Saturday 21 February 2015

Cafe W - in Waterstones, Brighton

Food: Dense looking cakes, pastries, bagels and sandwiches (limited selection)
Child Friendliness: Excellent
Access: Great, plenty of room for buggies
Prices: On the expensive side, especially the food
Ambiance: Loud! Kids! Books! Shoppers! ahem...tantrums and wandering toddlers!

I love Cafe W, and although this is my first review it certainly isn't my first visit. When I moved to Hove it was my go-to place, plenty of highchairs, coffee, books and toys to entertain Ivy. Basically somewhere I can go that I know is baby-friendly, warm has a good atmosphere but not too busy, I can always find a table and a highchair. It is split between two floors so the kids tend to hang out on the 2nd floor (with the kids books surprisingly) and 'adults only' on the 3rd. I always let Ivy out the buggy for a wander here so she can pick out and 'read' a couple of books - translated this means pull out all the carefully sorted Mr Men books and throw around the small plastic animals. The staff never complain, are always helpful and bring the coffee to your book strewn table with a smile. The catch? You do often find yourself buying books that the little one loves  in the shop only to find them pristine and unread at home and although it sounds like a free-for-all, it isn't. At the end of the day its a mega busy shop with stairs and people, therefore strict supervision is required at all times which can result in tantrums and certain items often need to be wrestled back onto the shelves. Overall, when Churchill has become too much or the little one is about to go buggy crazy its a great place to stop, chill and take on board some caffeine ...until you let them out the highchair that is.

Ground - Church Road, Hove


Food: Expensive looking sandwiches, small batch (not the small batch ) coffee, cakes and speciality teas
Child Friendliness: Poor
Access: Reasonable, but not encouraged 
Prices: Good, coffees and teas all around £2.50 - £2.90
Ambiance: Cool 40 somethings, middle aged men in Lycra (MAMILs), hipsters, serious newspaper reading types with small well behaved dogs. No kids at all even though it was half term

When I first started this blog I thought that I would come across this type of place a lot but I actually haven't! I was almost disappointed and beginning to wonder if this whole venture was pointless and that actually everywhere is baby-friendly. I think though, in retrospect, that I 'did' the easy places first. My visit to Ground was quite different than the others, firstly, Ivy was asleep, so I'm afraid Ivy didn't 'eat' Ground as my blog title suggests! Secondly, I wasn't alone, my Dad was down visiting and he came with me. When we first arrived there wasn't any spare tables so we were actually going to leave, the staff seemed disinterested in our plight but someone was just leaving and so offered us their table. The whole place was pretty crammed, we were rather close to our neighbours and it all felt a bit awkward. I had a few glares from the table next to us, a few 40-50 something friends and I had to squeeze the buggy in rather close to the hipster writing his novel on the adjacent table (I'm not making this up). 
The staff were cool...a little too cool for school but not unfriendly. I had tea for a change, Earl Grey, which was nice but I'm by no means a connoisseur and my Dad had an Americano that he said was 'fine' but he says everything is fine so it could have been excellent and probably was. Ivy was completely zonked out and happy so we stayed for quite a while and started to consider their sandwiches. However, not long after that wanton thought a woman near us literally gasped when Ivy woke up with a start as if she had never heard a child before, needless to say we made for a quick escape to have lunch elsewhere. I went up to the counter to enquire about a highchair for 'next time' as we were leaving - they have one...drama ensues where staff member looks around puzzled as if it has actually left the premises itself...I couldn't see it either. Sorry Ground but I don't think I'll be back to find it.

Sunday 15 February 2015

New York Coffee Company - The Quadrant, Brighton

Food: Sugar overload cakes, hotdogs(?), sandwiches and other NY style offerings such as cheesecake
Child Friendliness: Excellent but facilities are limited
Access: Reasonable, room for the provided highchairs and buggies 
Prices: Good. Babyccino - 50p - although proceeds go to charity
Ambiance: Kids, kids and....ahem, kids

Touted as the cafe to take kids to for some reprise, owned by Peter Andre #dadoftheyear, a free soft play area, kids lunchboxes and drinks - amazing. Hold on a free  soft play area, what here in Brighton? the London of the South?? Yes, I had high hopes for this oasis of child friendly awesomeness in the centre of town. We arrived midweek before lunch for a coffee and to sample the facilities. We weren't alone. The giddy implications of the word 'free' have been taken on board...and possibly taken advantage of. The tables around the disappointingly small play area had been taken and when I say taken I mean some kind of ritualistic ceremony may have taken place to establish ownership. We had to sit at the front of the cafe by the door (which didn't shut properly) a long way away from any hedonistic playing. I tried to plop Ivy in the sealed off area after a bit, it had a few food shaped soft play bits but she was having none of it. Her peers were being 'supervised' from behind iphones and were a bit rowdy. So she was tethered into an high chair and let loose on her babyccino. Our lattes were... ok. Overall, the place was a bit homogeneous and didn't really have any character but the staff were on their A game and were chatty to Ivy. Maybe we should go back and try and stake our claim 'at the back' but I'm not desperate, even for a free soft play.


