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I went along to their bloggers’ event with my good friend and blogging twinny Missy of Contour Allure. Partial to a good brunch, as you may have guessed, we were super excited to check out Juniper’s menu, especially as I’d near starved myself that day as were eating said brunch in the evening! Luckily we don’t discriminate and are happy to devour any sort of food at any time of day and, as they don’t have an evening menu, brunch and lunch was all they had to offer.
A little more pomp & ceremony than you’d normally expect for a café, we arrived to a Rolls Royce Phantom outside and a live singer inside. The décor of Juniper really is lovely – dark wood tables and copper plant pots perfectly complement the white paint and gleaming white tiles and there’s a gorgeous bit of framed art adorning the walls wherever you look. It’s got a really classy, upmarket feel and really makes the place feel less café and more eatery.
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As we sat amongst other bloggers and locals, we waited in anticipation for our food. Now, this is the point where I have to make very clear that prior to turning up to the event Missy told me that we’d very kindly been offered two free dishes to try that evening by the PR – and I’ve no doubt that was truly what Missy was told. Or what she truly believed. Or what she truly dreamt up. Anyway, that’s exactly what we pre-ordered – a brunch dish and a lunch dish – and we thought nothing more of it. However, it soon became clear on the night that we were the only little piggies on the table who had ordered two dishes – and we were two little piggies who felt no shame in devouring those two dishes in front of everyone else. So, I guess what I’m saying here is that no one should judge us but if I am going to blame my expanding waistline on anyone, it’s fitness-blogger-and-PT-extraordinaire, Missy Thorley. So, hit her up if you want to lose or gain weight, she’s excellent either way.
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Anyway, joking aside, the dishes were very good. I’d plumped for a rather divine Brie & cranberry bagel that came with an ample side salad for my lunch dish and it really hit the spot. I’m such a fan of Brie – I mean, who isn’t?! – and the classic pairing with cranberry meant the bagel was as delicious as expected. Sometimes, by their nature, bagels can be a bit tough but it was the perfect level of chewiness, as bagels go. I’d definitely order it again.
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I’d been waiting all day for my ‘Juniper French Toast’ because it literally sounded incredible – thick sliced bread dipped in egg batter, with icing, cinnamon dust, maple syrup, wild berries and cream – and I’m a big fan of brunches that could be desserts and use up all your calories for the day ahead before you’ve even begun the day. It didn’t disappoint, and the portion size was really big so despite being on the pricier side you’d definitely feel like you got your money’s worth. I particularly liked that it came with pretty little purple flowers on as it made it trés instagrammable. I’m sure the flowers were fine for eating too but I wasn’t that adventurous and left them along with the bit I couldn’t finish. If I had to criticise anything, it’d be that there was a bit too much berry ‘juice/sauce’ and it made the bread slightly soggy but that’s really a minor point in what was a great choice.
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All in all, Juniper is definitely a welcome addition to Hale. The décor is lovely, the staff are super friendly and attentive, and it definitely feels a bit more ‘extra’ than your typical café. The food is presented beautifully, the portions are generous and they taste pretty darn good too. If you haven’t visited already, I’d definitely give it a go.
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