Gatwick Airport – Grain Store (Visit 2)

This was my second visit to the Grain Store at Gatwick Airport, which is part of the Priority Pass scheme. The timing is quite fortunate, as this restaurant opens at 04.00, with the BA lounge not opening until 05.15, so this fills in a useful time slot for when I have an early flight.

I try to avoid arriving at any restaurant at the exact moment it opens, just in case the staff aren’t quite ready and I have to stand there looking confused and slightly desperate to get in. Fortunately,  this time there were two other customers by the time that I arrived at 04.05, so I didn’t look any more out of place than usual.

The coffee art wasn’t quite up the standard of last time, but it tasted fine.

I’m trying to work my way round the menu, so this time I went for the Eggs Benedict. It was brought out after six minutes and it looked well presented and an effort had been made with the garnish. The ham was of a decent quality and the eggs were cooked so that the yolk came gushing out in a satisfying manner. The muffin was a bit over-toasted, but I prefer it like that. The egg white itself had a slightly strange taste that I’m not sure how they’d achieved, but it was more unusual than unpleasant.

The price of this meal and drink was covered by the Priority Pass scheme, but it seemed unusual for this meal to be priced at £11.50, which is more than the Full English. Even given airport prices, the £11.50 does seem to be at the slightly higher end of the pricing scale and more expensive than what the neighbouring  Jamie’s restaurant charges.

The service was efficient and polite, if not particularly engaging, with the payment process being prompt and without any undue delays. The dining environment was also clean and comfortable, the open-plan nature of the restaurant suits it well. All in all though, I’m still pleased that this restaurant is part of Priority Pass, it adds a little variety to the whole scheme.