A Bountiful Seasonal Special at The Breakfast Club
Masked merriment seems like a tall order and certainly the Christmas shopping experience is once again upon us with face coverings. So on a sharply cold December day I punctuated my chores by a visit to The Breakfast Club. Having been once before I breakfasted light that day in anticipation of a sturdy lunch or should I say brunch, as it turns out a very wise move.
The Breakfast Club serves breakfast style dishes all day as opposed to an all day breakfast. I chose a small table and ordered a juice, beetroot and ginger. It arrived and looked suitably festive and also grown up – and it was good, earthy, sweet and vibrantly spicy. It felt healthy but it felt indulgent too.
There is a full menu of classics and modern twists, stacks of pancakes with a variety of savoury and sweet options, toasts, avocado – the brekkie trend du jour – and plenty more. But not for me, I was in a seasonally jolly mood so looked at the Christmas special which on this day was rather tempting.
My lunch arrived fairly quickly but not instantly, which is always reassuringly a sign that it was prepared to order and not sitting waiting. It had sounded very appealing but what arrived was rather amazing, and huge, I mean HUGE!
This was a ciabatta roll filled to busting with an amazing concoction of tasty treats. The main event was breaded and deep fried Camembert cheese, crisp on the outside and oozing inside, a vintage concept but one I was happy to revisit. The next layer was a hearty Brussels sprout bubble and squeak and I loved it, but I do love a sprout and I cannot understand what is not to like.
To lighten the whole there is also a layer of spinach leaves, raw, and a layer of pickled red cabbage, another favourite of mine. Then to counter that a splash or rather rich cranberry mayo! Then a layer of vegetable crops, sweet with parsnip. And all this sandwich in a rather good and rather large ciabatta roll. The whole is tightly wrapped in paper and then sliced in half.
Well I managed to finish half, in part due to the inclusion of a pot of very good and piping hot fries. The fries came with a sage and onion stuffing mayo, nice but in my view it could be stronger, but I like my stuffing strong with sage.
I felt rather shame-faced at not being able to tackle the second half of the sandwich but the charming gentleman serving me kindly suggested that I take it away for later, which of course I did. And it proved a rather welcome snack between the two shows that I was watching later that day.
I finished with a caramel syrup latte, piping hot and nice and strong, a sensible and welcome finish before heading back out into the cold.
This was a delightful way to break my fast! And I will certainly be back, especially having discovered the more than generous offer the menu has for those of us who are over 65, although you will need to show evidence of that to take advantage.
Break the chore of Christmas shopping with a seasonal treat and a warming welcome.
The Breafast Club
16-17 Market Street
Brighton
BN1 1HH
01273 947080
