Herr's Snack Foods

Yup, another snack food review day.  And yup, another one that features popcorn.  What can I say, I ... really like to munch on things all day long.

"Good people, making good snacks for good times."

Well, that is a simple slogan.  Meet Herr's, a snack food manufacturer that has been around since the 1940's, but I haven't seen all that frequently, even though they are distributed nationwide.  They started in the potato chip business, and expanded from there, seemingly ahead of some treads, already offering things like popcorns in 1978 and onion rings in 1984 (pretzels, cheese curls, tortilla chips, etc as well). 

They now offer 81 different products, including TONS of styles of potato chips (kettle cooked, ripples, classic, baked, etc) in every flavor you'd imagine, including, "hot sauce" or ketchup flavored, "baby back rib" flavor ... Old Bay flavored ... a collab with Grill Mates® to make a "Montreal Steak" flavor ... the list goes on and on.  They make all your standard styles of pretzels (thin, thick, sourdough, sticks, twists, rods, peanut butter filled, etc), every style of cheese snacks (crispy curls, puffy curls, spicy, and a slew of other "interesting" flavors like "deep dish pizza"), corn chips, tortilla chips, seasonal items, and of course, my favorite thing: popcorn.

I'm not sure why this brand has never been on my radar before, as, well, they do produce some interesting items I'd like to try.

Popcorn

Popcorn is available in 11 different varieties, including of course the basic plain, light, butter, several types of cheese, and some spicy options ("hot cheese" or garlic & herb), sweet versions (kettle or caramel corn), and some more unique ones like "sweet corn" flavor, or their "hulless" line, which is popcorn, uh, without the hulls?  not quite sure how they make those.

 Fire Roasted Sweet Corn Popcorn.

"Air-popped and lightly seasoned with the flavor of roasted sweet corn. Herr's® Fire Roasted Sweet Corn Popcorn tastes just like a backyard barbecue."

I grabbed this flavor the instant I saw it.  It sounded SO unique!!!  And it was.  

The popcorn pieces themselves were pretty standard, well popped, decent sized, no unpopped ones remained in the bag.  The flavor however is where this got *really* interesting!

It tasted, like, well, intense corn!  The "fire roasted sweet corn" flavor really did come through (yes, I guess, sugar, salt, dry milk, buttermilk, butter powder, and a slew of other things can be crafted to taste like extremely sweet corn ...).

I enjoyed this quite a bit, and found the flavor shockingly intense every time I had it.

I gave my mom a sample, without telling her what kind it was.  "Bacon?" she said.  And then she pondered some kind of grilled, smoky flavor, which is exactly what the front of the package shows, grilled corn (or, I guess "fire roasted").  We both thought the flavor was quite intense.

Dishoom, London

I recently had a short stay in London.  During that time, I was determined to have fish and chips at least once, and, Indian food a few times, as those are the two styles of cuisine I know London does better than San Francisco.

Our first night in London, my companion and I went to a Michelin starred Indian restaurant, Benares.  It was fine, and interesting to see a Michelin level approach to a style of cuisine I don't normally see elevated that way, but, I wasn't really wowed.  So, the next night, we opted for something a bit more approachable, and went to Dishoom, a bit of an institution in London.

During my previous visit to London, several people suggested Dishoom to me, but, I was there only two nights, and went to L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon the first night and another indian restaurant, Cafe Spice Namaste, the second.  In fact, it was with the same two local friends that I went to Cafe Spice Namaste with, that we went to Dishoom with this time around.  They have clearly become my "I'm in London, let's eat indian food!" buddies, which, I hope they don't mind.

Anyway, Dishoom.  They have 8 locations in the UK, mostly in London.  We visited the newest one, which just happened to be around the corner from our hotel, in King's Cross.

If you ask anyone where to get indian food in London, Dishoom will be on their list, likely one of the first places.  If you ask a group of friends where they want to get a drink and snack, if you are near a Dishoom, again, the answer.  Such an institution.  I finally agreed to check it out.

The Space

Dishoom's King Cross location is huge.  It spans multiple levels, with multiple bars.  It is loud, it is vibrant, and, even at 4:30pm when we arrived, it was totally full.  By the time we left, the queue to get in stretched down the sidewalk at least 20-30 deep.  And that was just the walk-ins, as they also take reservations.

Upstairs Bar.

There is a bar upstairs and down, and seating on both floors, as well as outside.

We were seated downstairs, and I somehow failed to take a photo, which is too bad, as the space was quite interesting.  The walls and floors were brick (which, eliminated cell service the moment you walked in) and likely added to the noise level.  The tables were wooden.  Buckets were placed on each table with silverware and napkins, so you could help yourself to utensils as needed, for yourselves or for serving spoons.

About 20 minutes into our visit, one of our diners said he was feeling really allergic.  We soon realized it wasn't that he was allergic necessarily, it was the incense burning that was aggravating him.

Service was ok

Orders were taken on a digital device, that seemed hard to navigate, and took our server a very long time to input each item.  It felt quite inefficient, although, I'm sure it is nice to have orders go directly to the kitchen.  Our server was relatively attentive, good to offer more drinks when she stopped by and saw empties.

We did wind up with a lot of glasses and empty dishes on our table building up, and it kinda became a game to see how long it would take a staff member to notice our growing pile and at least take some of it away.

The only other real thing to note about the service is that our server seemed incredibly scripted.  Nearly every interaction with her seemed like a rehearsed speech, and she said these things so fast it was sometimes hard to catch.

Anyway, huge space, decent enough service.

Bathroom.

You know I only include bathrooms in my reviews when there is an interesting reason to, and, this seemed interesting to me.  The stalls had wooden benches with holes in them, super old school, except, then they had automatic flush systems, as you can see, you just need to "Make waving motions to flush."

This stall was ... interesting at least.

Drinks

Every section of Dishoom's menu is large, and the drink menu is no exception.  Pages of options, both alcoholic and non.  Wine (red, white, rose, sparkling, many types of each) is available by the glass, 500 ml carafe, or full bottle.  Beer in bottles.  Cocktails.  On the non-alcoholic end of the spectrum, there were fascinating bottled sodas from Bombay, coffee and 7 types of chai if you wanted something warm, and of course, a slew of lassis and coolers.

Throughout the night, our group ordered a large variety of drinks, including cocktails, beer, non-alcoholic drinks, and hot drinks to end the meal.  The drinks were all well done, and it is clear their bar program is a strong point.

Viceroy's Old Fashioned. £9.00.

"The sort of drink in which Lord Mountbatten may have found welcome repose. A bottle-aged muddle of Woodford Reserve bourbon, bayleaf reduction, green tea and so on. Like an old Raj club-room, with tertiary colours and artistic composition."

I can't entirely say what inspired me to order the Old Fashioned, but, I did.  I was shocked by the way it was served.  I was brought a classic old fashioned tumbler with a large ice cube in it, garnished with a bay leaf and olive on a skewer and ... a little bottle of the old fashioned, to pour myself.  Is this a thing in India? I have no idea.

This turned out to be nice actually, as I realized that I could pour a little, drink a little of it super strong, let the ice cube melt a little to mellow it out, and then pour more, and get right back to the strong version.  It was kind of fun to play with watering it down or not this way to see how the flavor changed.

It was also really just quite tasty. The flavors were deep and developed.  I didn't necessarily taste bayleaf or green tea, but it was clear that there was a lot going on in the drink.  A really wonderful sipping cocktail.

The only complaint I have is the annoying leaf-on-a-skewer.  It made it impossible to drink, as the leaf would fall forward and block the cup.  I also didn't think an olive really went with it.

I'd definitely get this again.

Fresh Sugarcane Juice. £4.00.

"We press the large sticks of cane into juice. With lime and salt, as it should be."

One person was super thirsty and wanted a refreshing drink, so he eagerly ordered the sugarcane juice, thinking fondly of sugarcane drinks we had in Sydney.

He wasn't such a fan of the added lime and salt, and really just wanted sugarcane juice, but, he was happy enough with it, or thirsty enough, that he drank the whole thing before I had a chance to ask for a sip.

Virgin Bombay Colada. £3.90.

"The classic pineapple and coconut-cream concoction with a Bombay twist: a little coriander, chai syrup, lime juice."

For his second drink, the sugarcane guy selected the virgin Bombay Colada, an attempt to make up for the totally non-colada colada he had the night before at Benares.

This one was a much closer interpretation of a colada, as it actually had pineapple and coconut, and, not banana and raspberry.  It was a slushy, frothy, icy drink.

He liked it at first, but said it was too sweet and too much for more than a few sips, so he discarded it, leaving it to me.  To be fair, you don't normally pair a piña colada with a meal, right?  These kind of slushy drinks are best suited for pool decks or beachside ...

I thought it was quite good.  Yes, it was fruity and very sweet, but I thought the coriander and lime on the finish made it almost refreshing, the herby nature was really quite fascinating in a creamy drink.  On top was something we couldn't quite identify.  I thought it was pink peppercorn, he thought it was candy.

If you like piña coladas, this was a fun take on it, and, also available with rum.

Savory Cuisine

Extensive Menu!

The Dishoom menu is rather intimidating in size.  It is broken into many sections: Small Plates, Salad Plates, Ruby Murray (curry), Veggie Side Dishes, Grills, Biryani, Bread & Rice, Frankies & Roomali Rolls, and, of course, puddings.  There are also dishes called out in boxes and highlighted, not necessarily part of any category, but instead features of the restaurant.

We skipped the salads (although if we ordered one more dish I was interested in the paneer & mango salad, with fresh mango, crispy shallots, and crispy naan strips), we skipped the curries, and we skipped the Frankies & Roomali Rolls (naan or roti rolls, which sounded interesting, but not necessarily sharable).

Chutney: Tamaraind, Mint, Chili.

Once we ordered, a trio of chutneys was brought out.  I didn't find any of them remarkable, besides that the chili one (orange) was quite spicy.  Still, it was nice to have things to dip into and amp up our flavors a bit.

Small Plates

As is often the case, the small plates menu held a lot of appeal for me.  I tried unsuccessfully to excite the group about the chili cheese toasts (seriously, why didn't they want melty cheese and chili on toasts?  It looked so good!).  They also had standards like several types of samosas, and a bunch of buns {what are these style dishes called?}

Okra Fries. £4.20.

"Fine lady’s fingers for the fingers."

Since we arrived on the early side to avoid the lines, and were seated earlier than we actually wanted dinner, one member of our party suggested just ordering something to munch on while we figured out what we really wanted, and while we had some cocktails to start.  He selected a random munchie from the small plates menu: okra fries.

I can't say I was excited about okra fries, but, they turned out to be pretty interesting.  The fries were super crispy, not oily, and the okra wasn't at all slimy.  The batter was spicy and quite flavorful.  One diner said it reminded her of Popeye's batter (and this was a good thing).

