His Last Bao?
Pro It's a selfietastic environment
Con Confusion.
Pay
Now closed and reopened as Mamuka Cafe.
Per Person €25 for the set menu, drinks included.
Find
Website Click
Access One step to enter, one step down into bathroom.
In Short
Hopes. Something out of left field.
Reality. Detail tweaks really needed.
First Impressions. Millenials, come worship in your retro temple.
USP? Brunch for dinner.
The offer in three words. ...brunch for dinner.
Service! A friendly fellow, who needs another pair of hands.
Friend friendly? A plate of embutidos is a V-unfriendly roadblock. Meaty main can be replaced by cheesey omelette offers.
Rating for dating. Decor and ambience are total winners, but portion choices perplex.
Tip? No.
Change one thing? Threes.
Revisitability. Fine, if you like what's on the menu.
Compare & Contrast
La Carbonera is just up the road.
In Pictures
On Google Images
What's the story?
So here we are at the top of Juan de Dios. A stone's throw from Noviciado. And, point of order Mr Speaker, we've found a new word.
Brinner!
Err...Brynner?
No. Brinner!
Oh.
Yes. Really. Essentially the meal you expect at 1pm on Sunday. But now making the start of your weekend, not marking the beginning of the end. So how did our first-ever edible neologism come off?
Well, the decor and setting is spectacular. It's one and a half floors of vintage heaven - or hell, depending on where you come at it from. There's distressed furniture. Narrow staircases. An old radio with a weird lighting effect stuck in it. Sofas that have seen better days. Chipped porcelain that may have witnessed them too. And 19 year olds taking selfies rather than eating - or even bothering to order - food they're paying €25 a head for. Welcome to somewhere between 1935 and 1965. The sound track's on point, by the way. You can call him Al;
We climbed the wooden hill, not to Bedfordshire, but the mezzanine office level of the old printers that occupied this building back in the Holocene. The lovely, huge original windows date from then. We waited for courses. The offer is straightforward; introductory drinks, various plates of food, a cocktail to finish.
Beers ordered and rapidly delivered, a pot of pate turned up as course one, but was no more than you'd expect as an aperitif and didn't have any preserves to add balance. Two tostadas were sizeable. Salmon and capers topped one well, Parmeasan, walnuts and honey made for a good balance on the other. Freshly prepared, we enjoyed them.
An excellent bottle of oil and some smart bread helped things along, as we started on a plate of four cold cuts. It had quality components but scored two entirely avoidable own goals. We felt short-changed on cheese. Four pieces isn't in the spirit of a menu billing it as co-star with the cold cuts. Second, while we were delighted to try some superb chorizo, with pimenton as fresh as can be, but...three slices? Between two people? That's either not thought out or simply a bit mean.
Three pulled-pork bao constitute the main course. Three bao. Two diners. You do the maths. Three divided by two makes...for confusion. Depending how well you know your tablemate, it's either no problem or social slip-up scenario. OK, it's a talking point, but it's a potential complication, too. What would have happened if I'd gone in alone? How many would I have got? Had the chef run out of buns and given us the final one in as a freebie? Size wise, one isn't enough for a main course. Two would work. The flavour news was good. There was some oniony crunch with the suitably meaty, well-cooked filling. We liked them. Spoiler: we had one and a half each.
Dessert was a game of two halves. Surprise for the server when we told him we knew the excellent lemon meringue choux bun was from Eclair Madrid, up the road. Confusion for us that a white chocolate mousse came partly warm, suggesting it had been microwaved from deep-chilled. Well however it happens, warm mousse is going to be partly liquid. The raspberry jam was nice, but colacao black forest gateau puree, anyone? Thought not.
Last item on the menu? Cocktails! Splendid! We had to ask for them, fairly intently. "Oh, would you like the cocktail too, then?" Well, you're offering a set menu, old son. Don't sound surprised when we're planning to try out everything on it. Verdict? A mild caipirinha with lemon not lime, and a decent mojito which I enjoyed.
So, those main points again. The decor's spot on and the background music sets it off perfectly. The cocktails are good. There are tasty ingredients to be had. But there are confounding, perplexing issues. Not enough cheese. Quantities seemingly designed to tease out if your date's as generous and thoughtful as they claim on their profile. And amiable but strangely disconnected service at key moments.
And the other thing is, even though we've never had one before ever, we're not sure this was really brinner. We reckon it's supposed to be breakfast food at night. This is a conventional collection of lunch and evening dishes as an elongated set menu.
