Review: The Breakfast Club St. Albans

Stranded with a colleague from work, yet again, by the cancellation of our First Capital Connect service, this morning turned out just fine because we managed to fill the time with a cooked breakfast at the Breakfast Club.

Located at 62 Stanhope Road (AL1 5BL) near the corner where Clarence Park meets Hatfield Road and about 2 minutes walk from the station, the Breakfast Club is the perfect refuge from train cancellations. It's been a while since I've been and they've reconfigured the space - the cozy leather sofa is gone, there are perhaps twice as many tables, and the bar, behind which they make fabulous milkshakes, smooths, and a decent coffee, has shifted to the back.

Being a vegetarian, I went for the veggie breakfast which included a homemade veggie sausage, spicy beans, toast, a homemade hashbrown (which was gorgeous), and a single egg - the latter being a disappointment so I topped up with an additional egg, order from the extensive list of extras.

My colleague had a pile of meat which, apparently, is called a topped rosti, also with an extra. I think it was bacon, a sausage, and something else.

Anyway, the food is very good, although it took what felt like ages to prepare - we must have waited a good twenty minutes for our food and were the only people there. That's odd, actually. This is usually a very busy place indeed.

The total for our breakfasts, one cappucino and one coffee came in at £18.80 so, with tip, just over £20. This, I'm afraid, is a bit steep. Afterall, one can get a pretty good dinner, with an alcoholic drink, for little more than that at one of the better pubs, and quite a few restaurants, in town.

If you're looking for a well presented, posh sounding breakfast than this is the place for you - perfect for, ahem, the first morning after the night before or any other breakfast to impress moment. This is definately NOT the place for a greasy fry-up, which can sooth less successful nights before (That place, by the way, is across from Morissons or on the town side of the railway bridge near the station.)

If I used stars in my reviews, I'd find it hard with this place. In certain circumstances, it would get a 5 out of 5, in other's, more like a 3 out of 3. I suggest you give it a go yourselves - just let us know what you think.