In recent months, brunch has definitely become my buzzword of the weekend. Whether at home or out and about, I’m blessed to admit, barely a weekend goes by without avocado and eggs. Like many of my new favourite places, I discovered Wolføx via some gorgeous Instagram photos and decided I wanted to check it out for myself.
Despite being a relatively early start for a Saturday(10am!), it was one of the first beautifully sunny mornings of the year and the cafe was already busy as we were greeted and escorted to a lovely window seat.
Wolføx is the next door neighbour of SIX which is well- known in Hove for its brunches, so I was delighted to be informed that the new coffee shop was part of the new little brother concept – slightly more relaxed and earthy feel to it, with a key focus on its own organic house blends of coffee and vast selection of incredible sounding smoothies.
We ordered a couple of soya flat whites, while we browsed the menu and were offered the choice of either the Mr Føx or Mr Wølf blend – both of which came with helpful tasting notes. We decided to go for the delicious sounding Mr Føx, which promised flavours of dark chocolate, stone fruit and spice. I have to admit my coffee palette is not as refined as it might be with wines, in terms of picking up flavour notes, but it was a certainly a very good coffee (we ordered a second which is a true accolade as I often have to deal with the shakes for the next hour or so!)
My decision for brunch was easier than usual, as I had seen a picture of the ‘Avocado Burger’ and was desperate to try it. Although I often have the same ingredients in my breakfast , I was yet to have experienced them in this format – an organic avocado cut in half to act as a bun filled with a marinated field mushroom, roasted cherry tomatoes, and grilled halloumi cheese.
Natalie didn’t go too far off-piste, opting for one of the organic sourdough bagels, which can be both vegan and gluten-free. Although not in this instance, as she opted for it to come served with organic bacon, avocado and a poached biodynamic egg.
I have to admit I did have to Google what a ‘biodynamic’ egg was and was fascinated to find out that “Biodynamic agriculture is a form of alternative agriculture very similar to organic farming, but it includes various esoteric concepts drawn from the ideas of Rudolf Steiner.” Being a Steiner child myself, I was slightly ashamed not be more familiar with the concept, but rather glad to have been taught something through ordering brunch.
Although you might think two breakfasts for two people would be plenty, I’d also seen a picture of the organic acai Bowl so decided to treat myself to a ‘brunch dessert’ as it sounded too tempting to miss – an acai smoothie topped with granola, frozen berries and coconut.
As our food was served, I found myself immediately reaching for my phone (/camera) as every plate really did look picture perfect and am happy to report that the food tasted was as good as it looked.
The avocado was perfectly ripe and the smooth, creamy texture contrasted perfectly with the richer flavour and meaty texture of the mushroom. The halloumi was grilled with a honey glazed which added a sweetness to the salty cheese – I loved the combination of tastes and textures. Natalie concurred on her bagel and we both agreed the acai bowl also delivered on both appearance and taste.
Despite good coffee and brunch being relatively easy to come by in Brighton & Hove nowadays, I would definitely recommend checking out Wolføx. Their ethos for sustainably sourced, organic coffee and quality ingredients combined with a passion stylish surroundings is a win/win.
Wolføx Is at 105 Western Rd, Hove BN3 1FA
www.wolfox.coffee
Words by: Anya Zervudachi
