Star Cafe -- Crofton Park, Lewisham, Southeast London

Staying close to home, we amble through the rainy morning toward Crofton Park, and enjoy a tasty hot breakfast of tea & toast at the Star Cafe on Brockley Road. 

 

The Cyprian proprietor welcomes us and others in the steady stream of hungry Southeast Londoners.

The Star fits the bill for a "typical British cafe, with it's signboards out front, clientèle in reflective wear, and lengthy list of breakfast options.

Another satisfactory and relaxing Breakfast in Britain!

Drury Lane Revisited -- ECCo Cafe

"Why back to Drury Lane and its ballet shops?" you may ask. Truth be told, it's an easy destination being at the end of our local bus line. A big draw used to be ModelZone which was around the corner before the chain went bankrupt and closed down. And then there's the ECCo Cafe which serves a free croissant with each coffee, and the British Museum and its mummies, only two streets away, opens at 9:30. 

ECCo is actually a chain, but we didn't know that for about two years, during which time we thought we were supporting a friendly Indie concern.  (It's actually English Coffee Company ) 

 Even though the view is rotten (a giant concrete TravelLodge across the street) and the seating is basic, Carlos's friendly greeting always makes our day -- though I managed not to catch that smile in a photo. Carlos is the primary person behind the counter -- lovely chap from Ecuador, "where the sun shines everyday," or so he claims (and wanted me to put on the blog). I may have missed capturing Carlos's smile on film, but I did, however, catch Happy Husband expressing his amazement at Carlos's satisfying presentation of a Full English breakfast.

Another reason we favour this ECCo Cafe --- it provides a convenient location near High Holborn tube station for meeting folks coming in from Heathrow on the Piccadilly line, a place to enjoy a cuppa before the next leg of our homeward bound bus journey. Also provides warm and dry waiting space before heading out for a flight departure. That's where the back  room comes in handy -- always space and no one is bothered when we've stayed for a couple hours.  
So what makes a cafe okay with us? One would think it was decor and runny yolks, but today it's familiarity and friendliness.  No decor, no view, uncomfortable seats, cold draft from the open front door next to our table, no newspapers, and a dark descent to the loo, but...but...our most frequented cafe in London.  Go figure.  

I was going to say it is location, too, but Cafe Verona (the "cafe of no returns" which we visited on Boxing Day) is next door!  I guess we tend to overlook a lot when positive relationships develop.  So ECCo Cafe on Drury Lane can thank Carlos, along with the free croissant, for bringing joy to lots of people's mornings.  

The bonus for the day is heading up a couple of streets to the British Museum, then rambling through the University of London, and even a visit (our first) to Dr. Williams Library -- an intriguing attic-like collection with disconcertingly minimal shelving organization, where many of the archives for the Congregational Church and now the United Reformed Church are kept. 

London is an amazing city.  It's an honour and privilege to live here.  And ECCo Cafe on Drury Lane is a great place for us to start our day.  Just ask for Carlos!

Verona Cafe on Drury Lane -- a place of no returns!

Boxing Day -- wonderful to have our Day Off match a Day Off for the city...We ramble in on our regular double-decker, hopping off at Waterloo Bridge for the best views of London!  We watch the preparation of the ice rink at Somerset House for another day of skating.

We stroll up Drury Lane, past the shops filled with dance paraphenalia, heading to our favourite ECo Cafe.  Alas, closed for the holiday.  But we're in luck...the lights are on at nearby Verona Cafe.  But that's where our luck stops.


Unfriendly, okay -- rude staff, hard-boiled yolks in our poached eggs, no hot milk given, and a charge of £2.20 ($3.50) for a refill of hot water poured over our used teabags add up to not a great breakfast experience. And the special deal advertised on the outside sandwich board is "not available today," and that comment right after a greeting of "Merry Christmas."  Yes, the tea was hot, but not piping, and three times the cost of a usual mug.  

 The expedition  to the loo down the stairs in the middle of the room was the icing on the cake...or the cream on the scone.... 


No stars of approval for this place -- except, thankfully, the place is dead silent which means a peaceful background as we chew our hard eggs and dry toast.  And after a complaint about the charge for the cup of hot water, the waiter reluctantly and with a snarl returns the £2.20. 

Sorry Verona, but we will not be coming back. 

Happy Boxing Day!  

Brockley Breakfast -- where locals go

Ah! Breakfast in Britain -- Another perfectly prepared portion of eggs and toast being enjoyed by Happy Husband. Today at Central Cafe, on Brockley Road in Southeast London (SE4).  We try the fried eggs instead of poached, though poached are available; set in round molds to create perfect circles, Eastern European style.  Runny as we like them.  And the piping hot tea is brought to the table -- feels like luxury. 

Delightful display of double-decker buses passing the front windows (routes 171 & 172 stop across the street).  Minimal personality, with gold framed standard restaurant-fare pictures hanging above bouquets of plastic flowers. But bright, light and warm on a cold morning in London.

So...condiments.  What do we find on our breakfast tables?  Here at Central Cafe we find the regulars of salt & pepper, sugar, vinegar and tomato sauce.  Then there's soy sauce.  Why the soy sauce?  They do serve lunches, but on what would one shake soy sauce?  And vinegar?  Where has that tradition come from...vinegar on chips (french fries)?  I love it, don't get me wrong, but were the fried sliced potatoes of old so bad that they needed a flavour to cut the fact that they were a big edgy?  Or one day did someone just discover it's a good combination of flavours?  And no, to folks from outside the UK, that is not catsup, nor is it ketchup.  Tomato sauce in Britain is an animal unto itself.  My brother-in-law, of recent British descent, insists that there is more than vinegar and sugar in it, even real tomatoes.  

Frequent flow of customers fill the 40-seat single store front.  Some choosing take away egg sandwiches. Noticeable cleanliness -- tables wiped clean as soon as they are emptied, ready for the next diner.  As you can see, plenty of newspapers to go around.

Standard illustrated menu, immovable furniture -- parties up to 4 only, I guess, or split in two. But fine for the two of us.  Radio on, a blend of talk and music, hip hop mostly, but pleasantly unobtrusive.  Could be louder, but thankfully not. 

Brockley Road, the "high street" of Brockley, is mostly cafes, restaurants, a laundromat and a couple small shops, and there's a Costcutters for bread and bananas, but not a tourist destination.  Though St Andrew's United Reformed Church, a five minute walk down the road, is a lovely old Presbyterian style church built in 1882, remodeled about 15 years ago creating a new bright cheerful interior. (SE4 2SA)

So, in general a good review for a typical greasy-spoon cafe breakfast.

See you next week!

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