato jam, cream cheese and a hint of coriander.
You’ll find the bacon naan on the breakfast menu, which is served Monday to Saturday, 9am to 12pm, and on Sunday 11am to 3.30pm.
It also features the likes of avocado on toast, ham and cheese panini and vegetarian sausage naan.
Merchant of Venice, Granby Street
A recent addition to the city’s food and drink scene, this distinctive coffee shop has a design inspired by the Shakespeare play of the same name, and is a beautiful place in which to relax. You can even try out the swing seats in the windows!
There is an all-day breakfast menu from which I chose the toasted bread with mashed avocado (£4.25), plus poached egg (75p extra).
The avocado on toast and perfectly poached egg made a deliciously rich and creamy combination, and were served with well seasoned tomato slices and rocket salad.
Other dishes available on the allday breakfast menu include a bacon ciabatta, and the Leicester breakfast, Venice breakfast and Merchant breakfast, which are variants of a traditional cooked breakfast.