Monday 2 September 2013

Brunch at Spicer + Cole

Chalkboard menu at Spicer+Cole

Spicer + Cole have been on my list of must-visit eateries pretty much since they opened last year.  I follow them on Twitter and regularly ooh and aah over their gorgeous cakes and fantastic sandwiches at lunchtime.

When we were roaming the city centre one early one Sunday morning, our tummies were rumbling loudly, and then I suddenly remembered that we were pretty near Queen Square and wasn't there a cafe that I'd wanted to go to?

Spicer + Cole is light and airy, but with a minimalist almost industrial vibe to it.  Thankfully the minimalism doesn't extend to the counter which was piled high with a dizzying variety of cakes when we visited.  The menu is beautifully written behind the counter, on a blackboard wall--I am a total sucker for these, I just adore the look--so we sat down and tried our best to make up our minds quickly.  I must confess that I spent most of the time sneaking peeks at the cakes...

Cakes laid out on the counter at Spicer+Cole
Kiwi friands! Now that's unique!
After I placed our order at the counter, our drinks were brought to the table for us which was a lovely touch.  You don't get table service in many coffee shops these days, so it feels extra-special when you find a lovely place that does offer it.

Flat white at Spicer+Cole
A treacle tin has been re-purposed as a sugar bowl--love it!
Spicer + Cole serve locally roasted coffee--Extract Coffee--which is pretty fabulous stuff.  My flat white, served in a glass, was smooth and velvety yet still properly intense.  Not a hint of bitterness about it.  Dave was equally pleased with his latte, and Lucas sipped happily on his kids hot chocolate.  (He was a tiny bit disappointed that there was no flake or marshmallow with it--I think we've spoilt him a bit this summer with extravagant hot chocolates!)

Before the boys had time to pull many funny faces our breakfast arrived.

My lovely boys, posing for the camera
It is so hard to take candid shots with these two poseurs around!
Lucas's toast and jam arrived first.  This was worlds away from Costa's usual offering.  (Don't get me wrong, I'm quite fond of Costa.  They're pretty good, if you get your favourite barista, but their corporate offerings just can't compete with the awesomeness of local produce.)  The bread was from Hobbs House Bakery, and I'm pretty sure the raspberry jam was homemade.  It tasted too fresh and zingy to be from a jar and had a lovely loose set.

Toast and jam at Spicer+Cole
Isn't this the prettiest breakfast toast you've ever seen?

Lucas takes buttering his toast very seriously
I opted for the buttermilk pancakes with crispy bacon and maple syrup because, well, does there need to be a reason?  It's a perfect flavour combination.

Buttermilk pancakes with crispy bacon and maple syrup

The pancakes were of the thin and slightly lacy variety.  By no means were they crepes, but they weren't the thick American-style ones I'd been expecting.  I'm not complaining, though!  They were absolutely delicious and the bacon was perfectly crisp.  I was a very happy diner.

Dave had the Spicer+Cole Big Breakfast.  Bacon, sausages, fried eggs, tomato...the works.

The Big Breakfast at Spicer+Cole
The Big Breakfast at Spicer+Cole
He said that everything was amazingly good quality--that'll be the local produce then--and the sausages were particularly good.  It seems Lucas agreed, as Mr I'm Not Very Hungry was quite happy to nick bits of sausage from Daddy!

We'll definitely be back for another lazy Sunday brunch.  I was thrilled that Spicer+Cole lived up to my expectations after almost a year of dreaming of their food and coffee.  The food was great, the coffee amazing and the welcome was warm.  I can easily see Spicer+Cole becoming a special favourite.

Spicer+Cole
1 Queen Square Ave
Bristol
BS1 4JA

Te.: 0117 922 0513
Web: http://www.spicerandcole.co.uk/


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6 comments

  1. Mmmm this looks great!

    Kirsty www.rockit-style.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. Thanks, Kirsty! It was a fantastic brunch!

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  2. This place looks lovely!

    www.gingerbreadsmiles.blogspot.co.uk

    x

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Danni! We'll definitely be back for more :)

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  3. Looks delicious! Hobbs House Bakery bread is great (and Hobbs House brothers Tom & Henry Herbert aren't bad either!) :-) x

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    1. I've met Tom on a couple of occasions and he was really nice. (He gave me some great tips for my sourdough bread--actually made a loaf that rose properly!) I love all of Hobbs House stuff...their bakery in Chipping Sodbury always has very inviting window displays.

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