Everyone enjoyed dunking these in the chutneys, and, I'll admit, I prefer them to papadams at least.  Still, not quite my thing.

One person declared that this was the first time he ever actually liked okra.  As in, ever in his entire life.  He, and the other two diners, all rated this the second best dish of the night.

Dishoom Calamari. £5.90.

"Tiny tender squid, grainy crumb crunch, quick-fried and tossed into a bowl with Dishoom drizzle. "

I lobbied for the calamari once we were ready to start ordering for real (well, first I lobbied for the chili cheese toast, but, when that failed, the calamari was my next choice).

I'm not necessarily a huge fan of calamari, as very often it is rubbery, or just a very generic dish to order, but, I read many positive reviews of Dishoom's version, and they even put their name in the title of the dish, so it must be a signature item for them.

It was pretty good calamari.  The coating was different from the okra, as it had breadcrumbs and it wasn't spicy, but, like the okra it was made fresh to order, nice and crisp, and not too oily.  Our little pot had assorted types of pieces, including some little tentacles.

My favorite element of this was the "Dishoom drizzle", a really tasty sweet sauce that was drizzled over the top.  I carefully aimed to grab pieces that had the delicious drizzle on them, but, there were many pieces without. The sauce on the side may have been more successful.

Overall, good for calamari, slightly non-standard, and my second favorite savory dish.

Veggie Side Dishes

Veggie side dishes were an odd assortment: a simple kachumber salad, a bowl of grilled greens, slaw, and raita.

Dishoom Slaw. £3.20

"A kachumber with shredded cabbage, pomegranate seeds and mayonnaise. Fresh, feisty, crunchy."

I really love slaw of all varieties ... as long as they are mayo based.  And, after my week in Munich, I wanted vegetables.  So, I advocated for the slaw, as strange as that is as something to get at an indian restaurant.  It was one of only a handful of dishes, like the calamari, with Dishoom in the name, so, clearly it is a signature item.

It was good.  The cabbage was indeed fresh and crisp.  The pomegranate was a fun twist, although there wasn't much of it, just a sprinkle on top.  

It was super creamy, very, uh, dressed in mayo.  Which of course I like, but, beware if you are expecting something lighter.

I'm not sure how this is an indian dish, or how it really went with our food (besides the fried calamari, which, I guess is also not really indian ...), but, I liked it.  My favorite dish of the night.

Black House Dal. £5.90.

"A Dishoom signature dish — dark, rich, deeply flavoured. It is simmered over 24 hours for extra harmony."

The dal wasn't actually listed as part of the sides, but it also wasn't listed in any other category, so, I'm just going to put it here.

I hate lentils, and obviously wanted nothing to do with the dal, but, it was called out on the menu in a box as a very special item, and, the others all wanted it.

I tried a bite out of good measure, willing myself to like lentils, but, alas, no.  Interestingly, it was the spicing I hated more than the lentils themselves, which is too bad, as the sauce was quite creamy and would have been nice to use to dunk my naan into.

Everyone else though ... loved it.  "I really like the dal!", one diner kept saying over and over.  The others all declared it their favorite dish of the night.

Grills

"First comes the marinade, then the open-air grill. Picture Bademiya in Colaba, a Bombay institution since 1942. A balmy night, with newspapers laid out on old car bonnets. You eat. Savour. Spill."

The grills is probably the most extensive part of the menu, besides the small plates.  The grill selection has multiple types of chicken, multiple types of lamb, prawns, mahi, paneer, and, potatoes.

Paneer Tikka. £7.70.

"Paneer is vegetarian first-class fare and a subtle cheese to make. Marinated then gently charred with red and green capsicums."

I love paneer, and, we clearly needed to pick at least one paneer dish.  Since my mango and paneer salad was ruled out, the only options were the mattar paneer curry or the paneer tikka.  The only memorable item from Benares the night before was the grilled paneer, and really, I just wanted more of that.

This was not that.  Yes, the paneer was grilled, but, it didn't have any smoky awesomeness, nor crispy charred exterior.  Along with the four chunks of paneer was a chunks of red pepper and three green peppers.  They kinda had a film on them from the contact points with the paneer that was a bit odd.

Also on the plate was a lime to squeeze over, and a rather ridiculous tangle of cilantro.

None of us really liked this, and it went unfinished.

Biryani

"Slow-cooked, layered and aromatic, the Biryani traces its origins to Iran — as does the old Bombay Café. A pot is to be shared, or kept as spicy contentment all for oneself."

Dishoom has 3 different biryani to offer: chicken, lamb, or veggie.

Awadhi Lamb Biryani. £9.90

"The lamb is prepared with stock and spices, then layered with rice and cooked in traditional ‘dum’ style."

I don't like rice, I don't like lamb, so this clearly wasn't for me.  The others all wanted a biryani, and, since I don't really care for rice, I decided to not voice my opinion on which variety.  They all wanted lamb, so, lamb it was.

They were not impressed.  "This is not what I expect from a biryani", one said.  "There isn't a lot of flavor in this", said another.  They also were disappointed by the very meager amount of lamb in it.

I however, did find something I liked about this dish.  The cooking vessel was sealed with dough.  This wasn't really meant for us to eat, I'm sure, and it was totally undercooked and dough-y.  Just dough.  Not pie crust, but, dough.  And ... I really liked it.

I know I'm a complete weirdo for this, and I can't explain it.  Undercooked plain dough.  Perhaps my favorite bite of the night?  I'm really not joking.  I'm glad my table mates put up with me digging all the dough off the rim of the dish.

Bread & Rice

"All breads are made by hand and baked to order."

And finally, breads and rice.  Not a huge selection, just plain steamed basmati rice, naan (plain, garlic, cheese), and a single type of roti.  Some kind of bread is a must-have for me and indian food

Garlic Naan. £2.50.

"With minced garlic and coriander sprinkle. "

We ordered garlic naan with our original order, but, once we saw it was only a single piece cut in half, we quickly ordered a cheese naan too (which, one person had wanted anyway).

The garlic naan was fine, fresh and hot, nicely buttered, with plenty of visible garlic bits.  It somehow lacked any real oomph for me, but, perhaps that is because I wanted a sauce to dip it in, and, I failed to order a curry, and only had the dal sauce that I didn't like.

Cheese Naan. £3.20.

"Cheddar is melted inside."

Our cheese naan was delivered pretty quickly after we ordered it, while we still had plenty of food left.  Points to them for that.

The cheese naan was pretty good, stuffed with plenty of melty cheese, and enjoyable enough of its own.

Everyone preferred this naan.

Puddings

Of course, for me, the most exciting part of a menu is the dessert, or, puddings in Britain.  Here we had a few options, including many frozen items like kulfi on sticks that many other tables ordered, interesting flavors of ice cream, and a really crazy ice based dessert, "kala khatta gola ice" with ice, kokum fruit syrup, blueberries, chilli, lime, and salt.  We opted for the warm desserts however.

House Chai. £2.50.

"All things nice: warming comfort and satisfying spice. Made in the proper way. All who have tried it are swearing by it."

While we were waiting for dessert, they brought us 3 complimentary chais.  If it were daytime, I would have loved this since I do like chai, but, at night, I didn't want the caffeine, nor did one other person.  So, the fact that they brought 3 for 4 people wasn't a problem.

I did sip a little of it though, and had to force myself not to have more.  It was tasty, warm, creamy, comforting, well spiced.  Good chai.

Decaf Americano. £2.70.

To pair with dessert, I did opt for a decaf americano, my classic bitter pairing with sweet dessert.

It was served with brown sugar in a cup, another cup with a little spoon, and a little pitcher of steamed milk.  I don't generally use milk in my coffee, but appreciate the touch of the steamed warm milk rather than cold milk that would chill my coffee.

The coffee was good, quite strong, and somewhat made me question if it was possibly decaf.  Still, I enjoyed it.

Dishoom Chocolate Pudding. £6.90.

"Melting-in-the-middle chocolate pudding served with a scoop of Kashmiri chilli ice cream. You will not want to share. "

One diner planned to get the chilli ice cream for us to share, but our server recommended the chocolate pudding, saying it was her favorite (in her very scripted sense, I think it was something along the lines of "Would you like to order dessert?  My favorite is the chocolate pudding", said as one breath).

So, he decided to upgrade to the pudding rather than just the ice cream, since it came with the chilli ice cream anyway.  As an ice cream lover and pudding lover, I supported this move.

At least, it was supposed to come with the aformentioned chilli ice cream.   Instead, it had the cinnamon ice cream, their other ice cream offering.  Perhaps this was a mistake?  Perhaps they ran out and didn't bother mention the substitution?  Either way, disappointing for us, since we wanted to try the chilli ice cream.

The ice cream was fine, besides being the wrong flavor, but wasn't really remarkable in any way, not particularly creamy nor rich.

The pudding was a warm chocolate pudding ... in the British sense of pudding.  One person was expecting american pudding, not this.  It was more like a molten chocolate cake.  The interior was goo, the top was a thicker custard.  It was dark, and fairly rich, but somehow not very chocolately.

We were all underwhelmed with this dessert.  It was just a standard molten chocolate cake and generic ice cream, no more, no less.  Fine, but, it went unfinished.

Pineapple & Black Pepper Crumble. £5.50.

"Tangy fresh pineapple infused with black pepper and Keralan vanilla, bedded beneath a layer of crumble topping. Served warm, with custard on the side."

I had my eye on the crumble of course, as I love crumbles, even though pineapple would never be my first choice of fruit.

It too was served hot, which I appreciate.  The base was pineapple, warm, soft, and really quite sweet.  It was fine for what it was.

The crumble on top added a good crunch, and had some doughy bits which I liked, but, none of us tasted any black pepper.  Not that we necessarily wanted to taste black pepper, but, that is what made this dish sound unique.

Of course, I loved the hot custard on the side.  We poured a little over it to let it soak in.  Then we poured on more and more.  The custard was good, rather thin at first when it was hot, but it thickened as it cooled.  It had good vanilla flavor, clearly real vanilla not extract.

I was happy enough with this dessert, but, I can't say I'd get it again.  My favorite aspect was the pitcher of custard, which of course I finished myself.

So, like the chocolate pudding, this was just fairly standard.  Fruit topped with crumble, no particularly spicing, no real pop to it, but at least it was warm.

Breakfast at Plum + Spilt Milk And GNH BAR, London

During my last three stays in London, I stayed at the Great Northern Hotel, in Kings's Cross.  The hotel has two dining establishments: Plum + Spilt Milk on the first floor, and GNH Bar a bar on the ground floor.  They are radically different.  I've previously reviewed room service dinner and dessert from the restaurant, a mixed bag.

