eggbaconchipsandbeans

Abergeldie Cafe, Shudehill, Manchester, M4

Finally I break my NorthWest duck. The Abergeldie is a fantastic place in Central Manchester. Huge portions. Great interior. What an atmosphere.

Look at that huge amount of stuff on there. I love it when an ebcb causes this kind of pile-up. They don't diminish the portions to create elegance on the plate, they just mound it all on there. Genius. Lovely chips. All sorts of sizes and textures which makes chip eating a voyage of discovery. Lots of pinkylovely bacon. And that egg is genius. Like a lunar crater.

NASA should be sending some sort of rover in there. What would they find?

Very nice condiment selection. Very elongated. Lots of verticals.

Medieval and red. What a brilliant combination. This is what Henry VII's bedroom would have been like if he'd be a Man U supporter.

Morning to you.

If it's alright with Terry Wogan it's alright with me. (Or is that just the toasted sandwiches).

Surely that's everything. What could the 'etc' be?

ebcb japan

I was very excited to discover that the eggbaconchipsandbeans book was featured in this fine Japanese publication - The Cuisine Magazine (Eating With Creativity). I've no idea what it says but I choose to imagine it's largely positive.

Raffles, Craven Road, W2

The other Russell took some pictures of Raffles for my book, but I'd never been there myself. I must admit I'd built an elaborate fantasy Raffles in my head, based on a nice looking fry-up and the green-checked table cloths, and it wasn't quite up to the standards of my imagination, but it was very nice.

Very pleasant bacon, and a generous portion, which conceals the yolk of the egg, like the sun on a cloudy day. The eggs had a scattered quality, like the timbers of a building after a hurricane. The beans are like, well, beans. But good beans. This is an excellent ebcb, and good value.

You see how the table-cloths sets it off nicely. There's probably something in colour theory that explains it all.

Great colours here too. The browns and whites of the salt and pepper echoed by the sugar and the brown sauce. Clean and simple.

Very respectable cup of tea and the often seen, tightly-wrapped knife and fork, which always reminds me of a mummy or disturbing chinese foot-binding practises.

It's a busy place, a blur of motion.

And I always like that slightly medieval feel to the lettering and quaint roof to the sign.

There's a platial map here.

Cafe In The Garden, Russell Square, WC1

Parks and squares seem to be one of those things that have got better in the last few years. Russell Square got a refurb a while ago and they built a very nice cafe building which is a perfect place to sit in the summer before heading off to work.

The chips instantly reminded me of this Tom Dixon extruded lamp-shadey thing we got once. Which got me a in a frame of mind for strange analogies. Like that egg - doesn't it sort of look like a sun with angel wings or the grill and front bumpers off a classic car (though in Toy Town colours)? Nothing occurs for the beans and bacon, but they were delicious.

I think this is the only receipt or chitty I've ever had with all the things in the right order. Splendid.

Slight disappointment with the sauce, I can't really approve of sachets over bottles but I can understand that their al fresco setting changes the priorities. Not many people'll nick a sauce bottle from a cafe, but, if you're in a park and you've got a sauceless sausage roll in your picnic hamper I can see you being tempted.

And this it why you're here really. The grub's alright here, though a bit pricey, if you're sitting inside it's just another modernish, OKish cafe. But if it's a nice day and you can sit outside this place is perfect. Starting your day in one of London's beautiful sqaures, watching the commuters pass (or decide to hang it all and have a last coffee before work), enjoying a respectable fry-up, mulling over things in your head; what could be better?

There's a platial map here.