Review: Brunch and Cake

The problem with Brunch and Cake is that there have been too many damn reviews written about the place.  I did not stumble upon this little place just off of Carrer D’Arrago, I knew exactly where it was before I’d even moved to Barcelona. And so does everyone else who brunches here apparently.

When passing this little place, which looks gorgeous and chic, you’d be wondering what was going on.  There’s a constant crowd of tourists waiting outside for a table, all of them impatiently nagging at the waitresses asking how long until it’s their turn to brunch.

It’s an Instagram food bloggers dream you see. Any one of the dishes from the menu will guarantee you a good amount of likes, because it’s all so beautifully presented on white enamel plates. Be sure to angle your phone so that you catch a glimpse of the mile high oreo cake sitting on the counter too, because you can’t eat that but you should get a picture anyway. Lol.

We sat outside when a table came up for us, which was perfect as it was a sunny day anyway. We ordered our food and waited patiently, enjoying the buzz of everyone around us.  That was until I actually stopped to listen to what everyone was saying.

Not a lot.

‘Click, click, click.’ ‘Tap, tap, tap.’ The beautiful sound of Iphones.

The girls who came and sat next to us barked at the waitress before they’d even had a chance to sit down, ‘We want to order now!’  The group of friends sitting across from us all darted for their phones as soon as they saw that their food was coming, almost trying to take a picture before it had even reached their table.

I’m a massive hypocrite of course, I love taking photographs in restaurants. What I hate is that people don’t know when to draw the line anymore. I wish I could ask them, ‘Are you enjoying how that tastes? Or are you enjoying how the picture you just took looks?’

People have gone crazy! Myself included. What’s going to happen if we don’t have battery, or if we can’t take a photo? Will we enjoy the experience less? I think with a lot of people the latter is probably true. If it didn’t go on Instagram, then it might as well not have happened. This attitude is really bloody depressing, and I’m proud to say that I’m becoming more and more aware of it within myself and stopping myself from getting sucked in to it.

What’s funny is that Brunch and Cake, which is probably one of the most popular brunch spots in Barcelona, could not be less Spanish.  It looks like it belongs in London, serving eggs benedict and fluffy pancakes, with shabby chic interior and slogans like ‘In Grandmothers We Trust!’

I don’t know, I have a love-hate relationship with foodies, Insta and places like Brunch & Cake. The important thing I do now though is to just enjoy my coffee regardless if I took a photo or not.

Review: Brunch And Cake

Before I had even thought about what I was taking with me to Barcelona, I had already spied out Brunch and Cake and scrutinised their breakfast menu.  Don’t get me wrong, I love walking around a city and stumbling across hidden little restaurants that I would never be able to find on google or with my maps, but I was so excited about the sheer amount of culinary havens Barcelona had to offer, that I couldn’t resist doing a bit of research incase I happened to miss out on what might of been the most memorable pancakes of my twenties or something.

You guessed it, Food is a passion of mine.  That’s why I love it here in Barcelona. The Cafe culture of eating out as much as possible suits me well, a coffee stop in the morning and an apertif before dinner? Yes, that bodes well!

I soon found out that Brunch and Cake was quite a popular little place amongst us foodies.  Luckily, being alone, they could squeeze me in between the couples and the girlfriends, whilst awaiting groups either sat outside in the wind, or waited patiently.

The place is just so inviting and charming.  It’s painted white with gleaming windows, sparkling silver letters ‘Brunch and Cake’, winning me over instantly.  The inside is equally lovely, with light floral cushions and soft throws, shabby painted stools and free standing SMEG’s, it looks a dream kitchen, but it’s not you cooking.

The menu isn’t too over whelming. There’s a lot of eggs to choose from, and some interesting sounding combinations like a hot dog benedict or a truffle and bacon buttie.  Despite the menu not being too long, it still took the waitress a few trips over until I finally ordered granola wit fruit and some avocado and feta on toast.  My usual tip for when I eat out is to suss out what everyone else is eating, to avoid the disappointed of my food arriving and it not even closely resembling what I thought I’d ordered!

The place is simply gorgeous to look at, and so are the staff for that matter. The food arrived looking like something straight out of a magazine, which of course is as equally important as the taste nowadays with the Instagram hype.  The actual food was okay… It was avocado on toast and fruit I know! Next time I visit this little sweet spot I’ll push the boat out and go for some whackier creation.  The iced caramel latte I had was delicious however, and satisfied my ever needy sweet tooth.

This place is great for friends and couples who are visiting the city and want something chic and trendy. It’s definitely not typically Spanish, or particularly good in regards to the food. Come here if you want a good gossip with a friend and an excuse to Instagram you’re eggs! Which is almost always worth buying breakfast for right?