Big Beach Cafe - Hove


Food: Loads of choice, great selection of tray bakes, soup, burgers and homemade curries etc.
Child Friendliness: Great
Access: Reasonable 
Prices: £4 for soup of the day and a huge portion of toasted ciabatta. Babyccino - an eye watering £1
Ambiance: Kids, dogs and ice cream

When looking online for somewhere to take Ivy along the beach front, Big Beach Cafe came up a lot. Lagoon, play park, beach and paddling pool right next door? Owned by Norman Cook?! It must be the coolest place on earth?! Onto a winner surely...but reviews aren't great. So with trepidation we made a somewhat apprehensive journey along a wet and windy esplanade to find the cafe. First impressions? 'Is that the public toilets or the cafe? Ah...it says cafe on the roof.' Not a great start. We arrived, according to the over attentive staff, 'on a really weirdly quiet day' but given the weather and time of year it was busy. On arrival there was a few vacant tables, a lot of kids, a lot of cool posters on the walls, a lot of highchairs but not a lot space. We ended up with the buggy in front of the condiment stand, in front of a door...a small child may have tripped face first onto the floor at some point. However, the food was good and reasonably cheap, the kind of fare you would expect from a normal beach cafe really so I suppose their mission is complete. But, as my husband pointed out, everything seems just a little grubby. The exterior that joins onto the dismal public toilets, the floor, the table and some of the tablewear. To be fair they allow grubby kids and dogs inside so I should be more forgiving but the staff to customer ratio didn't justify it. Overall, it was good. Ivy explored the play area which is well stocked but again on the muddy side and constant supervision was required so she stayed in her designated space and afterwards we went to the play area which was great...just muddy.

Saturday 14 February 2015

Small Batch Coffee Company - Norfolk Gardens




Food: Not much choice but always something veggie and something meaty
Child Friendliness: Great. High chairs available.
Access: Excellent, lots of buggy space. Toilets are down some treacherous stairs though. 
Prices: £2.80 for a latte, babyccino free
Ambiance: Cool dudes, tatty paperbacks and laptops


I love Small Batch and I have to confess that I live across the road from the Goldstone cafe/roastery so I already a fan of their wonderful, very locally roasted coffee. The Goldstone cafe is small and clearly designed for commuters etc. and not kids and prams and screaming and throwing and general behaviour that would encite fear into the heart of the single cool kids that frequent Goldstone regularly. They look at me worryingly as if my banana stained jeans will somehow infect them and jump onto their well groomed beards. I went, therefore, with much trepidation into the Norfolk Square Small Batch and I have to admit I was surprised. They have loads of space, well laid out tables and, shock horror, highchairs. I ordered a latte and babychino (free) and the lovely guy behind the counter set up said highchair and brought us over water and bendy straws. We entertained everyone by climbing on the leather furniture and left as things were becoming rowdy our end due to...ahem...Ivy and her desire to go behind the counter and be generally menacing. The coffee is the best I've had in Brighton so I'm excited madam can now join me sitting in the cafe - we will be back.


Saturday 7 February 2015

Nest - Kensington Gardens, Brighton


Food: Great veggie choice, amazing cakes, soup and coffees
Child Friendliness: Outstanding
Access: Good
Prices: £4.50 for a sandwich
Ambiance: Friends, families and some local, laptop/book writing types


What a great start! Setting the bar incredibly high, Nest in Kensington Gardens is a great little place, tucked away in the busy North Lanes you could easily walk past without noticing it! We went in bang on lunchtime on a busy Saturday, I was a bit apprehensive as there was a few people hanging around the door and it looked quite busy but we were immediately shown a free table and offered a highchair by a lovely member of staff. There is a convenient place beside the counter for 2 buggies max which we were happy to use at their suggestion as someone already had a buggy at one of the tables and it's not a huge place. Ordered a sandwich, vegan flapjack for Ivy and a large latte which were all brought to the table with no fuss whilst I wrestled madam into the highchair. (The basic Ikea ones which are great.) We weren't rushed even though it became increasingly busy and the staff were great with Ivy the whole time, talking to her 'oh how cute' etc., really above and beyond. There was at least two other small children in the cafe when we left but it's by no means a crèche, a real mix of families and young couples/friends/ cool Brighton types. Changing facilities are upstairs but a small price to pay. Overall, a great find and we will be back soon!

Begin!

Ivy
Here we are at the beginning of what I hope is a useful guide to parents in Brighton and Hove. When trying to take Ivy out and about I find its so difficult to know where has facilities and where doesn't for little ones. Don't get me wrong, kids can go anywhere! We have taken Ivy all over the place but sometimes when you are yourself or just need the peace of mind that you can tether a flailing toddler into a highchair its useful to know where will be accomodating and helpful and where you will be judged by hipsters for bringing crazy and Ella's Kitchen into their cool vibe!