I’m glad more and more decent cafes are opening up around Clerkenwell, especially since it’s very convenient for me. I’m therefore very glad that The Modern Pantry opens its cafe for breakfast Saturday and Sunday offering a decent selection from basics such as toast and porridge, to the more exotic sugar cured prawn omelette or feta and onion waffle.

Our group decided to try the ricotta pancakes, grape and stone fruit compote, creme fraiche and one of the classic fry up (with poached eggs instead).

The dining room is bright, helped by the large windows that surround two of the large walls. They also have a small bar area that people ended up standing in to avoid the squall-like downpours whilst they waited to be seated. It seemed to get quite busy the closer it seemed to lunchtime.

The coffee is reasonable, and with ex-Providores experience, a flat white order was taken without question. When it arrived, it was certainly a decent brew, although looked a bit lacklustre when it arrived. The breakfast menu is reasonably priced, and with high quality tasting ingredients I really couldn’t complain. The fry up came with perfectly poached eggs (the white just cooked with the yolk still runny) and flavourful tomatoes, mushrooms and salty streaky bacon crisp and not burnt. The pancakes on the other hand slightly disappointed. They were fluffy and light, yet the stone fruit compote towered over the small golden discs, and upset the delicate balance that should have been presented.

With a decent breakfast offering, I’d be interested to see what a proper lunch and dinner menu would look like in the upstairs dining rooms. It’s a welcome addition to the area, and a great place to meet up with friends.

TheKua.com Rating: 6.5 out of 10