Golden Cafe -- Greenwich High Street -- a favourite

The Golden Cafe on Greenwich High Street is surely my favourite breakfast cafe in London.  In addition to the occasional breakfast out, I meet friends here almost every Saturday morning for a tea with hot milk (which the staff are very happy to provide).  
Great location.  Good hearty food and friendly service at a reasonable price.  

My more posh friends marvel at the 70p price tag on the mug of tea -- obviously not frequenters of breakfast cafes.  Keep in mind, I'm looking for a local friendly greasy spoon, not Costa Coffee. 

The Gold Cafe has everything going for it to qualify as a favourite greasy spoon -- friendly staff, newspapers on the tables, please soft background radio of chatty rock-n-roll, full of men looking for a good hearty breakfast, no TV.  

I love the numerous bright coloured hand-written menu cards covering the walls. 

The Golden Cafe is popular and busy, yet we've always found an empty table, or half of one, enough space for the two of us.  
 Even though we're in Greenwich, the prices are not inflated for potential gullible tourists.  It's just far enough from the central historical area -- the Clocktower Market, recently restored Cutty Sark, Maritime Museum, Painted Hall and Victorian covered market -- that it's protected from any onslaught of tourists. 

When it comes to the food -- runny poached eggs on thick slabs of toast. Hot tea with hot milk.  And a Full English Breakfast option that fills the large plates to overflowing.

I'm not a fan of baked beans, personally, and marvel at their popularity.  For most folks here, breakfast isn't complete without those baked beans on the side.  A bean delivery at the Gold Cafe assures that beans will always be available!  That's a lot of beans!

Seating -- I don't usually think that much about it; most cafes have pre-fab molded tables and chairs, and we just slip in and enjoy our meal.  But here at the Gold Cafe I realize seating makes a difference -- loose chairs that are fairly comfortable (not just molded plastic scoops) make for a better eating experience!  Is it my imagination, or does the conversation actually flow more smoothly when sitting on rattan chairs and my cup rests on a marble-look-alike table?  Maybe that's why I frequent the Gold Cafe and the ECCo on Drury Lane for tea anytime -- just wondering.  

I'll be back to the Golden Cafe in Greenwich for another Breakfast in Britain!  And now, I'll enjoy all that Greenwich has to offer -- a must for anyone visiting London.
Here are photos from a previous visit, on a much sunnier day -- yes the sun does shine in London!

The painted hall ..."The Painted Hall is often described as the ‘finest dining hall in Europe’. Designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Nicholas Hawksmoor, it was originally intended as an eating space for the naval veterans who lived here at the Royal Hospital for Seamen. Its exuberant wall and ceiling decorations are by Sir James Thornhill and pay tribute to British maritime power."  Completed in the early 1700's  http://www.ornc.org  

The matching towers of the Chapel and Painted Hall, part of the old Royal Naval College. "The Chapel, constructed by Thomas Ripley to the designs of Sir Christopher Wren, was the last major part of the Royal Hospital for Seamen to be built. Following a disastrous fire in 1779, it was redecorated by James ‘Athenian’ Stuart in the Greek revival style, and today is a wonderful example of a complete neoclassical interior."

The Cutty Sark, once the fastest ship on the seas!  "Cutty Sark reopened in April 2012, beginning a new chapter in the extraordinary life of the last surviving tea clipper, the fastest and greatest of her time. She is a living testimony to the bygone, glorious days of sail and, most importantly, a monument to those that lost their lives in the merchant service."  http://www.rmg.co.uk/cuttysark 

Looking across the Thames toward Canary Wharf from the Greenwich Observatory... "The Royal Observatory Greenwich is the home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian of the World. It is also home to London's only planetarium, the Harrison timekeepers and the UK's largestrefracting telescope. "  

http://www.rmg.co.uk/royal-observatory  

Oak Cafe -- in the shadow of royalty

Floods throughout Kent, including a giant sink-hole on the M2 (motorway) keep us close to home today.  Hearing of our weekly Breakfast-in-Britain outings, the crew of Dunphy Funeral Directors recently recommended the Oak Cafe at nearby Honor Oak as the "best greasy spoon" around, so off we trudge in the grey dreariness of early morning. 
 Not sure why "honor" omits the "u," but the legend goes... on 1 May 1602, Elizabeth I picnicked with Sir Richard Bulkeley of Beaumaris by an oak tree at the summit of this hill, and the tree came to be known as the Oak of Honor.  So, walking in the footsteps of royalty!

Open at 6:00, the sandwich board and interior lights of The Oak Cafe invite us inside. Indeed, Dunphy's FD crew hit the nail on the head...best prices yet, and look at that Set Menu No.1!  Yummy! Happy Husband digs in with glee. 

