A new Belsize café restaurant is serving brunch, bagel sandwiches and coffee so good that you’ll likely want to eat at The Hill regularly.
Just five years ago, owners Alex Rollings and Olly Denley opened their first site serving takeaways from a retro mobile van in Harpenden. The Hill is the fifth Brad & Dills café and clearly schoolfriends Alex and Olly are on a roll because of the culinary expertise and care that their chefs bring to the menu.
Alongside lots of familiar brunch dishes – such as English breakfast (with chicken sausage and turkey bacon alternatives which are delicious), avocado on sourdough, a signature yoghurt bowl, mini pancakes – there also some more fancy dishes, and there is a soup or salad option too. All the brunch dishes are under £15. And tempting doughnuts and pastries are on the menu too.
The poached eggs on a layer of cream cheese and smoked salmon slices, and all atop a crunchy rosti base, was a perfect brunch to fix me up for the rest of my day. Also proved there is an art to converting a reluctant egg eater! I’d have wanted more but the portion was generous enough.
The B-side of the menu gives a fun visual description of all the many types of hot and iced coffees. Apparently Brad & Dills has built a loyal following from its BAD coffee. It’s a single origin Brazilian blend – ethically sourced from a family run farm in Sao Paulo – and bags of these magic beans are available to buy.
There are about eight different types of bagel sandwiches, all bold and big on flavour. My friend had a classic salmon bagel and described it as really good, especially as it has chive cream cheese and gherkin to give it an extra kick.
From the unusual bagel choices, I couldn’t decide between the fried chicken bagel called pollo picante or the vegan bagel of hashbrowns, vegan nduja, vegan mozzarella and crispy onions. And then there’s an egg ‘n’ cheese bagel with, as the menu says, a secret sauce.
Finally I opted for the Lebaneasy and was happily surprised to discover that falafel works inside a bagel and is moreish when you add pickled red cabbage and the right combination of gentle spices.
It’s nice to know that finally this expansive, light-filled venue, which also has two lovely terraces, has a café that, judging by the menu and how busy it gets at weekends, intends to stay.
And I like that Brad & Dills have livened up the walls with charming art from two local artists. If you’re looking to throw a private party or hold an event, I’d say check out The Hill.
The Hill by Brad & Dills is on Rowland Hill Street.
If you’re coming from Belsize, take the right-hand road directly after The George pub to arrive at The Hill.
Thank you to Angela King for this photo.
Mon-Fri:
07:30-15:30
Sat-Sun:
09:00-16:00
www.bradanddills.com