Plum + Spilt Milk is a full service restaurant, a real breakfast/brunch destination for some.  It is fairly elegant and formal.  GNH Bar on the other hand, is loud and rowdy, even at 8am.  The two locations serve the same menu for breakfast, but the atmosphere is entirely different.  Later in the day, the venues evolve to serve different crowds and offer entirely different cuisine.

Service at the restaurant was good albeit a bit slow, but in the bar, it was rather awful.  It took forever to receive my drinks, even after other tables who ordered long after me had theirs.  My server split my drinking bringing it to me.  The table next to me received the wrong food.  It was really a mess down there, so, after one day, I decided to stick with the restaurant, even though I felt a bit bad often dressed in gym clothes in such a nice place, but there was a manager there overseeing things, and even when they ran slow, he was on top of it.

Prices are a bit high for breakfast, particularly in the bar setting, I can't imagine paying these prices for breakfast, no matter how good it is.  If you are Starwood Platinum, or book a room package with breakfast however, it is an incredible deal, you are not restricted in any way with what you order - you can select hot beverage, a fresh juice, an entree, and extra pastry for the road ... really, far more generous than I've ever seen elsewhere.  I also ordered room service a few times, choosing not to dine in.

As for the food?  Well, it was a mixed bag.  There were a few dishes that neither my dining companion nor I liked, but, I think we picked poorly in those cases, opting for things we don't generally like anyway.  There were some that were quite tasty and all were actually plated really nicely.  The croissants and other pasteries were fairly impressive, particularly for a restaurant, not a bakery.  I appreciated that they let me modify a few dishes and order sides that don't really exist.  If I had stayed a few more days, I would have gotten increasingly obnoxious, as I have ideas for exactly what other modifications I'd try to make next.  I obviously visited out of convenience, but, if you are in the Kings Cross area, it is a solid choice on its own.

Setting

I visited both Plum + Split Milk and GNH Bar for breakfast.  Even at casual breakfast, midweek, they were quite different experiences.  Most hotel guests opt for the full restaurant, but it was nice to change it up a few times and visit the more casual space, even if quality of experience was lower.

Plum + Spilt Milk

Interior.

The decor at Plum + Spilt Milk is fairly upscale, with leather furnishing, lots of wood, and interesting pendant light fixtures hanging from the ceiling at assorted intervals around the room.  The fixtures showed the exposed filament, which, I learned from eavesdropping on the table next to me that these are called "Edison Bulbs".

Place Setting.

Place settings are formal, with cloth napkins in napkin rings (that are removed as soon as you take your napkin out).  Menus are brought over after you sit down.

The kitchen is interestingly not located adjacent to the restaurant, nor the bar.  I have no idea where it is, but, food is prepared elsewhere on another floor, and then shows up in the back of the restaurant on a dumbwaiter.  I enjoyed watching this process.

GNH Bar

Bar Tables.

The bar area on the other hand has menus on the table when you arrive (including full bar menu, at breakfast!), in red binders.  Tables are not set with silverware, but it are instead brought out haphazardly after you order, hopefully before the food arrives.

Feasts

Read on for full reviews of every menu category, broken up over the years.  But to whet your appetite ... some of the feasts I had, many entirely custom.

So many plates.

Some days, our table wound up covered in plates, particularly when I ate with my travel companion.

A bit of everything.

I always hit all bases, protien, fruit, carbs ...

Round One.

This looks like a healthy reasonable breakfast right? Ha. It was round one.

Loved the fruit!

My meals always included tons of fruit.  #balance.

A bit of everything, always.

And of course beverages.

Yes I like sauces.

I always had platters of extra sauces on the side.

Decisions are hard.

And always got multiple courses.

Room Service!

A few days I got room service.  Custom granola order with side of toast.

Room Service!

A slightly custom order: eggs florentine, english muffin on the side (so it wouldn't get soggy).

Plus ... butter (for the muffin!), mango, and candied peanuts (because, delicious!).  No salted caramel that I ordered, but I was randomly given some pecans.  No whipped cream, which I knew might not work, but I was given a jug of regular cream.

Room Service Again!

Another day, another custom room service delivery.

Crushed avocado toast  (no poached egg) + side of baked beans, fruit salad (no melons, add mango) + side of candied peanuts, sides of roast tomato and spinach with hollandaise, apple juice, orange juice.

Scrambled Eggs & Thick Toast, Bacon Roll - Bacon, Pain Au Chocolate.

This was my companion's order, except, um, the chocolate croissant, er pain au chocolate, for me.

Drinks

The drink offerings at breakfast include standard espresso drinks and coffee, loose leaf tea, hot chocolate, and an assortment of fresh fruit juices.  Over our numerous visits, we had everything but the tea.

Hot Drinks

Decaf Coffee.

I generally opted for decaf coffee.  It wasn't very good, harsh and acidic.  It was served with a cute pitcher of steamed, warm milk and sugar cubes on the side (and sweetener once I asked).

I continued to order the decaf on most visits, in both establishments, and, it was always quite bad.

It did not improve in 2017.

Filter Coffee.

Eventually I moved to regular coffee, which I usually had in my room prior going down to breakfast.  I had an option of an Americano or filter, and decided to be simple and just stick with filter.  It was fine actually.

Americano. (2017).

I tried again in 2017 to get a regular americano, but, it still was just not good.  Such harsh flavor.  I guess this is why they serve it with a side bottle of steamed milk and so much sugar?  If the coffee is horrible, go for the milk?

Filter Coffee (2017).

I also tried the regular filter coffee, it was no better.

Hot Chocolate. £4.50

My companion went for a hot chocolate.  It was much more successful.

Nice froth on top, garnished with cocoa powder.  It had a nice chocolate flavor.  Very good overall, and he ordered it a few more mornings.

Iced Decaf Americano. £4.

One morning, I went to breakfast directly after a bootcamp class.  All I wanted was a cold, refreshing beverage, so I asked for an iced americano.  I realized pretty quickly that this, like in Australia, was not a normal thing.

However, the result was fairly impressive.  It did not have any ice in it, but, it was chilled, and served in a very pretty glass, garnished with coffee beans and topped with froth.  After my order, my server came to ask if I wanted milk and sweetener in it (which they do not do with hot coffee, that is always served on the side).  I asked for sweetener only, and I believe it was shaken in.

Overall, not quite what I was going for, but, actually pretty tasty, and I liked the froth on top.

Chilled Decaf Americano.

So, two days later, I tried to order the same thing, asking for an iced decaf americano.  My server told me it was not possible.  I told her I had it two days prior, so, she said she'd try.  Again, I was approached a while later to ask if I wanted milk or sugar in it.

It was nearly the same result, served again in a elegant cocktail glass, chilled rather than iced, with a nice froth on top that I'm not sure how they achieved.  No coffee bean garnish this time.

I'm glad they entertained this request, and really did do a nice job of it.  Maybe now I want chilled americanos, rather than iced?  I'm kinda guessing they made it at the bar, shaken with ice and then strained?  Anyway, quite nice.

Iced Decaf Americano. (October 2016)

I only opted for an iced drink once on my second visit, when I went to breakfast straight from bootcamp, and all I wanted was something cold and refreshing.

This time it was presented to me as a "decaf iced coffee", in a tall glass, but again with some froth on top.

It wasn't awful, but it also wasn't very good.  Fairly watered down.  Better than the hot decaf Americano though.

Iced Decaf Americano. (2017).

I tried again the next year.  This time it came served in a short glass.  It wasn't better.

Juices

The menu didn't explicitly say fresh squeezed, but, I think the juices were fresh squeezed.  Choices were classic apple and orange, plus pink grapefruit, pineapple, and cranberry.  I'm not really a juice drinker, but my companion is, and he made his way through the entire juice menu.  Whenever I was with him at breakfast, I of course tried his juice.

Pink Grapefruit Juice. £3.50.

Everyone seemed to be getting the grapefruit juice, so, knowing he likes juice in general, I encouraged my companion to order it on our first morning.

It was really good!  Sweet and tart, really refreshing.  Served a bit warm, but, otherwise, quite good.  My favorite of the juices.

The next year though?  Neither of us liked it.  Not sure what was different.

Pineapple Juice. £3.50.

The next morning, he decided to get pineapple juice, as he was going through a pineapple phase (see all the piña colada inspired drinks he ordered on this trip).

I tried a sip (after he took the first gulp, don't worry, this was a full glass when served).  It was sweet and quasi-refreshing, but far sweetener than what I wanted at the time.

Orange Juice. €3.50. (2016).

Another day, another juice.

The orange juice was pretty standard orange juice, not particularly fresh squeezed tasting, just, orange juice.

Orange Juice. €3.50. (2017).

It was much better the next year, I think fresh now, loaded up with pulp, frothy.

Apple Juice. £3.50.

Next, apple.

The apple juice was not the color of any apple juice I'd ever seen before, and when it arrived, I assumed they accidentally brought pineapple.  Nor did it really taste like apple juice.  It was apple juice, I could tell that, but, it was very cloudy and just not very ... apple-y.  My least favorite of the juices.

I felt the same the next year.

Cranberry Juice. £3.50.

The final juice was cranberry juice.

It seemed canned, completely unremarkable.

The Food

Menu

My visits have spanned multiple years, and the menu has evolved during this time, but always includes a mix of "Hearty" British breakfasts, "Healthy" options, and of course, "Sweet" choices.

Menu 2016.

Over my course of 3 visits, I sample a large portion of the menu, from all categories.

The menu from 2016:

HEARTY 

East Coast Kipper / Parsley butter £9.75

Macsween's Haggis £10.00

Fried duck's egg £10.00

Full English Breakfast: eggs - any style, sausage, bacon, tomato, black pudding, mushroom, white/granary. £17.

Eggs

-Benedict, Florentine £10.00

-Royale £14.00

Smoked Haddock Kedgeree  £12.0

Scrambled Eggs / Severn & Wye smoked salmon, granary £14.00

Grilled Smoked Bacon & Fried Egg in an artisan roll £8.00

HEALTHY 

Porridge / Berry compote / Maple syrup £7.00.
Fresh Fruit Salad / Lemongrass syrup £8.00
Crushed Avocado / Tomato & chilli on granary toast. £11.50
Quinoa & Pumpkin Seed Granola / Low-fat yogurt, apple & golden raisins. £8.50.
Buckwheat crepes / Coconut yogurt, mango, & agave. £9.75.
Morning Sundae / Low-fat natural nogurt, strawberries, passion fruit, muesli. £8.50

SWEET

Pastries: Croissant | pain au chocolat | pain au raisin £3.50

Cereal Bar / Fruit, nuts, & seeds. 4.

Brioche Eggy Bread / Bananas, pecans, salted caramel sauce £8.50

Toast :White | granary, preserves £4.50

Breakfast Muffins: Banana & peanut butter / blueberry & linseed. 4. 

