HOT MUMMAS I FOXCROFT & GINGER
23:17It's often hard to find somewhere baby-friendly, and then there's the hope that baby doesn't decide to have a melt down - which is obviously out of our hands at times.
In the heart of Whitechapel, along bustling Mile End Road - adorned with 50's style lights, and a welcoming uber trendy front is Foxcroft & Ginger.
Hailed that, because the family name is Foxcroft, and Quintin's wife, Georgina is a proud redhead.
Built on the principles of Great British Food with a twist, the locally-sourced ingredients and in-house prep means the local trendies will love the unusual flavours - desgined to deliver the unexpected.
F & G make premium bread in-house with flour direct from the mill (all made with a sourdough base) which is also used for their scrumptious pizza bases.
Minus the yeast - this makes the bread easier to digest - for all those who suffer from the dreaded bread bloat. I must admit, being a wheat-intolerent fuss-pot, I very naughtily ate a sandwich - and didn't suffer too badly!
Visualising the restaurant, I imagined filled croissants, and lots of bakery goods - but I was actually very wrong yet pleasantly surprised.
Coffee is taken seriously and comes from a Sydney-based company using purified water, using reverse osmosis to give a smooth, clean taste - unsuprisingly this is why their regulars ARE regulars - they go that extra Mile end Mile.
And while we visited the East version, their flagship cafe is in Soho.
Foxcroft & Ginger offer lunch, brunch, cakes and dinner and even a Grab & Go selection - which is around £2 cheaper than the eat-in versions.
Unfortunately for the Bubs team, our babies were REALLY having a bad day - Albie was suffering with constipation and refused all food/milk - and Rosie was as good as gold, but Albie's constant whinging eventually rubbed off.
Frustrated and drained we ordered as quickly as possibly - and thankfully, the grub arrived as quick as a flash, piping hot and resplendant in all its glory.
Slow Roasted Pork, Leek Gratin, Mature Cheddar, Pickled Jalapeno on Sourdough - £6.95 was my choice.
Chicken Burger, Kimchi, Citrus Mayo, Cheddar - £6.95 - Christine's
We also ordered the Lemon & Salt Kale salad and Golden Fried Polenta chips - Kale is the big ingredient this year in smoothies, salads et al - and Polenta is very healthy, trendy and a great gluten-free option. Admittedly, I was never a fan.
The Golden friend polenta was tasty, but I'm still not sure I'm it's biggest fan, the kids tucked in and seemed to enjoy, and also shared bits from our plate, although frustrating for myself, Albie had a meltdown every so often which resulted in lots on the floor.
I spied two ladies ordering just the Polenta chips, beautifully presented, and chowing-down on this for their lunch. Being the pig I am - I don't think this would have satisfied my tum - but I love that they felt it was sufficient enough to order as a main.
The pork was plentiful and delicious, and interestingly teamed with the leek gratin - it worked, the pickled jalapeno was very mild, and the sourdough was really tasty. A really nice combo where eschewing the standard apple sauce definitely worked.
Christine's, however, was very unusual - we're still in the dark as to what 'kimchi' is but have come to the conclusion (thanks Wiki) that it is Korean and is spicy and sour - not exactly ideal for the babies.
All we can describe is that the chicken tasted like minced chicken (which I like), with a slight smokey hint of chorizo - not sure if that was even in the mix but that's how we describe it. Uniquely different for the taste buds to enjoy.
The Kale salad was a winner all around; healthy, colourful and tasty - and you could ask for the salt to be removed so it's suitable for the little one's palette too.
The seating area we had was plentiful for two prams, two pushchairs, and two mums - although it needed a bit of juggling - we all fitted in - and was joined by one guy eating his lunch (food envy) at one point - who, much to his amusement was joined by two howling babies.
Due to the stress of my little man, and trying to inhale it as quickly as possible, mine resulted in a take-away box for dinner - which we both shared that evening - after his poo ordeal was over and enjoyed.
Having said that, we did find room in our bellies to squeeze in one of their delicious coffees and sample the tempting cakes....there's always room for cake.
1 comments
Great review, glad you enjoyed F&G!!
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