The Break Room
The place: 37 Hilton Ave, Hilton
Open: Monday to Friday 8am to 3pm, Saturday 8am to 1pm
Name: 076 676 3140
ON a latest journey to the Midlands, I found The Break Room, a brand new wholesome residing and tremendous vegan pleasant eatery and occasional store, proper within the coronary heart of the village.
And if you put one thing known as The Well-known Eggslut on the menu, who may resist that?
Nestled in a contemporary brick constructing, with tables spilling onto a deck, it’s squashed between a bakery and a tattoo parlour, and it’s marketed with a comic book book-style mural painted onto the bricks. So it’s hardly standard.
The chalk menu doesn’t solely sound absurdly wholesome, but additionally surprisingly scrumptious.
Consider the Energy Breakfast Bowl, which takes in scrambled egg or tofu, lentil and chickpea mince, vegan cheddar, child spinach and sriracha sauce, wrapped in a burrito. Or there’s vegan and gluten free flapjacks with apple and berry compote, chocolate sauce, granola and vegan ice-cream, or perhaps a cinnamon and raisin bagel with peanut butter, syrup, banana, nut sprinkle, cream cheese and star anise glaze. That takes the great outdated peanut butter sarmie to an entire new stage
The newest addition was a sushi canine. It is a poke fashion burrito that’s battered and crumbed, and fried to a golden crisp. It’s full of tofu, cucumber, avo, edamame beans, pickled ginger, gochujang (Korean chilli) paste, togarashi (spicy Japanese mayo) sauce, and sesame seeds. Happily, for this non-lover of tofu, there’s a salmon or tuna choice right here as effectively. Subsequent time.
Even sourdough with avo, cherry tomatoes, coriander, pesto, poached egg and “nut Parmesan” sounds prefer it deserves a strive. The final word cheese sandwich is loaded with three totally different cheeses, onion marmalade and an undescribed Malawi scorching sauce. Black bean or falafel burgers full the image. And, naturally, there’s an entire array of smoothies.
However again to that Well-known Eggslut (R55). It’s an English muffin, topped with tomato, avo, onion, child spinach, rocket, and candy chilli vegan mayo, with a poached egg or black mushrooms, or each (add R6). I went for each. It was each bit as wholesome and messy because it sounded ‒ however scrumptious. It was washed down with an excellent espresso
Meals: 4
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 3 ½
LIV Retailer
The place: Glenore Centre, 36 Aubrey Drive, Glenashley
Open: Monday to Sunday 7am to 5pm
Name: 081 717 6860
THIS is the store and occasional store hooked up to LIV Village, the charitable organisation primarily based in Verulam, that does some wonderful work with orphaned and susceptible youngsters. That is half second-hand store, half espresso store, with tables meandering by racks of second-hand clothes, classic good high quality kitchen wares, youngsters’s toys, decor gadgets, and even crafts produced by the kids in LIV Village itself. You possibly can even purchase the desk and chairs you are sitting at when you so want, or take a e-book off the shelf, begin studying it, and purchase it to take residence.
On the coronary heart is a central espresso counter, the place pleasant employees will take your order and convey it to your desk. There’s at all times a smile right here.
There’s no kitchen on the premises, so all the pieces is made off-site and introduced in, however there are a handful of toasted sandwiches, mini quiches, and contemporary baked muffins, together with moist mile-high carrot muffins and crimson velvet muffins that I should strive someday.
The espresso right here is from Colombo, and barista coaching is a part of the abilities set for younger adults beginning out on life’s journey.
The cappuccino was lovely, wealthy, full flavoured, with a wonderful ring of cream. Somebody right here is aware of easy methods to pull a espresso. I loved it with a easy ham and cheese toasted sandwich (R50).
Aside from the charity’s good works, the store is a captivating and heat area, including heaps of character to a centre that, whereas effectively run, tends to be a reasonably soulless place.
Meals: 4
Service: 3 ½
Atmosphere: 4
The Unbiased on Saturday
