And so to Derby.
Arriving by train at brunch o’clock we made our way directly to Bean Caffe in search of sustenance in a town we’d never been to before.
‘Bean’, we found out with a bit of pre-visit homework, recently won the Best Cafe title in the Derby Food & Drink awards. This bode well.
It’s fair to say, however, that as we navigated the town there didn’t appear to be too many places jumping out as worthy competition for that particular crown…
Their website says that Bean Caffe’s “a place you’ll want to come back to whatever the time of day” but for us it definitely fits the daytime breakfast/brunch/lunch gig. It’s a big, bright, high-ceilinged space that could feel a bit museum-cafe on a quiet day, but character comes from the art on the walls and the cake-stacked counter.
The only grumble about the Mexican eggs (£4.95) were that they were possibly a touch over-cooked, but the flecks of bacon and big hit of tabasco more than made up for it. A tidy looking plate with a proper kick to it.
The thick-sliced smoked salmon in the cream cheese bagel (£4) was excellent, tasting fresh and of good quality. We just wished, being tight northerners, that it had have been on both sides of the bread.
At these prices these are minor quibbles. The lunch menu looks good value too; posh sandwiches from £4.75 and Vietnamese noodles for 6 quid.
There can’t be many places where two people can eat a hearty meal for about £12 in total, including coffees.
Is there anywhere else to get this quality at these prices in Derby?
Eating The North 