Menu 2017,

The next year, there were some changes, but the classics stayed the same.  Most were just evolutions of prior dishes, a few things added, and more sourcing details or prep methods listed out (e.g. "Cackleberry Farm eggs" not just "eggs", "slow roast tomato" not just "tomato").  Prices remained the same.

The menu, in full:

HEARTY 

East Coast Kipper / Parsley butter £9.75

Macsween's Haggis £10.00

Full English Breakfast: Cackleberry Farm eggs - any style, Paddock Farm sausage, smoked free range bacon, slow roast tomato, Stornoway black pudding, baked mushroom, white/granary toast. £17.

Eggs

-Benedict, Florentine £10.00

-Royale £14.00

-Smoked Haddock Kedgeree  £12.0

-Scrambled Eggs / Severn & Wye smoked salmon, granary £14.00

Grilled Smoked Bacon & Fried Egg in an artisan roll £8.00

IRISH POTATO CAKES , grilled smoked bacon and fried eggs 12

HEALTHY 

Vegetarian Full English: Cackleberry Farm eggs – any style, baked Portabello mushroom, slow roast
Porridge / Berry compote / Maple syrup £7.00.
Fresh Fruit Salad / Lemongrass syrup £8.00
Crushed Avocado / on thick granary toast, slow roast tomatoes, poached egg & pesto. £11.50
Braised Smokey Butter Beans / two poached eggs & pumpkin seeds 12
Wheat Free Almond Pancakes / Blueberries, raspberries & honey 12
Coconut & Cardamom Quinoa Porridge / Mango, passion fruit and peanuts 10 

SWEET

Porridge /Berry compote | Maple syrup £7.00

Pastries: Croissant | pain au chocolat | pain au raisin £3.50

Granola: Greek yoghurt & strawberries £8.00

Brioche Eggy Bread / Bananas, pecans, salted caramel sauce £8.50

Toast :White | granary, preserves £4.50

SIDES

Two Cackleberry Farm Eggs 3.50

Baked Portabello Mushroom £2.50

Stornoway Black Pudding £3.00

Grilled Smoked Bacon £3.00

Paddock Farm Sausage £3.00

Slow Roast Tomato £2.50

Crushed Avocado & Chilli £2.50

Baked Beans £2.50

Irish Potato Cakes £3.50

Hearty

The hearty category was the least interesting to me, mostly egg dishes, but, more British than your standard scrambled eggs and toast, including East Coast Kipper, Haggis, Haddock Kedgeree, a Full English Breakfast, and more.  Since I'm not an egg eater, I didn't order anything from this area, but my companion did, and whenever I dined with him, of course I tried things.

2016

Eggs Benedict. £10. (2016).

As you know, I don't really like eggs, but, I always *want* to like eggs.  Our server said that the eggs benedict was her favorite, like, the best thing she's ever eaten, so, one day, when dining with my companion, we decided to get it.  I figured that if I didn't like it, he might, and this way I'd at least satisfy my curiosity.

Well, I didn't like it.

The english muffin was a large size, fluffy, fresh enough muffin, but it tasted vaguely sourdough to me, and it didn't seem toasted.  It was kinda spongy.  I didn't like the muffin.

The ham, not my choice, I would have gone for florentine, but, since this was mostly not for me, I had him choose, was ok.  Not really breakfast style ham as I'm used to, more like slices of Easter ham, but it did have a nice flavor to it.

The eggs were perfectly poached, and the yolks were intensely orange.  Why are eggs not like this in the US?  If I liked eggs, I would have loved the eggs aspect of this.

And finally, the hollandaise, which our server raved about.  There was, as you can see, a lot of it.  And it was very, very thick.  And it was way too lemon-y for my taste.

So, good eggs, decent ham if you like that style of ham, but really not good muffin or hollandaise.  My fellow diner didn't like this either, and neither of us finished our halves (besides the eggs).

Macsween's Haggis / Fried Ducks Egg. £10. (2016).

On our very final morning in London, we decided to be crazy, and order the haggis.  Neither my companion nor I had had haggis before, and, we figured if we were ever going to go for it, why not here?

Well, it looked nice.  And the pea shoots (?) as garnish were crisp and fresh.  The fried duck egg was also good, I loved the huge, rich yolk.  They really do know how to do eggs perfectly, making me wish I liked eggs more.  How did they make it a perfect circle anyway?

But the haggis.  Shutter.  I took one bite, and that was it.  It was very ... funky.  Lots of flavor, and not exactly good flavor.  So strong.  My dining companion however had a far more extreme reaction.  He visibly struggled to swallow his single bite.  He was very proud that he managed to swallow it.  He looked over at it, as it sat there, repulsed.  "I really want that to go away", he said.

So, haggis fail.  I have no idea if this was bad haggis, or, if haggis really is just this bad.  I assume the later.  At least we tried it, and, the egg was good!

Grilled Smoked Bacon & Fried Egg in an artisan roll. 8€. (2016),

The only Hearty item that really caught my eye was the fried egg and smoked bacon sandwich, which my companion had one morning on our first trip, and said he really enjoyed.  I kept meaning to order it myself, but, alas, there were too many other options that trumped it.

So, on our second visit, when he said he was ordering that dish again, I joined him to try a bite, even though I had breakfast 3 hours earlier (breakfast hours are from 7am-11am, and we were on very different schedules!)  The staff laughed at me, and offered a different table, so I could get a fresh perspective.

This was really mediocre, and he agreed that it was not good like last time.

The roll was soft and fluffy, and well toasted, but it wasn't buttered.  The egg was a fried egg, and it was fine, but not the style I like (I'm always an over-medium girl, I don't like the runny white and yolk).  The bacon was thick, flabby style British bacon, but grilled nicely so it was fairly crispy.

The sandwich was unseasoned, but, the bacon provided the salty level.  Pepper was available on the table.

Overall, I guess if you like this style of bacon, and this style of fried egg, it was fine, but definitely not my sort of thing.

2017

This section of the menu was the least changed from year to year.  Every item that was previously part of the menu still remains, but one dish was added (an Irish potato cake main dish).

Since I'm not really an egg eater, it took me a while to want to order something from here.

Eggs Florentine. £10. (Muffin on the side)

But one morning, I opted for eggs florentine.

I was dining post-bootcamp, and I think my body wanted something with protein and greens.  I ordered it for room service, so I had the english muffin on the side so it wouldn't get soggy.  I also ordered butter on the side, so I could just have a delicious buttered muffin if I didn't like the eggs.  And a side of mango.  And candied nuts.  Because, I was hungry after my workout!

Anyway, the eggs florentine.

Two eggs, decently poached.  Not watery whites, decently runny center.  Brilliant yellow yolks, again, much brighter than we have in the US.  But still just eggs, and not particularly exciting to me.

I think because I had the english muffin on the side they gave me an even more generous portion of spinach than normal.  There is no way they would have piled all this on a muffin, right?  The spinach was fine, just steamed, totally unseasoned.  Luckily I had salt and pepper. 

The hollandaise was ... ok.  Thicker, more lemon-y than I wanted.  Yet somehow I found myself using it all.

In the end, the pile of spinach with hollandaise and proper seasoning once I added it was quite satisfying.  Clearly what I was craving, and not my normal breakfast order at all.

Eggs Florentine: English Muffin.

The english muffin was pretty lackluster.

Just a toasted english muffin.  Large size.  Fluffy-ish I guess.  Not particularly interesting though.

Grilled Smoked Bacon & Fried Egg in an artisan roll. £8.

Except, since I don't like the English style of bacon, I got this no bacon.  "Bacon roll, no bacon?" Yup.

The egg was just a fried egg.  Basic, ok preparation, although the white near the yolk was a bit runny.

Artisan Roll: inside.

The roll was great though.  It was soft and fluffy, really soft, and toasted and buttered inside.

I discovered this on my last day and lamented this fact.  I would have gladly been using it as a base for my own custom sandwiches ... like, stuffed with spinach and hollandaise!  Or just slathered in Nutella.

Healthy

The healthy section of a breakfast menu is where I basically never focus, but, the healthy options at Plum + Spilt Milk actually sounded good, as words like "sundae" and "crepes" appear here.  It is also what Plum + Spilt Milk seems to pride itself on, and separate itself from other restaurants by.

It also is clearly where they like to innovate, as it changed significantly between the years.

2016

Given that both my visits in 2016 to London took place near the end of 2-3 weeks on the road, mostly staying in hotels with decadent breakfast buffets, this was actually a good thing.  A girl can only eat donuts, bread pudding, and uh, cheesecake for breakfast for so long.  This section also included all your basic healthy breakfast items like porridge, fruit salad, and granola.

Breakfast Sundae. £8.50. (2016).

"Low-fat natural yoghurt, strawberries, passion fruit, muesli."

The first morning, I was feeling healthy, and needed a detox after my week in Munich.  So, I opted for something from the healthy section.  I knew the sundae was yogurt and muesli, but, it also said "sundae", so, I had my hopes up that I could trick myself into liking it.

It didn't work.

The presentation was lovely, in a parfait glass, served with a tall spoon.  The parfait, er, sundae was layered with yogurt, muesli, fresh strawberries, and passion fruit goo.  On top was a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.  I liked the crunch from the seeds on top, and the strawberries were fine, but, I really didn't care for anything else.

The yogurt was just tart, kinda thin, generic, non-fat, boring yogurt.  Not thick, rich creamy Greek yogurt.  And the muesli was soggy and honestly a bit off putting to eat.  The passionfruit was likely not fresh, just, sweet kinda tart goo.

I really didn't like this, and tried to give it to my companion, who also didn't want it.  Failure at being healthy.

Crushed Avocado. £11.50. (2016).

"Tomato & chilli on granary toast."

Somehow, my companion had never heard of the whole "avocado toast" craze, so, out of novelty, he ordered the "crushed avocado".  I clearly couldn't really partake in it due to my avocado allergy.

He wasn't impressed.  "This would be better without the avocado", he said.  "Then it would just be bruschetta".

The toast base wasn't warm, although it was toasted. A hearty granary bread, thick slice.  He didn't like the toast.

The avocado was mashed and seasoned and spread evenly on top.  He said the avocado on its own was fine.

The tomatoes on top were the best part, and I did try those.  Fresh, ripe, flavorful mixed tomatoes, plus a little red pepper and green onion.

It was a pretty dish, and he was glad to try it, but, he said it is likely his first, and last, avocado toast.

Porridge / Berry compote / Maple syrup. 7. (2016).

Sometimes ... I really like porridge.  I need to be in a certain mood, but, every once in a while, I get really, really into porridge.  Not oatmeal made with water, but, real, legit porridge, with lots of milk or cream, and well cooked grains.

