eggbaconchipsandbeans

must visit

apparently the cosy teapot in Nottingham has just won some kind of best fry-up in the country award. has to be worth a visit soon.

here's an article from ananova. I want this bloke's job.

Cafe awarded 'Britain's best greasy spoon' title

A traditional family cafe has won the title of best greasy spoon in Britain.

The Cosy Teapot in Nottingham was picked from hundreds of entrants in a search to find the perfect fry-up.

Self-nominated taste tester, chemistry graduate Rich Pelley, 29, was given the task of testing the top 50.

During August Mr Pelley, from south-west London, travelled 2,257 miles to 10 UK cities - eating 102 rashers of bacon, 84 sausages, 78 fried eggs, 39 servings of baked beans, and 50 rounds of toast on the way.

His checklist of criteria included thickness of the toast - as "thin sliced white is for wimps, real men prefer doorsteps the size of a soap box"; the consistency of the fried egg - "not too watery, not too rubbery"; and whether or not the greasy spoon attracted an essential mix of students and workmen.

The Cosy Teapot Cafe scored 23 out of a possible 25 for its combination of food, value for money, ambience and clientele, plus any other added ingredients which set it out from the crowd.

"From its charming waitress calling you 'Duck' to the amazing surroundings, The Cosy Teapot thoroughly deserved to win its crown," said Mr Pelley.

Subscribers to the website of men's magazine FHM were asked to nominate their favourite greasy spoon in a competition run in conjunction with milkshake brand Frijj.

Barbara Thompson, owner of The Cosy Teapot Cafe, on Carrington Street in Nottingham city centre, said: "I suppose one of our secrets is that we have always tried to create a family, friendly atmosphere."

Paul Davis, from Frijj, said: "For many people the greasy spoon is a British icon and a superb hangover cure, so we felt it was about time they got the recognition they deserve."

diana's diner, endell street, wc1

diana's diner creeps onto the web quite a lot. there's a nice little anecdote about the celebrity photo's, it finds its way into a montage of endell street. and it gets a brief, favourable review here. together with a splendid picture of a fried egg. it even features in a strange story of the founding of the band, The Beloved.

grub was lovely. excellent chips and lots of them. tea a little tepid. good, meaty beans.

city corner, middlesex street, ec1

Adrian Maddox gives the City Corner a bad review at Classic Cafes, but I quite liked it. ebcb and a tea was only £4. is that bad? and the service was OK. but then it was very early saturday morning and it wasn't busy. slightly scary vibe though, perhaps it was the St George's Cross on the wall. it's just across the road from Liverpool Street and around the corner if you're looking for it.

not a great breakfast, but I devoured it, having just done an hours walk from the post office tower, and again slightly disappointing cups. not really matching the vibe of the place. i like an egg just plomped on top, when you cut in it soaks through onto everything else.

isn't that splendidly grim?

not really sure what that's all about. too scared to look closely.

blandfords, chiltern street, w1

UPDATE: APRIL 2013, GOING STRONG

i was taken to blandfords by anne, she passes it a lot. it'd just been done-up on the outside. it's got a curious wallpaper/mural thing of a ship on the wall, the shot i took was all blurred so you won't see it. it's endorsed by ray davies from the kinks and someone else I can't remember.

the chips were lovely. a hint of crunchiness and a hint of browning. nice sauce. nice bit of bacon too, not a lot of it. beans were slightly suspect.

look at those piles of sliced bread packets, all ready to go in the glass cabinet by the counter.

nice cup of tea. shame about the kenco branded cups. i wonder if they're free.

apparently they get a lot of taxi drivers in there. makes sense.