It's an interesting experience. We enjoyed it, all in all, but I really can't see us going back. We've had the menu. There's not enough to tempt us back. So it's good night from us, and, keeping the mood right, it's good night from him.
Pro It's a selfietastic environment
Con Confusion.
Pay
Now closed and reopened as Mamuka Cafe.
Per Person €25 for the set menu, drinks included.
Find
Website Click
Access One step to enter, one step down into bathroom.
In Short
Hopes. Something out of left field.
Reality. Detail tweaks really needed.
First Impressions. Millenials, come worship in your retro temple.
USP? Brunch for dinner.
The offer in three words. ...brunch for dinner.
Service! A friendly fellow, who needs another pair of hands.
Friend friendly? A plate of embutidos is a V-unfriendly roadblock. Meaty main can be replaced by cheesey omelette offers.
Rating for dating. Decor and ambience are total winners, but portion choices perplex.
Tip? No.
Change one thing? Threes.
Revisitability. Fine, if you like what's on the menu.
Compare & Contrast
La Carbonera is just up the road.
In Pictures
On Google Images
What's the story?
So here we are at the top of Juan de Dios. A stone's throw from Noviciado. And, point of order Mr Speaker, we've found a new word.
Brinner!
Err...Brynner?
No. Brinner!
Oh.
Yes. Really. Essentially the meal you expect at 1pm on Sunday. But now making the start of your weekend, not marking the beginning of the end. So how did our first-ever edible neologism come off?
Well, the decor and setting is spectacular. It's one and a half floors of vintage heaven - or hell, depending on where you come at it from. There's distressed furniture. Narrow staircases. An old radio with a weird lighting effect stuck in it. Sofas that have seen better days. Chipped porcelain that may have witnessed them too. And 19 year olds taking selfies rather than eating - or even bothering to order - food they're paying €25 a head for. Welcome to somewhere between 1935 and 1965. The sound track's on point, by the way. You can call him Al;
Beers ordered and rapidly delivered, a pot of pate turned up as course one, but was no more than you'd expect as an aperitif and didn't have any preserves to add balance. Two tostadas were sizeable. Salmon and capers topped one well, Parmeasan, walnuts and honey made for a good balance on the other. Freshly prepared, we enjoyed them.
An excellent bottle of oil and some smart bread helped things along, as we started on a plate of four cold cuts. It had quality components but scored two entirely avoidable own goals. We felt short-changed on cheese. Four pieces isn't in the spirit of a menu billing it as co-star with the cold cuts. Second, while we were delighted to try some superb chorizo, with pimenton as fresh as can be, but...three slices? Between two people? That's either not thought out or simply a bit mean.
Three pulled-pork bao constitute the main course. Three bao. Two diners. You do the maths. Three divided by two makes...for confusion. Depending how well you know your tablemate, it's either no problem or social slip-up scenario. OK, it's a talking point, but it's a potential complication, too. What would have happened if I'd gone in alone? How many would I have got? Had the chef run out of buns and given us the final one in as a freebie? Size wise, one isn't enough for a main course. Two would work. The flavour news was good. There was some oniony crunch with the suitably meaty, well-cooked filling. We liked them. Spoiler: we had one and a half each.
Dessert was a game of two halves. Surprise for the server when we told him we knew the excellent lemon meringue choux bun was from Eclair Madrid, up the road. Confusion for us that a white chocolate mousse came partly warm, suggesting it had been microwaved from deep-chilled. Well however it happens, warm mousse is going to be partly liquid. The raspberry jam was nice, but colacao black forest gateau puree, anyone? Thought not.
Last item on the menu? Cocktails! Splendid! We had to ask for them, fairly intently. "Oh, would you like the cocktail too, then?" Well, you're offering a set menu, old son. Don't sound surprised when we're planning to try out everything on it. Verdict? A mild caipirinha with lemon not lime, and a decent mojito which I enjoyed.
So, those main points again. The decor's spot on and the background music sets it off perfectly. The cocktails are good. There are tasty ingredients to be had. But there are confounding, perplexing issues. Not enough cheese. Quantities seemingly designed to tease out if your date's as generous and thoughtful as they claim on their profile. And amiable but strangely disconnected service at key moments.
And the other thing is, even though we've never had one before ever, we're not sure this was really brinner. We reckon it's supposed to be breakfast food at night. This is a conventional collection of lunch and evening dishes as an elongated set menu.
It's an interesting experience. We enjoyed it, all in all, but I really can't see us going back. We've had the menu. There's not enough to tempt us back. So it's good night from us, and, keeping the mood right, it's good night from him.