I was offered several options on the side: maple syrup, berry compote, honey, or fruit.  I asked for fruit and maple syrup, but I seemed to have received the compote.  Oh well.

The porridge was ... ok.  It was thick, made with milk, and the oats weren't too mushy.  But, it was really just oatmeal, no other interesting grains in there, no seasoning.

The compote wasn't great, just some little berries in sweet sauce.  The maple syrup was, well, maple syrup, good to mix in and sweeten it.

Overall, this was what it was.  Simple porridge, no more, no less, and too boring for me.  He liked it though, as he is a regular oatmeal eater.

On our second trip to London, my companion opted for the porridge again, as he wasn't feeling well.  This time, he didn't like it.

Fresh Fruit Salad / Lemongrass Syrup. £8.  (2016).

The final morning, after my companion's rave review of the butter, I decided to kick it up a notch and get a croissant ... with butter.  To balance out my ridiculous butter pastry + extra butter, I decided to have the fruit salad.

Of course, fruit salad is a dangerous thing for me, as I'm deathly allergic to watermelon, and moderately allergic to all melon.  When does fruit salad not have melon?  So I asked what was in the fruit salad.  My server explained that it was assorted berries, and, yup, watermelon.  I said nevermind, as I was allergic and she offered that they could make one without melons and put something else in instead.  I kinda assumed it was made in advance, so, this was a lovely offer.

Instead of melon, they included pineapple, decent sized chunks.  About half the dish was pineapple, which I guess makes sense since the berries are likely the expensive part.  The pineapple was fine, juicy, but, I'm not particularly excited by pineapple.

The berries, a mix of raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries, were good.  Fresh, decently flavorful.  

The entire mix was drizzled with a bit of lemongrass syrup to kick up the sweetness a touch, and garnished with a thin some shreds of mint?

Overall, a fresh vibrant fruit salad, and it was really nice to have some fruit alongside my heavier items.  I sorta wished I had discovered this sooner, as it would have been nice to combine with the crepes.

So, note for future order: crepes, no coconut yogurt, add berries! (which, I did, 3 weeks later).

Buckwheat Crêpes. £9.75. (2016).

"Coconut yoghurt, mango & agave."

On my second morning, I stayed in the healthy section, opting for the crêpes.  Yup, crêpes were under the healthy section, not the sweets section.  I was a bit skeptical, particularly given the "sundae", but, I love mango, so I went for it (and of course, ordered a pastry on the side, just in case ...)

I was pleasantly surprised! The crêpes were really quite good.  Two thin crêpes, well prepared, a bit crispy on the edges, but otherwise moist and light.  I liked the buckwheat flavor.

I didn't like the coconut yoghurt, which I kinda expected.  I've tried a number of coconut yogurts in the US, as in, yogurt made with coconut milk rather than dairy, and I have always found the consistency and texture to be a bit nasty.  I like coconut, but, something about coconut milk yogurt just doesn't do it for me.  I was hoping this would be regular yogurt with coconut in it, but, one taste and I knew it was coconut milk yogurt.  The coconut yogurt is certainly what placed this on the healthy section of the menu, and you know me, I would have wanted whipped cream or whipped crème fraîche or something, but actually no creamy component was necessary.  I scraped it off, and avoided a little bit of the top layer, and still really enjoyed my dish.

The final element was cubes of mango, in mango goo.  I'm kinda guessing that this was just not fresh mango, and it was in a goo sorta like when you get cherry pie filling in a can.  Or, I can give them the benefit of the doubt, and assume it was fresh mango, coated in a mango coulis?  Anyway, the mango wasn't bad, given the extra coating, it was nice and sweet, and the cubes were juicy.  The scattering of fresh herbs did seem a bit out of place.

Oh, and the crêpes were drizzled with agave, which made them sweet and moist, replacing my need for maple syrup or anything else.

So, overall I was very satisfied with my breakfast.  I don't eat a lot of crêpes, but, these were good, and really reminded me more of a lighter version of pancakes than anything else, particularly with the agave drizzle.  I'd get it again, but, ask to have the coconut yogurt left off.  With the mango and agave, they can stand on their own just fine, but obviously, if you like coconut yogurt, it would enhance it.

Buckwheat Crêpes - No Coconut Yogurt.  £9.75. (2016).

A few days later, after trying out a bunch more dishes, I went back to the crêpes, but I refined my order.  No coconut yogurt, and, sausage on the side, which I planned to dunk in the agave and create a sweet and savory element.

The crêpes were a disappointment this time though.  They arrived cold.  Ok, maybe lukewarm, but definitely, definitely not hot or even warm.  Cold crêpes just really aren't appealing.  They were also undercooked slightly, kinda raw and a strange texture.  No crispy edges.  Not well executed.

There was also very little agave on the plate this time to add the touch of sweetness I wanted.  Yes, the mango sauce was sweet, but it was a different kind of sweet.  I pondering asking for some more agave, or maple syrup, but given how cold the crêpes were to start, that seemed like a bad idea.

I did again like the mango, and I think I had more of it this time, and I also enjoyed the mango sauce. I was glad I left off the yogurt. But, the cold crêpes ... no.

Really, I wanted some whipped cream, and maybe some other fruit?

Buckwheat Crepes, No Coconut Yogurt, Add Whipped Cream, Bowl of Berries. (2016).

On my next visit in September, I decided to ask for exactly what I wanted, and see what happened.  So I asked for the crepes, but without the coconut yogurt.  I was offered regular yogurt instead.  I sheepishly suggested whipped cream, not an item on the menu in any dish.  They really do try to have healthier takes on breakfast, but I know the restaurant serves regular desserts that must include whipped cream, but, uh, it was 8am.  The manager, who took my order, had no idea if they could do this, but said he'd try.

I also asked for a bowl of berries, again, not on the menu in any way.  There is a fruit salad, but it has other fruits, and comes with a drizzle on it.

Let's just say I was thrilled when my order arrived.  Right on top, a huge pile of really fantastic, clearly freshly whipped, likely by hand, cream.  Oh yes.  And, a big bowl of ridiculously ripe looking berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries) on the side.

The crepes were nearly a success.  They were a bit lukewarm, and didn't really have the crispy edges I was hoping for, but otherwise, were fine.  The amount of agave drizzled on top was perfect, plenty of sweetness, but not too much.

I again liked the mango + mango goo, particularly when mixed with the whipped cream.

Now, speaking of that whipped cream.  It was fantastic.  I really think someone just whipped this by hand for me, as it certainly isn't part of the breakfast menu in any way.  It was rich, creamy, and just insanely delicious.  I also appreciated that they gave me a ton of it.  I didn't need it all for the crepes, but, I dunked my berries in it, and truly loved my meal.  I'm so happy they let me make up my own meal.

So, next time?  I think I'd leave out the crepes, and just get a fantastic bowl of berries and whipped cream!

Quinoa & Pumpkin Seed Granola (sub berries for apple). 8.50€. (2016).

"Low-fat yoghurt, apple & golden raisins." ... sub berries for apple.

Granola is something I have strong opinions on (level of crunch, size of chunks, sweetness, etc).  I tend to want granola to be large chunks, with fun mix ins, sweet, and, used as finger food rather than something with milk or yogurt.  I also never generally want to order it for breakfast.  I'm pretty sure I've never ordered granola at a restaurant before.

But, on my second visit to London, I had tried nearly the entire menu at Plum + Spilt Milk, and I had been traveling for nearly 2.5 weeks, and the urge to get something healthy, and try something new, finally hit me.  I'll admit, I also did my research and saw a photo of it online, and knew that it wasn't  traditional granola.  And, uh, I still had half a giant, sweet praluline from Pralus in Paris waiting in my room for me (seriously, BEST THING EVER), so, I somewhat expected to just eat a little of this to make myself feel healthy, and then go feast on my praluline.

I ended up loving it, and, even though the portion was very large, I somehow managed to finish it.  That praluline would have to wait.

Continuing my trend of modifying dishes, I did ask to sub berries in place of apple, because the berries at Plum + Spilt Milk are just so good, and, I don't like apples.  The berries were sprinkled on top, along with pumpkin seeds and golden raisins.  I received 2 each of the blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries, and 5 blueberries.  I was hoping for more berries, but I appreciated the flexibility in modifying dishes.  The berry mix was wonderful, just like when I ordered the berries on the side.  I'm really struck by how good the berries are at Plum + Spilt Milk, particularly for an item not actually featured on the menu anywhere.  I loved the crunch from the pumpkin seeds on top, and made a mental note to remove the raisins next time.  They added a bit of chew, but, I don't really care for raisins.

The yogurt was the element I was most worried about.  Low-fat yogurt?  I never really like low-fat yogurt.  I want creamy, thick yogurt.  None of this low-fat stuff.  But ... it actually was fine.  Sure, not rich, thick, awesome full fat yogurt, but it was creamy, it wasn't too tart, and it added another element to the dish.

Overall, well, this was awesome.  It had many elements of a successful dessert for me, was perfectly satisfying, and yet, healthy.  A bit sweet, crunchy, creamy, and fairly addicting.  Everything in balance.  I'm sad it took so long for me to discover it.

Granola Close Up.

The "granola" was the definition of crunchy.  It was certainly not traditional granola.  The base did have some oats, but was mostly crunchy quinoa.   Here you can see a close up of the granola, with the vibrant red, black, and white quinoa, plus a scattering of golden raisins and oats.  There were big chunks and plenty that wasn't chunked.  I loved the mix of textures, and even the flavor.

The granola seemed to be coated in a little bit of sweet, sticky syrup, which I can only imagine was agave given the fact that the other dishes all use agave and it didn't have the distinct flavor of honey or maple syrup.  It added just the hint of sweetness that I was worried wouldn't exist in this dish.

Quinoa & Pumpkin Seed Granola (sub berries for apple). 8.50€. (2016).

I liked the granola so much that I got it again a few days later, and again subbed the berries for apple.  I forgot to ask to leave the golden raisins out, but I was pleased when I saw that they weren't scattered on top with the pumpkin seeds.

This time I got slightly more berries ... 3 raspberries and strawberries instead of 2!  I again loved the fruit.

The granola this time was different though.  While the raisins weren't on top, they were in the granola mix, making them much harder to avoid, and, making the granola more chewy rather than crunchy.  I loved the crunch before.

And ... the yogurt seemed thinner, more tart, more like, well, non-fat yogurt.

This was a mixed success, perhaps I went into it with too high of expectations?

My new crazy idea for an order: granola, berries (as in, lots of them), and, uh, whipped cream.

Custom Creation: Berries, Granola, Whipped Cream. (2016).

I decided to create my amazing idea.  I ordered this as "a bowl of berries with whipped cream" and "a side of granola" to try to make it less complicated.  I could combine the elements as I wished.  Maybe I should have said, "I'll have the granola, sub berries for the apple and raisins, sub whipped cream for the yogurt?"  It seemed easier this way.

It wasn't.  What I got was ... a small bowl of berries with a side of cream (not whipped cream), and a small bowl of muesli (not granola).  Uh, oops?  Several corrections later, I received all the elements, and was able to make my ideal meal.

It lived up to exactly what I had in mind.  Fresh, delicious fruit.  Fluffy, rich whipped cream. Crunchy granola.  Certainly a hassle to order something so ridiculously off-menu, but I was quite pleased with the result.

2017

In 2017, my life on the road was even more extreme - never home for more than 8 days in a row for the final 4 months of the year.  I again had some breakfast buffet exhaustion, and  honed in on some healthy options.

My staples from this section however were gone.  No more crepes (not that they were that successful anyway).  but in their place was pancakes.  No more granola, but a different version was moved to the "Sweet" section.  New additions included a Vegetarian full English breakfast, a butter beans and poached eggs entree, and a new porridge.

Coconut & Cardamom Quinoa Porridge. £10.

"Mango, passion fruit and peanuts."

This was a beautiful dish.  Who knew you could make porridge look so good?

It was also a fascinating dish, full of interesting ingredients and textures.  The only problem?  I didn't like the porridge itself.

The porridge was ... mushy quinoa with I think coconut milk?  It wasn't creamy, it was bitter, and, well, I just didn't like it at all.  It was also cardamom flavored, as expected, which I knew I wouldn't like.

The toppings though were great.  Slices of mango, just like I enjoyed from the crepes before.  Sweet passion fruit, that was a bit too fake tasting, but mixed in well.  Some herbs that added an interesting savory twist.

But the best part?  The peanuts!  They weren't just peanuts.  They were coated in ... something.  Candied.  And really quite tasty.  I think they'd 'make a great bar snack.

But this dish? Not a success for me.  At all.

Fresh Fruit Salad / Lemongrass Syrup. £8. 

The standard fruit salad comes with chunks of pineapple and melon, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.

Since I'm allergic to melon, I always order without.  This one was for Ojan, but I include here for illustrative purposes.

Fresh Fruit Salad (no melons) / Lemongrass Syrup. £8.  (2017).

The next year, the fruit mix was the same, and I ordered without melons due to my allergy.

The fruit was all fine, fresh enough, and the lemongrass syrup helped sweeten it and add a touch of interest.  A decent healthy item.

Fresh Fruit Salad (no melons). £8. (2017).

The next day I ordered the fruit, I ordered it with no melons.  It came with melons.  I sent it back.

When it was replaced, I had basically a bowl of pineapple and raspberries.  No blackberries this time.  Only 3 small segments of strawberry.  Only 3 blueberries.

And no lemongrass syrup. Which it turns out, is a key component.  The fruit was sour.  Bitter even.  Really not very good.  My dining companion took a single berry at one point and made such a face.  I wish I had a camera to capture his look of surprise at how bitter it was.

I also tried to order whipped cream to put on top as I had the year before, which my server had no problem with.  The original melon-filled bowl came without the cream on the side, and I reminded her about it.  She said no problem.  But when this came, again, no whipped cream.  She scurried off to get it.  A while later she came back saying they ran out.  I was offered plain cream instead.  I guess whatever chef who was willing to make it for me the previous times just wasn't there anymore, and no one wanted to deal with my request.  Which is fine, but, I waited about 30 minutes for it.

Fresh Fruit Salad (no melons, add mango) £8.

The next day I asked to have mango added in place of the melons, since I regularly liked the mango.  This one came out more balanced in terms of the fruit, but also seemed to be lacking the lemongrass syrup.

The pineapple turned out to be my favorite though, everything else was a bit too tart/sour.

Fresh Fruit Salad & Candied Peanuts.

I went for the fruit salad - melon + mango the next day, with, uh, a side of candied peanuts.  No blackberries again, only 2 raspberries, and a scattering of strawberry and blueberry.  The fruit was mostly sour again.

Wheat Free Almond Pancakes

Blueberries, raspberries & honey

. £12.00.

Pancakes, a new edition for 2017.  And much like the buckwheat crepes from before, these were gluten-free .

They were awful.  I don't know how to sugar coat this one.

Rock hard.  Burnt on the bottom, very dark on top.  Crazy crispy.

I liked the healthy spin on pancakes, in concept, and the berries and almonds were fine, but these were actually so bad that I called my server over, and asked if they should be really crispy and hard.  She told me no, said these were here favorite dish, and quickly said she'd bring a new batch.  I didn't really have time to wait for another order of pancakes, so went for the quicker option of yogurt and granola instead.

I really hope this isn't what these are normally like.

Honey & Maple Syrup (on the side),

The pancakes normally come with just honey, but I asked for maple syrup (and butter) too, so I could dress them as I pleased.

The honey was honey, the syrup was syrup, the butter delicious as always.  But these things couldn't save those pancakes.

Luckily, my server asked if I wanted to keep the syrups for my granola, which was a great idea.

Crushed Avocado on Thick Granary. £11.50. 

"Toast, slow roast tomatoes, poached egg & pesto."

The avocado toast evolved.

The delicious fresh tomatoes that we loved were replaced by halves of roasted tomatoes, the same ones included with the full English breakfast, or as a side.  They were .... slow roast tomatoes.

This dish is supposed to include an egg, but, we opted to have it left off.

I loved the thicker slices of toast though, much better than the thin slices served normally.

Sweet

And, the final area of the menu, where I generally choose to focus: sweets!

Interestingly, this section contained no classics like waffles or pancakes. All the baked goods were listed here (croissants, chocolate croissants, pain au raisin, muffins), house made cereal bars, toast, and "eggy bread" (aka, french toast).  I'm not really sure why toast was listed here, and, really, this category seemed more like "carbs" than "sweet".

2016

I know I said I was opting for healthy foods, but of course I tried the sweets too.

Brioche Eggy Bread. £8.50.

"Bananas, pecans, salted-caramel sauce."

I was eyeing the "Brioche Eggy Bread", er, French Toast, from the first day I scoped out Plum + Spilt milk.

It was ... only ok.

A thick slice of brioche, orangeish in color from the generous egg soak.  It wasn't too eggy though (I hate it when French Toast has too much extra egg on the outside).  I think they really did pre-soak, so, a point for that  It was moist and that aspect of it was good.  It was a bit overcooked though, the crusts were pretty burnt, as was one side.

The caramel was really good, the perfect consistency, very sweet.

The pecans didn't seem toasted, and were just sprinkled on.  They were good for crunch, and went well with the caramel, but, a bit boring.

The bananas were the biggest disappointment.  They were just ... bananas.  Not bruleed, just, slices of fresh banana.  The slices were also too thick.

Overall, this wasn't great.  Execution was just off.  The toast was burnt, the pecans untoasted, the bananas boring.  It was also too sweet, with nothing to counterbalance the sweetness of the caramel.  Some whipped crème fraîche perhaps?

Of course, I finished it with no problem (sans the bananas), but, I certainly wouldn't get it again.   Unless ... I left off the bananas, and probably the caramel, brought my own maple syrup, and asked to put berries on it?

Banana & Peanut Butter Muffin. £4.

One morning, I opted to get a muffin togo, as I didn't have time for a full breakfast.  I went for the banana and peanut butter.

It was pretty disappointing.  Like the french toast, it seemed overcooked, the top a bit burnt, too crispy.  It wasn't moist inside.  The peanut butter flavor was quite strong however.  It had a few chunks of banana, not many.  I didn't finish it.

Blueberry & Linseed Muffin. £4. (June)

My companion went for the blueberry muffin.  It too was overcooked, the top too crispy and a bit burnt tasting.  It was a healthy muffin, so, a bit strange to have in the "sweets" section, with a hearty linseed base.  It had a few juicy blueberries inside, but, otherwise, just not very good.

Blueberry & Linseed Muffin. £4. (September)

My companion tried one again when we visited in September.  It looked slightly different, more focus on the blueberries, but was again just not very good, a bit too burnt and dried out.  The juicy blueberries were nice though.

Cereal Bar. 4€.

"Fruit, nuts & seeds."

I had to try all the breakfast sweets, right?  It is just in my nature.  So, the second to last day day, I went for the least appealing one: the "cereal bar".

I'm not really sure why this was listed under Sweets vs Healthy.  Sure, it had some sweetness and sugar, but I don't think it had more than the crêpes drizzled with agave or the parfait sundae.

Anyway, the cereal bar came as a pair.  And they were actually quite good, basically, fancy homemade granola bars.  The bars were loaded with ... everything.   Oats, dried raisins, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, peanuts, and likely many more things.  The bar had just the right level of sweetness, good crunch, and, well, I'll admit, surprised me.  I'm not generally a granola bar girl, but these were very good, for granola bars.

Cereal Bar. €4. (September)

I ordered these several times in September, as did my companion, when we wanted a snack to have later in the day.  We were both again impressed with them, far better than any granola bar you can buy in a store.  He doesn't really like this sort of thing, but he did say it was the best granola bar he had ever had, and even offered that it was better than most oatmeal or granola.

Pain au Raisin. £3.50. [ June Visit ]

After the lackluster muffins, it was time to move on to other pastries, which actually looked pretty good when I saw others order them.  The first one I went for was the pain au raisin.

It was far better than the muffin.  It had flaky outside layers.  The inside layers seemed a bit undercooked and doughy, but, I'm kinda weird and liked that.  In between the folds was a moist custard and some juicy, plump raisins.

Overall, actually quite good, and a stark contrast to the horrible muffin.

Pain au Raisin. £3.50. [ September Visit ]

On my next visit a few months later, I also added on a pain au raisin to one of my meals.  It was nearly identical to the first time around, flaky outside layer, moist custard between the rolls, plump, juicy raisins.

I certainly liked it, and when I am craving a pastry, it is a great choice.

Pain au Chocolat. £3.50.

I continued my streak of ordering a baked good alongside every meal, and opted for the pain au chocolat.  Ok, actually, I asked for a "chocolate croissant", and my server corrected me.  My companion laughed and said the same thing happened to him when he ordered a chocolate croissant.  We stand corrected.

Like the pain au raisin, it was pretty good.  The exterior was flaky, and this one wasn't undercooked at all, with decent layers.  Inside were two bars of dark chocolate, really quite nice chocolate.

Was it a boulangerie in Paris quality croissant?  Nah.  But far better than you normally get at any hotel, or even most bakeries in the US.

Protip for next time: ask for it warmed up.

Croissant £3.50.

My final morning, I decided to get the plain croissant, the last pastry that I had not tried.  After my companion's review of the butter, I asked for butter and preserves on the side.

