Monday, 22 August 2016

Pret a Manger, Kings Cross Station



The Location: Pret a Manger, Kings Cross station, London
The Visit: Wednesday10th August 2016, afternoon
Cake: Mixed berry muffin
Tea: On brand tea bag, milk added by server
The Cake: Quite a nice muffin, very moist though (almost greasy). One very large berry (unsure which one!) near the bottom had expanded making a large, purplish-red hole.
The Tea: Quite adequate, regular tea. In a paper cup with extra insulation for holding.
The Café: I actually took this away to have on the train, so cannot comment. It did look very busy.
Verdict: 7/10

Monday, 15 August 2016

Greggs, Hall Rd, Norwich


The Location: Greggs, Hall Rd, Norwich. New store by Asda
The Visit: Monday 8th August, early afternoon
Cake: Cream Belgian Bun
Tea: Birchalls, paper cup. Milk from an insulated jug.
The Cake: Very tasty, though the outside was a little dry, and when trying to eat in "sandwich" mode, the cream squirted out.Though this is completely normal for cream cakes.
The Tea: I'd not heard of this brand before, but turned out to be very good. 
The Café: Bakery with a couple of seats in, so not meant to be used to eat in (no toilet, which was available in Asda across the car park anyway). Friendly staff, who seemed to have a breakdown trying to persuade a wasp out of the door.
Verdict: 7/10

Monday, 8 August 2016

Notcutts Garden Centre Cafe



The Location: Notcutts Garden Centre Cafe, Norwich
The Visit: Saturday 6th August 2016, mid afternoon
Cake: Toffee, Pecan and Cranberry
Tea: Unbranded, pot.
Milk: Fresh, semi-skimmed
The Cake: I'll start with the cake. I've had this cake in this cafe before, and it is very tasty. Just the right level of moisture, and perfect cake / icing ratio. The only thing that lets this down, is the serve-it-yourself aspect - other diners had disrupted the clean lines on the cake, making the edges crumbly. 
The Tea: The tea was very good, it may have been Twinings English Breakfast but I'm not sure - there was no tag on the teabag. Fresh milk is always best. And the full pot gave me 3 full cups before I left the last half cup.
The cafe: The garden centre cafe is large, light and airy. My daughter wanted to sit by the window, hence the shadow and brightness on the photo - it was a very hot day. The cafe will be closing for refurbishment this autumn so for a few months there will be a limited menu, but hopefully will be back up to this high standard afterwards.
Verdict: A very respectable 8.5/10