Here’s a review of something that I ate last year, but often enough that I can still review it… something that really was very special, and that I miss a lot since having moved out of the St Albans area. The Breakfast Club can be found on Stanhope Road just past the main train station, so it is definitely worth a visit if you are going to be in the area, even for a short period of time.
It’s a nice place to eat in general, and I went there quite a lot while I was living in St Albans. The staff are friendly, particularly the owner who is often serving, and there is a good atmosphere. Wooden chairs and tables are complemented by paintings by local artists on the walls, and information about the food that they serve such as nutritional guides. They do some great drinks such as milkshakes of various flavours, which I recommend. The service can be a little slow at times because of the fact that they are often busy, as a lot of young families tend to go there in the early morning, as well as people like me who don’t need to start work in the morning (I was freelancing at the time). On one single occasion I left after not being served for over 30 minutes, but this was a one off and I did not see that member of staff again.
The Veggie All American is a breakfast option which really ticks all the boxes. On your plate you will find two American pancakes coated with icing sugar, a soya burger, a vegetarian sausage, a fried egg, a buttered toasted muffin, and a side of warm maple syrup in a metal tin. Just reading all of that makes your mouth water, doesn’t it?
One thing that can absolutely be said here is that this is not the kind of breakfast which will leave you wanting brunch. The plate is huge and very satisfying, and on more than one occasion I had to leave without finishing my meal – and the same can be said of the other dishes that they serve as well. It’s not because it’s not delicious though, and if you’re anything like me, you will find yourself trying to force that extra bit in so that you don’t miss out on a single bite.
Everything is absolutely as delicious as it looks, starting with the American style pancakes, which are just the right thickness. They also have a light coating of icing sugar on them, and of course you can pour over the syrup or dip them into it for a classic taste. The muffins are usually nicely toasted and warm, combined with not too much butter, which makes them very nice as well. The egg can tend to be small, but cooked to perfection so that you can break the yolk and use it with the muffins. The sausage is very tasty indeed, quite savoury compared to the rest but still goes very well with the maple syrup.
The burger itself, however, is of course the main event. As mentioned above it is made from soya, and is very chewy (in a good way). It has a somewhat salty taste which again contrasts very well with the maple syrup, and is very filling. It’s quite hard to eat the whole plate, especially with the sausage there as well, but you WILL try. I definitely recommend eating some with and some without the syrup, as it does taste great either way.
On the VegBurge scale, I give this…
Taste – 9/10
Price – 5/10
Rest of experience – 8/10