I also asked to have it warmed up.  My server was a bit perplexed.  "Hmm, we already have the pastries here", she said.  "But, maybe we could figure out somewhere to put it to warm it up?"  She thought a second longer, and offered, "Or, I could send it to the kitchen?"  I told her it wasn't a big deal, but, if possible, I'd like it warm.

And ... she delivered!  A nice, warm croissant.

Like the pain au raisin and pain au chocolate, it was pretty good.   Flaky exterior, super buttery and rich. It absolutely did not need more butter slathered on it, but, I wanted to try the butter, and hadn't yet tried the toast when I ordered, so, I thought this was my best way to try the butter.  Swoon, that butter.

The croissant was fine on its own, and, actually, I wouldn't get it with butter again.  I'd like the croissant, warm, with a poached egg on the side, so I could make my own breakfast sandwich.  And if I wanted butter, I'd get the toast.

The preserves were pretty standard, just strawberry jam and orange marmalade, nothing remarkable.

So, another custom order queued up if I ever return: warm croissant, side of poached egg, make my own breakfast sandwich.

Update (September): I tried the croissant again when we visited in September, and we both ordered it.  I was again impressed.  Super buttery, decently flaky exterior and moist inside.  The butter level is what really sets it apart.

Granary Toast / Butter / Preserves. £4.50.

My companion ordered the full English breakfast one morning when I wasn't with him, and he came back talking about how amazing the butter was.  He said it was just like Paris.  Great butter.  All he wanted after that day was toast with butter.

The next time I was with him, he did just that, ordered a side of toast (with the butter of course).  It also came with strawberry jam and orange marmalade.

They offer two types of toast, white or granary.  He went for granary, a decent hearty bread, loaded with seeds.  I also thought it was cute how it came served with all four slices standing up.  The piece I had was kinda over toasted, but the other slices were not.

The over-toasting didn't really matter though, because, well, the butter.  As he said, that was good butter.  It was rich, creamy, sweet, and salty.  Seriously, why does everywhere have better butter than the US?

I too would have been happy just eating toast with this butter subsequent days, but, alas, I didn't discover it until my final day.  The granary toast was good, and I know it isn't on the menu, but, I do wonder if they'd serve the brioche they use to make french toast with butter?  Now that is what I really wanted.

2017

The "Sweets" menu was a bit different this time around.  It still had the brioche eggy bread, the strangely categorized toast, and pastries, but the muffins were gone (good! Those weren't winners), but alas, my favorite breakfast bars were also gone.  No extra baked goods were added as replacements.  However, the granola and regular porridge were moved here.

Porridge / Berry compote / Maple syrup. £7.00.

Previous years listed the porridge as a "Healthy" item, but this year, it moved to sweet.  Which was ... interesting.

When I ordered, I was asked if I wanted it made with water or milk.  I opted for milk.  I was not asked if I wanted it with berry compote or maple syrup, as I had been the prior year, so I suspected that meant they choose to just serve it with both now.

But the porridge showed up without any sauces or mix ins.  Just plain porridge.  A "Sweet", really?  I asked for the maple syrup.

The porridge was good - warm, comforting, creamy, well cooked.  But it was just plain oat based porridge.  The maple syrup helped sweeten it nicely of course, but I found myself wanting mix-ins.  Some nuts, seeds, berries, something.  Which I know they have ...

Pain au Chocolate. £3.50.

The pain au chocolate was as good as I remembered.

And even though I didn't ask, delivered warm.

Flaky exterior, nice layers, good quality chocolate inside.  They really do nice pastries.

Pain au Chocolate: Burnt Bottom! £3.50.

Except the next time I ordered it, it came ... burnt.

I think they just over toasted it.  I appreciate that they toast the pastries, but, alas, this totally ruined it.

Pain au Raisin. £3.50.

The pain au raisin wasn't as good.

It was fine, served warm, but the custard wasn't really creamy or plentiful, the pastry not quite as crispy nor flaky, and overall, was just boring.

Granola

 / Greek yoghurt & strawberries. £8.00.

The granola changed significantly between visits.

It moved from the "Healthy" category to the "Sweet", which was quite ... peculiar, given that it uses unsweetened yogurt, has no drizzle of anything on it, and the granola is less sweet than the previous version.  The berries on top are naturally sweet, sure, but then shouldn't the pancakes be in this category since they come with fruit? And they come with honey!

Anyway, ok, this was a "Sweet".

The changes were a mixed bag.

I had stopped ordering the granola per the menu last year because I disliked the runny, tart, low-fat yoghurt.  The replacement with thick, creamy, full fat Greek yogurt was much improved.  This was great yogurt, er, yoghurt, and I appreciated the richness.  I didn't feel the need to sub in whipped cream!

But the granola that I had loved so much before, made with assorted colors of quinoa, and a sticky agave(?) sweetener, was completely different.  This was still house made, but basically regular granola.  Oats, no quinoa.  Dry, crispy clusters.  No sweet sticky.  It was fine, but ordinary, granola.

On top was sliced strawberries, perfectly arranged.  These replaced the mixed berries from before.  The strawberries were great, super fresh and ripe, quite tasty.  I really liked the pumpkin seeds as well, nice crunch.  And microgreens finished it off, like on my porridge the first day.

Since I had this after the failed pancakes, I had my honey and maple syrup available to drizzle over the top, which was excellent.  I think if I were to order it again, I'd certainly get honey on the side, or perhaps the lemongrass syrup fruit from the fruit salad instead of just plain berries.  Because even though they put this in the sweet category, sweet it was not.

So overall, I was pretty torn by this.  I was glad that they improved the yogurt.  I liked this yogurt.  The fruit was great.  But I lamented the loss of the granola I had loved so much.  I suppose this appeals much more to the masses.

Custom "Granola" Order.

I liked the Greek yogurt from the Granola bowl.  But I didn't really care for the granola itself.

I liked the mango and candied peanuts from the Coconut & Cardamom Quinoa Porridge, but not the porridge itself.

And I was curious if the pecans, bananas, and salted caramel sauce were still the same for the Brioche Eggy Bread (that I didn't quite care for, but liked the salted caramel, and thought bananas and pecans would be good toppings too).

So, I ordered the Granola ... minus the granola.  The Brioche Eggy Bread ... minus the brioche eggy bread.  And the Coconut & Cardamom Quinoa Porridge ... minus the porridge.  

Basically, a bowl of plain Greek yogurt, with toppings for the other dishes.  And I did this via room service, starting with a "I know this is crazy, so, if this is way too complicated, just tell me.".  But she told me it was no problem.

I was skeptical that I'd get anything even approaching what I actually wanted, but I was pleasantly surprised when my order arrived.  It was mostly correct, with each topping in its own bowl (don't mind the syrup on top of the yogurt, I spilt it as I was arranging the tray for a photo op).

So, from the "Granola" - the same good thick creamy Greek yogurt, a great base for my custom creation.  Exactly what I wanted.

From the "Coconut & Cardamom Quinoa Porridge", a bowl of 4 chunks of mango, a bowl of candied peanuts, and a little pitcher of passionfruit sauce.  The mango was my absolute favorite, ripe, juicy, flavorful.  I ended up mostly eating it on its own, I couldn't wait long enough to assemble some "perfect bites".  I'd gladly get more of the mango again.  The candied peanuts were a close second though, exactly what I remembered, and an awesome snack alongside my coffee.  They worked great on the yogurt too, but I mostly just munched on them quite happily.  Again, I'd gladly just take a bowl of these!  The passionfruit though I didn't like.  In this form, it was more clear that it wasn't real fresh passionfruit, and rather was some kind of too sweet, too fake syrup.  I poured some over the yogurt, which really would be fine if I liked the passionfruit, much like any packaged yogurt with fruit sauce that comes with.

From the "Brioche Eggy Toast", a little bowl of pecans, a bowl of sliced fresh banana, and ... a bowl of maple syrup.  Doh.  I mostly ordered this for the amazing sweet salted caramel!  I was also glad I didn't bother ordering the Brioche Eggy Toast, as I was disappointed by the use of just fresh sliced bananas and plain pecans before.  That dish would be so much better with bruleed, or even just roasted bananas, and candied, or even just toasted, pecans!  They were both fine, but, just raw ingredients.  The maple syrup too was fine, and helped sweeten the yogurt, but I prefer the maple syrup for the porridge, and honey for the yogurt.

So overall, this was a fun experiment and basically a success.  It confirmed that I still liked what I liked, and gave me more ideas ...

Custom "Granola" Order #2.

Another day, I made a similar request.

A bowl of Greek yogurt with toppings, no granola.  The yogurt seemed different.  It was thick, but a bit watery at the same time, and very tart.  I didn't like it, at all.  But, I still tried my toppings, mixing them in differently hoping to like the yogurt.  I never succeeded.

I asked for the mango again, and was told they don't serve mango.  I didn't bother push it, I had mango enough on the trip.

I also asked for the salted caramel sauce, and was told they don't start serving desserts until 11am.  This one I pushed back on, reminding her that they have it with the brioche eggy toast.  She seemed skeptical, but I did receive it this time.  It was ... very sweet, and quite tasty mixed into my coffee actually.  I also tried spreading it on bread, but didn't care for it that way.  It was tasty with the peanuts though.

The peanuts this time came as just roasted peanuts, not candied.  Which was fine, they were actually good salted roasted peanuts, and I liked them with spoonfuls of caramel, but, just good roasted peanuts.

The pumpkin seeds I ordered so I could have some crunch, and they were as expected.

The final dish was just honey, which I really liked before with the yogurt, but, with lackluster yogurt, it didn't help.  I also spread it with butter on toast, and that was fine.

Toast (White & Granary) / Butter / Preserves. £4.50.

Since I liked the butter (er, toast), so much previously, I ordered it again this year.  It was still great.

I opted for both white and granary toast, which came as two slices of each.  Well toasted, crispier than I'd make it at home, but, fine.  I think I liked the white more, its simplicity with butter just works great, but the heartier one was good too.

This time my preservers came in little pots rather than bowls, X brand.  I didn't need it.  The butter was still amazing.

Seriously, who knew that white bread with just butter, ok, lots of butter, could be soooo good?

The next time I ordered toast, I was not asked which kind I wanted, so I assumed that meant I'd get both.  Instead I got only the granary toast, which confirmed to me that I really do prefer the white version.

I enjoyed it with butter, but I also had maple syrup on the table for my porridge, so I drizzled it with maple syrup, and added a sprinkle of salt, both in addition to the butter, and that was pretty awesome.

Granary Bread & Butter.

I liked the butter.  I liked adding toppings to the toast.  On a day where I ordered a slew of toppings to try on the yogurt, I also wanted to try making my own versions of gourmet toasts.  They are trendy these days, right?  Fancy toast with butter & honey.  With salted caramel and pumpkin seeds.  I had many ideas.  The thing is, I didn't love the thin crispy toast.  I really liked the thicker granary toast used with the avocado dish, or the thicker brioche used with the eggy bread.

