Brunch at The Cereal Killer Cafe, Brick Lane
"Every day, once a day, give yourself a present." Those words from Twin Peaks hero FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper, a coffee hero of mine, are very pertinent; be sure to take time for yourself. So with that in mind, I took Friday off to head up-town with my better half. Our destination? Brick Lane. Earlier this year we visited the vintage shops of Paris on a weekend there and now we wanted to take a trip to London's offering. But before the shopping could commence we needed sustenance. In Brick Lane that means a trip to the Cereal Killer Cafe.
Now I can't take credit for this, it was S's suggestion. And a very good one it was too. The cafe is situated at the north end of Brick Lane in an unassuming building which, at a glance, blends in with the trendy shops in the surrounding area. But inside it is like you have stepped back in time to your childhood. Old-school cartoons are playing on the TV - we got Thundercats - and the walls are decorated with cereal boxes you remember from the TV shows and supermarket aisles of your youth. The best bit is they are often the cereals you could not, or were not allowed, to get as a kid. Now that is not a problem. S ordered a Honey I shrunk the bear and I had the Feckin nut case. Mine was a blend of Crunchy Nut, Crunchy Nut Clusters, nuts and Honey Nut Cheerios which would have left kid-me pinging off the walls on a sugar high.
Since I am now a responsible grown-up I paired it with an (excellent) black coffee to ensure I was like a hyper child for the day. It's the little touches that make this place - menus are written in colourful chalk on the walls, old computer games fill cupboards and when you order you are given an old video case. This means staff are wandering around calling out "Clueless?" or "Are you The Spiceworld Movie?" I was very pleased with our option.
If you are looking for a unique breakfast spot then I would definitely recommend a trip. After that S and I headed down Brick Lane to see what the vintage shops had to offer. The highlights were NFL shirts - many of which are being reconstructed as elasticated crop tops. Despite an excellent vintage fair with a stunning collection of classic smart men's clothes from tuxedos to bow ties, we both came away empty-handed except for one choker S found. Have to make another trip to Brick Lane I guess. And Portobello Market, but that is a story for another day.
