Ireland – Ennis – Cooks Lane Cafe and Deli

On the hunt for a breakfast that wasn’t some greasy fry-up, this cafe was well recommended on-line, although is just slightly hidden down a back street. When I went in I was the only customer, which isn’t necessarily a particularly good first impression.

The welcome was lovely and the cafe was clean and comfortable, with the staff member being engaging and helpful. The cafe never got busy, but there were several more customers who entered whilst I was in there, so it clearly isn’t entirely unpopular.

Some modern design without trying to make the cafe into some over-designed boutique environment.

The latte was at a temperature that I could drink and had a rich taste, so my expectations were met there.

And the breakfast, which was bacon, tomatoes and poached eggs on top of a sourdough bread base, with rocket placed on top. This was excellent, the bacon was cooked properly as there’s nothing more irritating (in breakfast terms only, as there are many more irritating situations in the world at the moment) than bacon which has just been wafted vaguely over a heat source. The bacon also wasn’t fatty, which saved me spending ages trying to cut the fat off, and the eggs were perfect so they were runny when cut into. The rocket added a peppery flavour and the tomatoes were plentiful and had some taste to them, not the watery taste variety that is far too common. The sourdough bread also had a pleasant taste and there was a quality across the ingredients, with a clean and simple presentation.

The breakfast and coffee cost around £8, which for the quality entirely met my expectations. The service was engaging, warm and attentive, and the cafe perhaps deserves to be much busier in the mornings. All very lovely.