Sunday, February 2, 2020

Breakfast for Lunch


Both the full-Irish and full-England breakfasts are more than I can face in the morning. I get up early and these large breakfasts are just too much, too much meat, too much fat, too rich, and in general just too much food. I’m not talking about healthy eating here, just what I can't face on an empty stomach. I never eat dinner. 

For those of you who are not from these parts, the full-Irish always includes both black and white pudding. Those are options with the full-English (also known as a fry-up), which often has some baked bean on the plate. I do occasionally eat this large fry-up but I have it at lunch. Both full breakfasts have fried eggs, bacon, sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes and . . . and . . . I think that's it. Usually, even at lunch, my breakfasts are somewhat less full.

Breakfast for lunch is something I do about once a week.

Liverpool’s Côte Brasserie is next door to the John Lewis department store. It's part of the large UK chain featuring French food. Well, French-inspired food. On their menu is a French breakfast that includes black mushrooms and boudin noir, the French version of black pudding. The scrambled eggs and crisp, streaky bacon will make Americans think of home. I like a lot of the other things on the Côte menu beside the breakfasts. And their prices seem fair.



Another plus for me? They play soft jazz in the background instead of pop or rock. 

Brasseries and bistros are what French cuisine has become. And the Spanish tapas concept has caught on everywhere, a choice of portions sizes on a smaller menu. That's fine with me. Where, outside of a few restaurants in Lyon, Paris, and Brussels, do you find classic haute cuisine nowadays? 




The other place I favor for the occasional breakfast-like lunch is the small and cheerful Dale Street Kitchen. No jazz, but it has the added attraction of being very inexpensive. The mix that you see above is smoked salmon, guacamole, chili aubergine (eggplant), roasted tomatoes, and poached eggs. That comes with toasted brown bread. Lucy in the Sky near the Town Hall is nice too, but smaller than Dale Street and they don't serve wine or beer.

I've not yet found many good places to eat in Liverpool. And there are over 1,000 to choose from. Am I being too picky? I don't think so. I'm looking for food that's healthy, fresh, tasty, and authentic. I'm also interested in cost. Modern places that serve food here and everywhere are more interested in the presentation. It's showbiz. 

I found three very good Italian restaurants in Ireland. That was a real surprise. And the best one was in Sligo. The ones I've tried here, even the most popular place on Stanley Street, have been disappointing. However, let me point out that I did not like the food in New York's Little Italy either. So maybe with Italian cooking, I am picky. Okay, more than picky. I'm unforgiving when it comes to mediocre Italian cuisine. 

Bacaro on Castle Street is not bad for Italian. It's not authentic but it's not bad. They don't make the mistake of adding more and more items to a recipe thinking that will make things better. I'll be trying them again. 

1 comment:

  1. I always heard that the Indian food in the UK is the absolute best. Is that only in London?

    ReplyDelete