Golden Spoons Review: Bread & Chocolate

CNS Editor | 29/08/2016

(CNS Foodie): Situated across from the Courthouse in George Town, directly underneath Daily Grind café, is the colourful and cozy local-run vegan food hub Bread & Chocolate. After first going vegan while still living in Cayman six years ago, I never dreamed there would ever be a restaurant or café on island that did not use animal products. Having recently returned home from living abroad in London for the last five years, I was pleasantly surprised to learn about Bread & Chocolate.

I set out on my quest to the vegan café with a close non-vegan friend on Sunday morning to see if the café can satiate both our palates. Looking for Bread & Chocolate, it can be easy to miss as it is very small but I was always told not to judge a book by its cover so I sought out this little café with an open mind and empty stomach.

As we walked in we were instantly greeted by a friendly and engaging waiter; it felt like walking into the home of an old friend. The tiny interior of the café is adorned with colourful walls, unique light fixtures and vibrant art pieces. A wall of shelves full of knick-knacks added to the quirky feel of the café.

Looking at the menu, I felt overwhelmed at the amount of choices. The café boasts a varied and extensive menu with all-day breakfast and lunch options. My friend and I order our drinks to start with. I opted for the Strawberry Lemonade while my friend went for the Cappuccino with almond milk. The lemonade was more on the tart side than sweet and felt a bit overpowering.

It was still quite refreshing and a great morning pick-me-up alternative for my fellow caffeine sensitive people. My friend thoroughly enjoyed her almond milk cappuccino saying it was very smooth and not an overbearing drink.

My Breakfast Plate, consisting of tofu scramble, tempeh bacon, garlic sautéed greens, oven roasted home fries and whole grain toast, arrived quite quickly. It was a fantastic dish overall. The sautéed greens were very zesty and sadly the lemon in the greens was a bit too strong and took away from garlic flavour.

The sweet potato home fries were incredibly flavourful and cooked to tender perfection. My favourite part of the dish had to be the tofu scramble which satisfied my scrambled egg withdrawal I’ve had for years. With a dash of salt and pepper, they were a fabulous scrambled egg substitute.

The wholegrain toast was thick with a good amount of crunch to it and the tempeh bacon was deliciously sweet and smoky. Although my dish was very good and full of flavour, the real stars of the show were the Sunshine Pancakes my friend had ordered.

Buckwheat, brown rice and walnut pancakes that are served with fresh fruit and table syrup, you also have the option between house-made coconut ice cream or their signature chocolate hazelnut butter. My friend chose the chocolate hazelnut butter, which is possibly one of the best decisions she could have made.

I couldn’t resist trying some of the pancakes and fell into a state of complete euphoria. The pancakes were cooked to perfection, warm and soft on the inside but with a slight crisp on the outside. The table syrup was not terribly sweet and the chocolate hazelnut butter was a wonderfully creamy, chocolatey and nutty.

I must say that having been vegan for many years and tried a slew of vegan cafés while living in London, Bread & Chocolate is not only comparable to vegan cafés in London but one of the best I’ve had. The food was also able to satisfy my non-vegan friend and left us both very full.

There is a good value for money as I would consider Bread & Chocolate to be a specialty cafe, being exclusively vegan, and you get large portions. For two people, everything, including 15% gratuity, was under $40 CI.

My only real criticism is that I wish they were open later on weekends. They’re open 8am – 4pm during the week and 9am – 2pm on weekends. However, if you’re able to catch them before their 2pm closing time, it is definitely worth getting up earlier during your weekend time off.