Elliot's Cafe, Borough Market – I simply cannot believe despite the numerous times I have walked past Elliot's Cafe while on my round trips of Borough Market, without noticing this cafe. It was easily overlooked.
One - standing outside looking into Elliot's, occupied with people on the bar and the high chairs and tables and the presence of the coffee machine (made quite a statement to passerbys) I assumed that it was merely a coffee and cake place. All around Borough Market, coffee cafes are abundant.
Two – when one does their marketing in Borough Market (Thurdays – Saturdays), there are plentiful of produce to sample. From homemade jams and pickles to artisanal bread and cakes to breads and olive oils, cheeses, humous, pates, salamis, takeaways and not to mention those wonderful ingredients that cries out to be cooked. One can only eat so much!
Three – The crowd in Borough Market, armed with the same mission as myself, is enough to drown the shops, restaurants and cafes, into the background silently without malice.
Hence, Elliot's Cafe is easily missed by someone, ie. me, who is not specifically looking for the restaurant.
Inside, Elliot's Cafe emanates a rustic charm with it's red bricked wall on one side of which the hanging spotlights gave a the commanding reddish colour even more presence. The coffee machine, as mentioned before, took up the majority of space at the front of the bar/drinks area. The conservatory behind, throwing vast amount of daylight, gave a warm feeling to the small dining space with more normal height chairs and tables closely arranged from each other. One downside was that, on a cold day, the place was rather cold.
Elliot's Cafe serves English food. The menu starts logically with the appetisers (from GBP 7.00 – mussels, crab on toast, anchovies, etc), followed by mains (average of GBP 17.00 – lamb loin, ox cheeks, etc) and sides dishes (GBP 4.00 – kale, chips, cabbage and pear salad, etc). Sunday lunches offer a set menu of three courses for GBP 25.00.
NOTE: Burgers are only served at lunch hour, Mondays to Fridays. As for the drinks, only coffee, bubbly and wine is served. Tap water, free flow, served without having to ask.
Service was friendly, helpful and polite. The complimentary warm home made bread and butter makes it even more so welcoming.
At Elliot's there are both the combination of great ingredients made by individuals with deft hands. The outcome to this sum of equation is one great, great, great plate of food. Elliot's is slightly more expensive than your normal cafe, but this is not surprising with the quality and care that has gone in the preparation of the food. After my burger quest, I am definitely coming back to try the rest of the dishes offered.
The food:
1. home-made bread with butter – thick chunky sliced and warm sourdough bread with cold buttery spread. Oh, this is my idea of proper heavenly bread and butter. I could lunched on this alone.
2. cheeseburger with maris piper fries GBP 12.50 – I quite like the presentation of this dish. It looks like a burger photo out of a food magazine with the chunky chips, and the traffic light colours of yellow mustard side by side to the red ketchup and the greeny pickle and the burger standing solidly built. The quality of meat was superb, rarely done, served together with a slice of melted cheese in a glazed home made seeded bun. The chips were largish and excellent, but sadly, only four of them – I could take more in my stomach.
3. carrot with blood orange salad GBP 5.00 – the different colours of the carrots in the salad will woo even a carrot disliking person to take at least a forkful of this autumn colourful dish. I suspect there is a hint of cardamom in this.
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes