Review: The Brunch Club Cafe

Seeking brunch? Maybe join this Club.
 Pro A filling and fairly priced deal.
 Con We were left with an ethical worry.

Pay

Per Person €17 for the three-course deal, with coffee and mimosa/cave/orange juice to choose.
Reservations essential on Sundays, at least.

Find
Website https://www.brunchclubcafe.com/
Access Stepfree entry. Bathrooms are one step up.


In Short
Hopes. Pre-football fill-up.
Reality. So much food I brought some home for tea.
First Impressions. Garlands of greenery and filament bulbs; multiple mirrors and porcelain plates. These are a few of their favourite things.
USP? Hmm. Despite the decor, it's fundamentally pretension free.
The offer in three words. A Big Brunchfast.
Service! Efficient, but a bit of radar tweaking needed.
Friend friendly? Brunch has the necessary options. Multiple milks are on offer, albeit with a 20c supplement.
Rating for dating. One would think so, but there are lots of tables for groups.
Tip? 8%
Change one thing? Sustainability awareness.
Revisitability. Good. It feels a reliable, serious choice.

Compare & Contrast
Maricastaña's 3 minutes away.

In Pictures
On Google Images

What's the story?
We were very happy with The Brunch Club and can see ourselves going back.

On arrival we were lead down a passage to a back room, decked out like a smart conservatory. Think Bake Off marquee meets boutique B&B. It pulled off the trick of seeming well lit with just the one window. Mirrors and plants help things along, but in summer the lack of aircon might make it challenging as the morning warms up into afternoon.

As well as the wider menu, two set brunch options are explained. The full one extends to three courses including the near obligatory juice/cava/mimosa option. €17 isn't the cheapest in the world, but it's competitive when you see what's on offer.

The decently-chilled bucks fizz was followed by a very well-filled bread basket, a sweet and savoury spreads tray and a nice, fresh, fruity yoghurt topped with pineapple, kiwi, pomegranate. A good start, with everything arriving in good time & in a logical order.
The Brunch Club CafeThe Brunch Club Cafe
Maybe the best Eggs Benedict we've found yet, this one scored on all levels. A proper breakfast muffin; some decent still juicy bacon (change to salmon or avocado to taste) scores points for credibility and attention to detail; excellent hollandaise and a decent, tastily dressed greenery garnish. Very, very good and we'd readily go again. Extra ingredients are on offer for €1.
The Brunch Club Cafe
Colossal, we took half of the BLT wrap away, as it's enough to feed you for most of the day. We're going to moan a bit and argue that more bacon and a smidge less vegetation would make a better balance, but it's a beast anyway. There's avocado in there too, making it even more filling.
The Brunch Club Cafe
So this is a polished brunch, thinking about the market around Triball/Malasaña. Points? We say hold back a bit on the breads. Excellent, freshly warmed croissants and flattish rolls make for a generous offer, but an extra toasted roll/panecillo went back to the kitchen, and it wasn't just our table where we could see that had happened. With so much bread wastage on the planet, there's a win-win opportunity, here. Offer a second helping. It'd cut the costs, but that doesn't leave the offer looking less generous.

We'd say similar about the - terrifically well-appointed - preserves tray. Four options is impressive, but, again, they could be optional - "All or some?". It'd be a thoughtful touch. Add notes on the menu that you're doing your bit to try to raise awareness of food wastage and that's a win-win-win, in fact. Of course, if the bread's being reused that's great, but please shout about it, if so.

Service was well timed, everything turning up in pretty good order, although it did take a bit of eye contact exchanging to get the bill sorted. The absence of a timetable for sittings is very welcome, relies on, and indeed is an advertisement for, well-organised staff. Success, there. Not fans of table timetables, that in itself is enough to make us keen on TBCC for a return visit.

The price isn't cheap, but the offer's generous. The service is efficient and ventilation & sustainability details aside, the service, decor and ambience also work in its favour.

Book ahead.