A Late Breakfast At The BookCafe in Belper
Published On Wednesday 15 Jan 2025 by Sticky Beak
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Being perfectly honest, I’m a total lazy bum between Christmas and New Year. I mean, I’ve slogged my guts out to produce a lush feast for The Flock on ‘that day’ – I’m no cook naturally, so it really takes a colossal effort for me to pull it off (with help from His Nibs, of course!) – so by the time NYE comes around, my give-a-damns have left the building. Actually, they’ve left the country, if truth be told! Having being with me for nearly a quarter-century, The Man knows that I am frazzled at this point in the year and [thankfully] takes pity on me by taking me out for breakfast.
It's been a while, granted, but we really enjoyed The Book Café in Derby – both in terms of menu and vibe – so we decided to go and check out the Belper site. Many locals will know it as the former Maccy’s, and many more will know it for being slapped with a parking fine; thankfully both elements are a thing of the past, though do be aware that if you plan to be in the car park for more than 2 hours, you will need to input your vehicle reg. number inside the Book Café.
We grabbed a spot in a bay close to the entrance, so it was only a skip up the small set of stairs to get ourselves into the venue. A member of staff greeted us and said that our table was on the upper level and, having ascertained that this was our first visit, escorted us up the stairs to where our table was. A brief explanation ensued about the ordering options, menus were handed out, and then we were left to peruse the superb selection of morsels. You can order downstairs in person with the team, or if you’re tech-savvy can order at the table using the QR code on the side, or use the kiosk located on the upper level. His Nibs likes to think he’s ‘down with the kids’ so he whipped out his I-phone in readiness to scan the code and place our order.
The first thing to do was slake our thirsts and I’d spotted a rather cheeky sounding Black Forest Hot Chocolate (£5.50) on the Seasonal Specials board, so that was what I requested; The Man followed suit by going for the Book Cafe Hot Choc Special (£5.50). As soon as I spied the Ham Hock Hash (£11), I knew that that was destined to find its way into His Nibs’ belly and, sure enough, he ordered that minx tout-suite! I couldn’t decide between the Brunch Brioche (£9.50) or the Smashed Avocado and Poached Eggs on Seeded Bloomer (£11.50), but what swung it in the end was the fact that I didn’t fancy fried egg: Smashed Avo it was, then.
Our drinks arrived pretty swiftly, so we both started chomping on the Cadbury’s Flakes that adorned the Hot Chocs. The Man Birds’ beverage also came with mini-Marshmallows and swirls of Cream, whereas mine came complete with a sour Cherry on top and tasty Cherry Sauce. Cherry and Chocolate is [to my mind] a perfect wintry combination that warms the soul, and this particular offering was ticking all the boxes for me – sometimes you have to get a bit spenny and have a treat, don’t you?
Whilst we waited for our breakfast/brunch order to arrive, we both had a bit of a gleg around: me from the comfort of my seat, him wandering around with his camera. Even outside, the building is lovely to look at, but inside is where The Book Café really gives you all the feels. You get a wonderfully cosy vibe from both levels, but upstairs is quieter as there’s no ‘through traffic’, so to speak. The red brick walls provide a natural warm tone, quietly complimented by the bulbs in the streamlined, black light fittings. Seating is a quirky mix-n-match affair: repurposed church pews are along one wall, and there’s a squishy sofa (which I imagine is THE seat to snag), as well as contoured metal-and-wood free-standing chairs. Most of the tables are round, old-school wood numbers, but the sofa is paired with an old trunk that has been turned on its side to use as a table. Books, sporting paraphernalia and other curios are displayed on shelves, in units, or along edges to give an insouciant, relaxed ambience.
After a short interlude, one of the serving team was placing our food before us, bringing us back to the here-and-now, rather than the gawping around that we’d been doing! Our server also handed us our cutlery and napkins as she bade us to enjoy our meal.
Even before we took our first mouthfuls, we knew two things: one, the food was piping hot, evidenced by the steam tendrils; two, the portion sizes are nice and generous. Both of my thick slices of Bloomer bread were piled high with seasoned, smashed Avocado whose pale green hue really showcased the poached eggs’ sunny-toned, runny yolk. One of my bug-bears is ‘snotty’ white in a poached egg; it really sets my teeth on edge and just puts me off my food. I was incredibly relieved, therefore, that when I pierced the egg there was no snot in sight. Phew! A scattering of Chilli flakes added a pop of spice against the creamy richness of the Eggs and Avocado, whilst Pumpkin Seeds brought some welcome crunch and texture to the dish, alongside the toasted bread.
The Man Bird was grinning with delight as he saw the sheer amount of pulled, butcher-quality Ham, their thick shreds having that delightfully deep, Gammon-y aroma that gets your nostrils attention. Mingling with all the meaty delightfulness were smashed up Hash Browns that had been fried to golden perfection; their outers had a glorious crispness to them that contrasted with the soft Ham and runny yolk of the Fried Egg. The description of this dish says that there is an accompanying ‘fruity breakfast gravy’ which didn’t exactly fill His Nibs with joy, but wasn’t enough to thwart his enthusiasm for the Hash. In the end, this turned out to be rather a treasure. Served in a separate jug, the rich, thick gravy matched the deep flavour of the Ham beautifully…and was perfect for dunking the pieces of Hash Brown into. Another satisfied customer!
Like its cousin in Derby, The Book Café at Belper attracts a great diversity of folks. When we visited, there were friends, families with children, other couples like ourselves, well behaved dogs and someone quietly working on their laptop upstairs, and cyclists and walkers [in their respective kits] taking a well-deserved pit-stop downstairs. Hot Wings are very happily awarded to this cracking Belper venue, and we couldn’t fault a thing; check-backs were done, every member of the team was super friendly and polite, and the food was brilliant.
The Book Café in Belper is open Mon-Fri 8.30am-3.30pm, Saturday 8.30am-4pm, and Sunday 9am-3.30pm. The times do differ slightly at the Derby site, so head over to the website www.thebookcafe.co.uk for times there, if you plan to head into the city and fancy a cuppa or bite to eat. You can also book a table at either site by clicking on the ‘book now’ button and selecting the venue, time and date you’re after.
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