The past weekend has been brunch heavy – and I’m definitely not complaining! It’s such good timing for me meal-wise. Enough time to head to the gym, get some lifting in, and meet for a something delicious to refuel.
And one of those brunches was over at Ducie Street Warehouse – previously home to Cultureplex, I was curious to see what had changed, what had stayed the same and what it would be like in a post lockdown setting.
The venue itself is still the same. Warm welcome, though this time with suitably masked staff, and sanitiser stations for you to use before you sit down. It’s still a mixed space. It feels somewhat ‘officey’ – with banks of working space alongside softer seating areas and booths. And that’s going to lead to my only grumble – it maybe feels a little too office led. Though we had fantastic food and delicious cocktails (spoiler alert), it’s not a space conducive to lingering, unless you’re working. Once we’d finished eating there was no overwhelming wish to stay, to linger over another drink or two.
Whilst I appreciate that they’re perfectly geared for flexible working this way, it was a shame, as we had time to spare, to dawdle over and enjoy.
Anyway, enough grumbling, lets get to the good bit. The food.
The brunch menu really is a treat. They’ve thought it through. There’s not just toast and waffles and a full English. There’s more selection, from steak and eggs, to a vegan grilled coconut and orange cake (next time I stop in because quite frankly, it sounds delicious. See also, cake for breakfast).
Which was why the husband took me by surprise and opted for the baked eggs, beans and chorizo. It was easy to see, and smell why, when the smoky spice of the chorizo and the house baked beans hit my senses.
Soft gently runny eggs, a good amount of spice, and pickled red onion to cut through the richness.
For me, well it was birthday weekend, so I went with an old favourite.
For me, French toast, especially french toast with blueberries and creme fraiche has very particular memories of our wedding in Las Vegas. Admittedly most days we headed lazily to the buffet for a brunch, occasionally there had to be proper French toast, and this one was no exception. Crispy, but soft, almost custardy toast, sweet blueberry jam, punctuated by the crisp pop of fresh blueberries, and slightly tart creme fraiche. In short, one of the best I’ve had in a long time.
Of course a weekend brunch wouldn’t be right in my eyes without a cocktail, and there are two on offer. The bloody Mary is classically done with vodka, lemon, Worcester sauce, lemon salt, mixed peppercorns, Tabasco, passata and tomato juice. The addition of passata gives it a richer, fruitier texture and I’m making a note for my own personal Mary’s at home.
The second option is another classic, the Bellini. This one uses the sweeter white peach puree, a splash of orangeflower, and citrus. The citrus adds a little tart note, somewhat needed with the almost icy sweetness of the white peach.
Overall, the food is absolutely delicious, the staff attentive, but not overly so, and the venue itself is light, airy, and spacious. Come on Ducie Street, find me a reason to linger a little longer.