Coco Momo Cafe Bar
79 Marylebone High St
Marylebone
W1U 5JZ
www.cocomomo.co.uk
by Farls Bronson
Early Sunday. At no other point does London feel so muted, like the whole place has taken a cue from its inhabitants and remains wrapped in a duvet until the excesses of the night before wear off. On the rare occasion I’m up, I love this chance to watch the city yawn and stretch back to life. Steve and I were early for an appointment and had designs on a breakfast.
Walking up a deserted Marylebone High Street we came across Coco Momo Cafe bar. Its colonial exterior was bathed in early sunlight and we quickly decided to shun the smart, wooden interior for an alfresco breakfast. It may have been our untidy appearance next to the well-groomed locals (Steve McBean had been up gathering foodstuffs from the hedgerows of Abney Park) but it took a while for our smiley waitress to arrive with our coffees and subsequently disappear with an order of one meat and one veggie breakfast. The coffee was decent though. Black and strong, exactly the caffeinated defibrillation needed, and time spent enjoying the sunshine is never wasted... But when the food arrived I was shaken from this bright bliss. The portions were meagre given the £7.25 price tag, and I was hungry.
I couldn’t fault the ingredients. The bacon was lightly smoked and streaky. The sausages were coarse, with a hint of sage and pepper (although I’d be surprised to find inferior pork this close to the Ginger Pig). The problem was how they were cooked. The bacon was cold and uncrisp and the sausage was lukewarm. Steve reckoned that the veggie sausages were the same standard brand that he buys. I pointed out that nothing highlights the folly of vegetarianism like a veggie sausage, but was told to shut up. The fried eggs were O.K. but with a ring of uncooked white surrounding the yolk. The one salvation was a large field mushroom, perfectly seasoned, with a hint of garlic and cooked just long enough to be juicy throughout. But it’s a sad state of affairs when a side act has to take centre stage.
We left not quite satisfied. The staff had been friendly and the surrounding idyllic. If only the breakfast had lived up to the setting.
2 comments:
Unfortunate I have to agree with the poster. Breakfast was just not good enough for such a nice setting.. soooo disappointing.. wont be going there again!
I have to defend this place. I have been going there once a week for the last few months and the Full English is always great, as is the service. No cold bits, though the bread is always curiously under-toasted.
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