Quick Fire Round

A quick yay and nay to some local haunts/adventures that we have frequented/tried to frequent recently!

1. Small Batch Coffee Company - Jubilee

Do you want to play spot the hipster/student? Come here. Sprawled outside on the pavement smoking/writing poetry possibly and inside perched on bar stools surveying their own kind and laughing hoarsely. Not for kids. Or anyone without a top knot and doc martins. 

2. Jubilee Library - Brighton

A haven. An oasis in the heaving centre of town with sofas and toys and books. And it's free. Free I tell you! I was feeling crap and I literally just let Ivy roam around for half an hour or so. There are little kiddie tables with crayons, an area where kids are allowed to eat, a buggy park and toilets with changing facilities. What more could you want?! Well...less snot nosed kids I imagine but it was a Friday afternoon and it actually wasn't that busy. Feel like I'm giving away the keys to paradise here.

3. Starbucks - Western Road and North Laines

It's an American chain. It's commercial and it's the opposite of what you want whilst wandering around Hove or Brighton. But...it's there, it's easy and they do free babycinnos. There are usually tables and highchairs and plenty of space. BUT...be warned. There are people with Apple products, plugged in and set up for the long haul and they don't want to see or hear infants. They take up tables  and won't leave. The one in Western Road is particularly bad as a lot of the tables are made up of squashy chairs and sofas which are useless highchair height. 

4. The Lego Shop - Churchill Square

They let kids play with big trays of Lego/Duplo. If you have to go to Churchill and your little menace is being...particularly difficult tethered in their chariot, release them in here and let the poor staff look on in dismay as they throw and destroy duplo that you don't have to step on and tidy up. Result. Warning: this activity is short lived and Ivy often gets bored and tries to swallow small Lego pieces instead. 

The Hidden Pantry - Blachington Road, hove

Food: Really huge selection and really good

Child Friendliness: Excellent

Access: Not great but worth it if you can get a buggy/child down the stairs where there is more room

Prices: Slightly expensive but worth it

Ambiance: Vintage, retro china, woolen jumpers and quirkiness

I have mixed thoughts about Blatchington Road...KFC, then the awesome kids shoe shop Klodhoppers, then Co-op, then some cafes, then some drunks, then some hairdressers...you get the picture. So my hesitation to try one of the cafes was palpable but luckily I wasn't alone as I ventured down the road on a dank half term morning to sample The Hidden Pantry. Deep breath and I was immediately really worried when we went in as the ground level of the café is TINY, 2-3 tables and window space plus the counter all squeezed in...but we managed. The buggy was placed at the lovely lady's suggestion by the door and she brought a highchair (wooden, Café Nero style) to the table. There are little knick knacks everywhere, cute kitsch salt and pepper pots etc. so we had to be vigilant wandering tiny hands didn't find anything but there was a big basket of kids books to entertain Ivy with, hooray! We were 'upstairs' but downstairs looked far more spacious (we could peer through the bannister and check it out.) SO the china - it is awesome and all the pieces are different! I had a lovely dinky little teacup and saucer and a huge silver tea pot,  don't get me wrong its a gimmick but I love it. I had a pot of loose leaf breakfast tea and it was lovely. The other half, on the other hand, had a ridiculous chocolate button hot chocolate concoction aimed at the kids (which actually looked delicious...) but was pricey. Talking about pricey, the food is definitely on the pricey side but in my opinion worth it, lovely big portions and really tasty food. 

Ivy has some apricot flapjack which was very rich and sticky so unsurprisingly she gobbled it up. Overall, access is limited but do-able, as we arrived quite early the place soon filled up with half term families with kids etc. and most knew to head downstairs which is what I will do in future. The stairs are tempting for my little menace so when she was de-tethered constant vigilance was required especially as the book basket was at the bottom! Good for a special brunch out but maybe too special for an everyday coffee but I'll make the intrepid journey again and go back!

Baked - Hove

Food: Great looking selection of cakes, biscuits, doggy treats...(!) and a brunch style food menu

Child Friendliness: Good

Access: Reasonable for one buggy but only one and seemingly one highchair available (Ikea)

Prices: Either incredibly reasonable or we were undercharged!

Ambiance: Chic, understated style with a very cool continental feel. Emphasis on 'window perches' with bar stools

A confession is probably in order here...we were actually on our way to Small Batch on Wilbury (ahem) when I had to be coerced into Baked! To be fair it wasn't that hard a sell, we had watched as it was transformed recently with a lovely stripey awning and it still smelled of paint when we walked in (literally - one of the staff had it smeared across her black jeans!) Whilst Baked is certainly a good looking addition to Church Road, I was surprised at how small it is  inside. As we bundled in all coats, scarves and buggy we felt a bit in the way and we made a bit of a scene getting Ivy into the high chair with what felt like all eyes on us, disturbing the French idyll. Eventually seated with a boisterous child I ordered (table service? counter service? I think its table service...) a latte and a cookie, other half had an Americano and a slice of heavenly/gooey loaf cake and Ivy had a babyccino and a small but rather good looking butter biscuit. Biscuits I have to say were very nice, not too sweet and the coffee was...okay but not Small Batch! Babycinno was a bit large and a served in a china cup (even though I asked for a paper one) so needless to Little Miss Menace wasn't allowed to touch it! Just lick the spoon! Overall, its new and they are trying hard but its small so you can't really tuck yourself away in a corner with a rioting child and have an inconspicuous coffee. I can imagine it coming into its own in the Summer with outdoor seating and more hipsters with magazines but at present its a bit of an ordeal to wrestle a thrashing child into a highchair in front the cool people with lifestyle magazines. However, its not what they are aiming for. It will work because its in Hove and they don't need a Yummy Mummy Army to survive but we won't be rushing back...well maybe for some takeaway cookies.