sandwich | THE LIST

4A-5a Perrin Court, Hampstead / Tube: Hampstead

Price: £24

Food:

Eggs & Soldiers
Bridge Farm Free-Range Sausages, Slow Roasted Tomatoes in London Bloomer with Onion Marmalade
Carrot & Walnut Cake

Drink:

2x Flat White
2x English Breakfast Tea (Pot)

We have always been spoilt for choose for breakfast and boutique coffee shops whilst we lived in East London, however after a begrudging move to North West London we found ourselves a little lost for a new breakfast haunt. On Saturday we decided to venture up to Hampstead village and see what offerings it could make, if any. It would seem luck was on our side as we stumbled across Ginger & White, a beautiful looking café located on a cobbled side street which would look more at home in a costal town. Considering it was an absolutely hideous day the café we full to the brim but luckily 2 spots became free along the window seat. The decor is comfortable and welcoming, a huge wooden table takes center stage, resembling a study desk in a library, covered in magazines, books and mugs of tea. This a perfect place to be on a rainy Saturday in London, 3 alcoves with comfy chairs lined the back wall, making this the ideal spot to sit, read a book and have your breakfast.

We went ahead and ordered two flat whites and to our pleasant surprise Ginger and White also stocked Square Mile Red Brick, which was a favourite of ours at Kaffeine. The coffee was rich and creamy, and we found here as well as Kaffeine, that Square Mile coffee appears to be a stronger and fuller bodied espresso compared to it’s competitors. We are shown a small menu with a selection of breakfast treats and light brunches, we really like that breakfast is served all day meaning there is no rush to leave the house on a lazy weekend. The menu is full of British classics such as eggs and soldiers and fish finger sandwiches and it is clear that the emphasis of this place is top quality British produce served in a simple manner allowiing them to speak for themselves.

We must have been feeling particularly patriotic on Saturday as we went ahead and ordered the sausage, roasted tomatoes and onion marmalade sandwich served in a London bloomer. The sausages sourced from bridge farm were perfectly cooked, soft and still juicy in the middle. Seasoned with mixed herbs and leeks, the flavour of these sausages created a strong foundation for a great breakfast sandwich. The marmalade was sweet and slightly tangy, which went perfectly with the roasted tomatoes and the sausages. The disappointing part of this was actually the bread, obviously a rather vital ingredient in a sandwich…It would have benefitted from being slightly toasted, to make it easier to eat. We also would have liked the sandwich to have been cut for us as using a butter knife to cut through a bloomer is like using a spoon to pierce a whole in an old belt. Additionally we decided to order the childhood provoking eggs and solider served with the option of Marmite or Gentleman’s Relish. Being such a simple dish it would have been easy to spot the flaws. However, when the eggs arrived and we performed the bashing ritual, the eggs were perfectly cooked with running yolks and the toast was toasted to the point where it was crisp. We were served 2 eggs with the second egg sporting a mini egg cozy, which made us both smile.

There was no doubting that we were fitting to burst after our breakfast but the cake selection displayed beautifully on the counter had been whispering our names since we had arrived. Giving in temptation….yet again, we decided on the carrot and walnut cake. This was a deliciously moist example of a carrot cake and had added texture from the walnuts. The icing was sweet and with a hint of cinnamon running through it. Over all a lovely cake, which of course could not be eaten without the addition of a pot of tea. The cake selection, although beautiful and clearly all homemade fresh that day were a little on the expensive side with a small bite size muffin costing £1.75, however we felt our cake was a big portion and worth every penny.

We ended up staying at Ginger and White for a good 2 hours, we felt comfortable, well fed and of course dry! There is no doubt that we will be going back for our lazy Saturday breakfast again.

Rating

Food: 7.5/10

Coffee: 8.5/10

Atmosphere: 8/10

Service: 7.5/10

Value: 7.5/10