So I tried to order that.  I was told that they only have the one kind of toast.  I explained that I wanted the thicker toast, and gave details on which dishes they came with.  She said, "I can give you a slice of bread".  I said sure, realizing I wasn't going to get anywhere on this on.

And what I got?  Yup, a slice of the granary bread, but thicker as I wanted.  Soft and fluffy, and more like what I wanted, although I really wanted *this*, toasted, just like with the avocado topped version ...

The bread was good though, soft, fluffy, hearty and loaded with seeds.  But it needed toasting.

Granary Bread: Toasted!

The next day I tried again.  I said the same words, but this time I got two slices (yay!), and, they were toasted.

This was much better, exactly what I wanted, and a great base for making my own custom toasts.

Sides

There was no sides menu during my first two stays, but this was added in the future.  Maybe they got sick of everyone trying to order sides?

2016

I ended up ordering a bunch of things a la carte, even though they weren't on the menu.  I haven't listed prices here since I'm not really sure what they charged for them.  But when you stay in hotels for multiple weeks at a time, sometimes you just want certain things, not the composed breakfasts, and I really appreciated that they let me cobble together breakfasts as I pleased.

Side of Sausage.

A few days into my stay, I decided I wanted some sausage.  This happens from time to time.  I'm not generally a sausage eater, at least, not for lunch/dinner style sausages.  But I do love a good breakfast sausage.  I prefer patties, well spiced and seasoned, and drizzled with maple syrup.  I actually had no idea what kind of sausage they had, particularly as they don't actually list any sides on the menu.  But I knew the full English breakfast had sausage, so, I asked for a side of sausage, totally off menu, and they obliged.

I ordered it alongside sweet crepes, which I knew would have agave drizzle, so I thought it would work well to have the sweet and savory combo.

The sausages were well prepared, the casings had a nice snap to them and were browned on one side.  But ... I didn't like the sausage inside at all.  It was just mush, in a really strange way.  It also was entirely unseasoned.

Definitely not my style of sausage.

Custom Meal: Side Fried Eggs, Side Berries, Side Mixed Toast, Pain au Raisin.

On my second visit, one morning, I decided to be rather annoying.  I had been traveling for 2.5 weeks, and I was just sick of fancy composed breakfasts.  I wanted ... eggs and toast and fruit.  Simple.  Oh, and a pastry of course.

The closest things on the menu are the Full English Breakfast (but that comes with sausage, bacon, tomato, black pudding, and mushrooms) + the fruit salad (but that comes with melon that I'm allergic to, and pineapple that I didn't really want).  So ... I asked for what I wanted.  And I (mostly) got it.

Toast (granary and white), butter.

Since the toast (er, the butter) was so good, I decided I wanted some toast.  I had enjoyed the hearty, seedy granary bread before, but I wondered about the white bread.  I really wanted the brioche that they use for the french toast (er, eggy bread), but, I didn't want to push my luck.  So when I was asked if I wanted granary or white, I said, could I have both?  I really was a pain in the butt, every single day, but they never seemed to mind.

The toast, just like when I had it before, was more toasted than I like.  Very crispy.  I again liked the seeds in the granary one, but I think I liked the simple white toast a bit more, it was a little fluffier, and more plain, so the bread didn't detract from the butter.

Because, the butter.  Swoon.  Seriously, I don't understand how even England has better butter than the US, and even in a hotel restaurant.  It was so creamy, so rich, and nicely salted.  The toast was fine, but really, I just wanted spoonfuls of butter.  Which I may have done.

I'd get this again, just to enjoy the butter, but I'd ask for the toast to be lightly toasted, or perhaps, to just have warm bread and butter?  Why do we toast it for breakfast and just serve it warm with dinner anyway?

Fried Eggs Over Medium.

Alongside my toast, I also opted for a fried egg.  I don't like eggs, but, on the off-chance that I wasn't in love with the butter, I thought I could make myself an egg sandwich.  Also, I just wanted to try the eggs in a preparation I like.  I had the egg fried in my companion's breakfast sandwich, and I admired the dark yellow yolk, but I don't like runny yolks, so it was fairly lost on me.  So, I ordered a fried egg, over-medium.

It is very rare to get an egg over medium done properly.  I'd say that about 60% of the time they are over done, with very hard yolks and usually crispy whites.  30% of the time they are under, yolks still totally runny.  Getting a yolk that has a slight run, a white that is set but not crispy, is really quite hard.  But the chefs at Plum + Spilt Milk really do know how to pull off eggs, in seemingly every preparation.

The eggs were perfectly over-medium.  The whites weren't too crispy or rubbery.  The yolks had a slight ooze.  Stunning.  They were also perfect circles, which leads me to think they cooked them in rings?  Eggs are serious business here.

Anyway, the egg was perfectly executed, but, uh, it was just a fried egg.  I added salt and pepper, and I did dunk some of my toast in the yolk, but, at the end of the day, I just don't really ever want eggs.  Oops.  At least I got to experience the super intense orange yolk ...

The only flaw here is that I only wanted one egg, so I ordered one egg, but got two.  I don't blame them much for that though, most people who order eggs actually, uh, like eggs?

Bowl of Berries.

The day I got the bowl of berries alongside my crepes basically set me up for ordering berries nearly daily after that.  As I mentioned, there is a fruit salad on the menu, with melons and pineapple and lemongrass syrup, which I had (modified to not have melons) on my first trip, but it turned out, all I wanted was the berries.  So, I started asking for bowls of berries, and, I got them.

The portion was always huge, a giant bowl of perfectly ripe berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries).  Sometimes they threw a little mint in there.  The berries were always ridiculously good.  I really don't understand how they source such good berries, but, they do.

The raspberries were always my favorite, followed closely by the strawberries and blueberries, and lastly by the blackberries, but I was glad to have the mix.  I'd continue to order these, preferably with whipped cream, daily.

Bowl of Berries with ... Cream.

As I mentioned, when creating my perfect meal, I asked for a bowl of berries with whipped cream.  I expected the quantity of berries I had received other times, and, well, some whipped cream.

Instead I got a larger gravy boat of cream, and a small bowl of berries, less than half the size of previous orders.  It had only two raspberries, always my favorite element!

Side of Granola.

I also managed to get a side of granola (after first receiving a side of muesli) to create my perfect meal with the fruit and whipped cream.

This was a generous portion, far bigger than I expected.  It allowed me to see what the base granola really was.

So, it didn't have raisins in it.  I could have been avoiding those the entire time!

It was crunchy, and sticky.  Quite sticky. Clearly, they do mix some agave in here.

Whipped Cream.

And, finally, I did get my whipped cream to put on my custom creation.  Of course, I had asked for a bowl of berries with whipped cream and just expected a scoop, like with my crepes.  Instead, I got a big bowl of whipped cream.

It really was quite funny, I wound up with far less fruit than I wanted, more granola, and way, way more whipped cream.  But I'm not complaining.

I'm glad they were willing to make whipped cream for me all the time, even though clearly not standard.  Note: this was unsweetened, just, cream.  Fluffy, rich, cream.

2017

In 2017, they finally added sides to the menu, basically all the components of the other meals.

Custom Meal of Sides.

Much like the year before, I reached a point where I just wanted a few different things, not any of their fixed meals, so I ordered exactly what I wanted.  Everything here was *actually* on the menu now though, and was amusingly a Healthy main dish (fruit salad, really, a main not a side?), a Sweets main dish (uh, the toast? A sweet? And not a side?), and then two sides: Irish potato cakes and black pudding.

Stornoway black pudding. £3.

I got brave.

Like the year before, where we finally ordered haggis, I used the opportunity to order black pudding.  Yup, made with congealed blood.  I'd never had it before.  I ordered it on a day where I was getting a slew of little side dishes to make up a meal, so, if I didn't like it, I had plenty of other options.

It came served in a cute cast iron pan.  It … wasn’t what I expected, but I kinda liked it.  It was very moist, broke apart easily, and tasted more like oatmeal than anything else.  I found out that it is made from Scottish oatmeal, plus beef suet and of course the pork blood.  The flavor wasn't actually very intense, and it wasn't meaty like I thought it would be.

This was certainly different, and I still can’t really figure out how I felt about it.  I think I liked it.  I think.

 Irish Potato Cakes. £3.50.

I also got a side of Irish potato cakes one day, a new addition to the menu, available either as a side, or as a composed meal with bacon and fried eggs.

The serving was two thin baked cakes.  They were incredibly boring.  Dry.  Flavorless.  Completely unseasoned.

Maybe these would be good with syrup or something?  Or at least ketchup?  But nothing was offered, and honestly, I didn't really care.

Grilled Smoked Bacon, Paddock Farm Sausage. £3 each.

One morning I went to breakfast straight from the gym, where I had done a strength training session.  I wanted protein, and was a bit sick of Greek yogurt.  So I decided to try the meats.  I ordered these alongside a feast of other items, knowing that I kinda thought I wasn't a fan of english style bacon, and that I hadn't liked the sausage the prior year.

And ... I didn't care for them.

The sausage was again well prepared, good browning on it, nice snap to the casing.  But the filling just wasn't a flavor or texture I liked.

The bacon was thick cut, ham-style.  I salvaged some end bits where it was more crispy, but, really, this was just ham-y, and totally not my style.

Severn & Wye Smoked Salmon.

One morning I opted for the smoked salmon.

But wow, I didn't like it.

It was really oily, and too soft.  If that makes any sense.  Nicely served with a lemon to drizzle over however.

Baked beans. £2.50.

I grew up eating baked beans, cold, from a can.  I still find it strange that people eat them warm.  These were warm.

They were also really heavy on the tomato sauce.  The beans were ... standard little soft beans.

Honestly, this tasted to me like Spaghetti-Os sauce with canned beans added.  The flavor wasn't very developed at all.

Slow Roast Tomato. £2.50.

I'm not sure why I ordered slow roast tomato ...

It was ... fairly boring slow roast tomato.

Spinach & Hollandaise.

Since I liked the spinach with hollandaise from the eggs florentine, I decided to just get the spinach and hollandaise one day.

The spinach arrived cold, sadly.  It was completed unseasoned as always.  Just, cooked spinach.

The hollandaise was also cold.  It seemed even stranger like this, so very thick.  More like an aioli to dip fries in than a sauce for eggs.

Sadly this experiment wasn't very satisfying.

Scrambled Eggs.

I tried the scrambled eggs one morning, mostly because I was bored with the menu, and knew that I needed protein.

They were ... scrambled eggs.  Meh.  I think real eggs though at least.  Unseasoned completely, so I really needed the salt and pepper shakers.

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