We haven't tried fried bread since the rock-hard variety at the Car Wash Diner...this is a different animal!  Both soft and crisp with deep fry flavour, almost like a donut. My toast and two fried eggs, shape-controlled by a circle mould, rate close to perfect -- runny yolk soaking into brown bread. 

The place is hopping by 7:30!  All 10 tables are occupied -- all men -- some in reflector suits, others in neck ties, quite the rainbow variety!  Classy artwork tips the scale.  And...the radio plays non-invasively at background volume, movable chairs, friendly family proprietor.  Interesting yellow-green lit menu board seems to add a calming hue overall.  Wierd, but it works.  Overall, a pleasant we'll-be-back experience.

Well sated, we take in the neighbourhood -- Honor Oak Rail Station (opened in 1886, for the line that was laid in 1839), now an Overground station bringing a new wave of young professionals into the area, sit a few yards away. 

A first floor flat in the Victorian and Georgian terrace houses runs for £150,000 to 250,000. Homes run from an Edwardian listed for £400 to many for well over £1,000.000.  Definitely out of our range -- smile!  Grateful to get our home with our job. Adult children often stay with parents a long time as they are priced out of the housing market here.
We marvel, as we often do, at the detail of the houses -- coloured glass windows, arches, friezes, curved window bays, alcoves, tile entry walkways, patterned brick work, pastel stucco -- a feast for the eye!

 A tattered building stuck ino a wooded space turns out to be a church with a bright picture of Jesus on its sign.  Looks like it's been dropped by aliens from rural America. Odd.  Probably had a previous life as a Scout Hall nestled near the tracks.

Signs of infrastructure repairs remind us of the on-going labour behind the London-that-works, keeping the more-than-a-century-old underground water and gas systems going.

Our last jaunt through Hilly Fields reveal more spring flower!  Promise and hope abound!

See you next week for another Breakfast-in-Britain!

City Safe Haven -- Top Chef Cafe on Brockley Road

Passing shuttered businesses along Brockley Road (SE4), we head toward the sign board announcing Top Chef Cafe is open for custom.  We're rugged up against the cold wintry air, so delight in the warmth as we step inside.

The warmth extends to our welcome. Uger and Musa greet us into what is clearly a mens-zone at this point. They've been flipping eggs since 6:30, yet have energy and interest to ask about our foreign accents. Turns out they hail from Cyprus and have resided in South London for 24 years. 

No food photos, no menus and no music stack up the points in their favour when it comes to pleasing our simple tastes.  The décor consists of a rack of newspapers and six clever sign boards concerning coffee, summed up as "Life begins with coffee." And the eggs are perfectly crisped with runny yolks -- yum!  Mugs of strong steaming tea tops things off.

We notice the "City Safe Haven" poster in the window, and realize our local church's footwork has indeed made an impact on our community. 

Our church, St. Andrew's United Reformed Church Brockley (on the corner) is a paying member of South London Citizens, a branch of Citizens UK, a not-for-profit organization bringing together numerous faith communities, trade unions, and schools to address local concerns and make a difference in people's lives. 

A first focus of action, about 14 years ago, was initiating the Living Wage Campaign which has resulted in communities, corporations and government across Britain taken the steps to ensure workers a "living wage" -- enough above minimum wage to enable a worker to take the tube instead of the bus and take their family out once a week for a meal -- ensuring more family time which, one might be tempted to believe, means healthier and happier families, which, one might be tempted to believe, means healthier and happier communities.

The City Safe Campaign arises from the concern that children and youth feeling bullied or being hassled on the streets have no place to go to find protection and safety.  Historically, businesses here as in so many other cities, might keep their doors locked so young people can't come in and "loiter."  Or shoo "problem" youth out, not wanting to get involved in potential conflicts, and wanting to keep their shop in an isolated island of calm. I can understand that age-ism sentiment, and am excited about this alternative: City Safe.  Proprietors receive some training, ideally, in conflict resolution, and agree to allow threatened and fearful youth to enter their space for sanctuary.  They agree to call the police who are included in the plan, so there is immediate intervention on the behalf of the hassled youngster.  Remember, police officers here do not carry guns, and store owners for that matter, and the youth involved, legally do not carry guns. So there's the opportunity for a reasonable and safe intervention.  So, the City Safe sign in a window promises sanctuary and reasonable response in the aid of frightened children and youth -- what a concept!

We stroll home through crisp air under a brilliant blue sky.  Signs of spring abound!  Another pleasant Breakfast in Britain.