Cafe Here & Now, Bangalore
Bacon, Ham and Sausages- three things when included into a breakfast meal is termed, a ‘Full Breakfast’. We use sausages for hot-dog sandwiches, ham for club sandwiches and bacon for burgers or maybe even go for a trifecta of all three. But, what is a ‘Full Breakfast’ or ‘English Breakfast’ (usually referred to as) without those three heavenly indulgences. This concept is soo popular in the UK and Ireland that many cafes (even pubs) offer the meal at any time of the day and that is what we know as, an “all-day-breakfast”.
Now, the ingredients of a full breakfast vary from region to region. After reading several articles (mostly Google and other blog-posts)- I was able to come to a vague conclusion that the style of ‘English Breakfast’ we enjoy is strikingly similar to the style of breakfast In America and Canada. This is because the consumption of additional breakfast foods like pancakes, hash browns, waffles, oatmeal, cinnamon rolls and at times fruits (which we tend to have)- is predominantly isolated to Canada and North America.
I’ve been on a very hush-hush quest for a quality full-breakfast experience (if not the best). Unfortunately, I dont know if it was the lack of recommendations from fellow food lovers or maybe there weren’t any eateries that served a full-English breakfast (at least the places I’ve combed). It was only till a few weeks back, Lopa (a good friend and food lover), briefed me about this breakfast joint she enjoyed eating at- Here & Now. Here & Now is located at Hosur-Sarjapur Layout otherwise known as HSR Layout- an emerging posh locality. This area has seen a dramatic rise in residential buildings since the real estate growth in Bangalore and hence is potentially a thriving market for aspiring restaurateurs. H&N (Here & Now) is located just off the road that links Silk Board and Bellandur. I found the ambiance at H&N to be extremely simple and peaceful- kind of like the cafes you would visit after a krunk Saturday night. They also have a play-room where you can play board games or even engage in some reading. It reminds me of Café Artjuna in Goa- a place where creative artists not only come to showcase their work but also enjoy good breakfast.
Coming to the food- Here & Now serves the best breakfast I’ve tasted by far. They offer a variety of omelettes, all-day breakfast meal, sandwiches, burgers, waffles and pancakes too. Among their Burgers, a must try is the Pork-o-Pine- pulled pork dripping in barbecue sauce and slammed into a in-house baked bun with a slice of grilled Pineapple- orgasm for the taste buds. The Cheesy Affair, which is a chicken-cheese burger and the Very Cheesy Affair (same thing but double everything) are also alternatives if your not a fan of pork. The Lamb-orghini and the Speeding Lamb-orghini are what you should be looking to devour if in the mood for some lamb-based burger.
I ordered for a peach Iced Tea which was good but felt it was a a tad too sweet. The all-day breakfast meals are served with bread, butter and home-made papaya jam. You also have the option to choose between tea, coffee or a juice to go alongwith it (complimentary I.e.). ‘Cant get any Pigger’ was my favourite among the all-day breakfast meals- pork sausages, bacon and ham (again pork), mashed potato and grilled tomato- such a delight. ‘Nice to Meet You’ was also delicious but my foodie friend preferred having the elements of the dish (chicken salami, sausages and ham) separately rather than being served like a ‘salad’. The Pally Pancakes served here were at par with my favourite; the ones served at IHOP. Pancakes were soft and packed with raisins, cashews and choco-chips. We loved the pancakes and it was understandable to expect more from the waffles- but it didn’t hit the spot. The Blueberry sauce/jam served with both the waffles and the pancakes was just brilliant- the right amount of sweet with a tangy hit. French Toast with caramelised bananas- my friend picked it off the menu and said it was the best toast he had.
We started our breakfast at around 9 am and even encroached into our lunch time- not sure if I want to call it brunch (lol). Irrelevant but the point is- our experience at Cafe Here & Now was nothing short of outstanding- the food was great and the service was exemplary. Most of all, I finally, have found an eatery that serves sumptuous ‘full-english’ breakfast meals; that too in my locality.
