The day had finally come. It was something I had been putting off for a little while, and rarely does a trip to a particular cafe for breakfast to write about it have much gravity. But when you've been hearing about the refurbishing of a place, have had friends actively working to start something up, and you are aware of how much has been invested in it, and how such a cafe has become people's lives, then, then there's a wee bit of gravity. And you can't just go rushing into somewhere for breakfast when there's some gravity involved; you've got to wait and let the gravity get its act together, and have all the objects stop floating around in space and settle down on the ground. Then it is apt to go for a breakfast and chronicle your time there. 19/01/14 was when the time was right for me to go, with Santiago, to Joe's Cafe. I would also be going for breakfast with CJ Hopkinson, recently returned to Brighton and sadly without her dog, Percy. It was her that originally got me into the whole "meeting up with people for coffee" thing that was an influence on the formation of this breakfast project, and so it was great that she was back in town and around to do some fastbreaking with. She is also one of the best people I know for chattering on about random idiosyncratic esotericisms. An' shit.
Like Extreme Ironing. As someone who enjoys fun and games such as tree-climbing, as well as being well-versed in the homely arts, I would have thought this would be a true calling for her. Apparently not. She would like to have an ultra-foldable ironing board if she was to embark on this pursuit. Foldable not so much in the style of a folding bike, but foldable like one of these extending boxing gloves. What is that form of extending called? If anyone knows, please post the answer at the bottom of the blog. If anyone would like to sort out a Kickstarter campaign to create one of these ironing boards for CJ that would be great too.
We also had a nice wee chat about live performance, particularly music and comedy, and how important improvisation is. A live performance is a singular event and it is apt and correct for it to offer something different, something singular, from the recorded performance. As well as doing this, improvisation illustrates how adept the performer is in their chosen field, if they are able to offer something that is enjoyable and entertaining that they have created on the fly. CJ recently saw Paul Foot perform in Brighton, and in a set that seemed to be half planned, half improvised, it was the improvised half that shone the brightest. It is the importance of improvisation that means that I will always rate Ross Noble higher than Bill Bailey in the stand-up arena, despite the obvious skill and intelligence that the lovely Mr. Bailey possesses. From what I've seen of their live DVDs, Bailey reuses jokes and songs time and time again, whereas Noble loves nothing more than going off on an audience-inspired tangent. Bill Bailey might be a lovelier chap, but I'd rather see Ross Noble in the flesh.
Just like Bill Bailey, Joe's Cafe had a lovely feel to it (that was my attempt at an improvised link). It reminded me of one of my favourite pubs in Brighton, the Barley Mow, which feels more friendly and inclusive than any pub I've ever been to, catering to all tastes and ages. The only thing Joe's needs is a good collection of board games and you've got the cafe equivalent. It's quite small, so there's not much space for wild dances of celebration, but that's a minor quibble. They've also decided to use the word "breaky" on their menu, rather than using the spelling "brekkie". I would personally go for the latter, as their choice of spelling has some rather unsavoury non-breakfast connotations for me... Whether or not this is a minor or major quibble though is a matter of taste.
And so, the breakfast:
Veggie Breakfast
Veggie sausage, portabello mushrooms, toast, beans, slow roasted tomato, fried egg
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| Veggie Breakfast - £5.50 |
It is very nice to be asked to write the food review again for this blog. I have been lucky to write about two very delicious breakfasts! Let me describe why!
First of all, I think that there was some great seasoning here. There was some oregano involved, and pepper, with the tomato, eggs, and mushrooms. Yum! The tomatoes and mushrooms were religious. Their textures were fleshy, and along with this passionate flavouring, they were strong; I think the word English people use is lush, like the power of the smell that comes from the Lush shop near North Street. Slow roasting the tomato and using Portabello mushrooms made an impact.
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| Unsure about this Viking helmet |
The eggs and the potato were cooked very well also, with the egg white having a nice shiver to it, with the yolk flowing over it like the waves on the beach. The potato reminded me of good English chips. These were good to have as there were lots of fleshy and juicy things on the plate that need something to soak them up.
Oh man, and the sausage! Again another great sausage! I wonder if they have been Brighton Sausage Company sausages? This was another expert one, meaty and peppery. Estupendo.
And then, yes, two very English things! Beans on toast! Did you know that 75% of the world's baked beans are eaten by the British? Crazy! These beans had what James calls a very good tang. The toast was lovely as well, juicy from being given butter before served, but also crisp as well, from being toasted well. The crisp toast was great, as it was a different texture to the other foods. What wonderful food.
Thanks, Santiago. I don't think I know any more chefs, so that'll probably be the last we hear from him for a while, unless I take him for a breakfast at some point. Who knows? In any case, he's done a fine job writing here. I should just highlight the joy of receiving bonus potatoes which were not mentioned on the menu, as well as the jolly presentation of toast, which formed either a heart or the ace of spades depending on how sentimental/into card games you are. Lord knows what it looks like if you're into sentimental card games, but it probably look nice all the same.
Joe's Cafe is a place with warmth that hits you immediately, and the effort that the people there are going to to make it an engaging cafe really comes across strongly. As soon as they realise that they need to change their spelling of "breaky" there'll be no stopping them...
Function: smile inducing and cockle warming - 5/5
Adherence to canon: Yes
Taste: great mix of textures and flavours - 5/5
Value: good price for quality food - 4/5
Presentation: looks purdy, with extra cute toast delivery 5/5
Venue: lovely and cheerful, only lacking in extra space - 4/5
Overall: an udder superb place to visit around Seven Dials - 4.5/5
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