NB Dillangreli’s Cafe is now closed
Matt, all-day breakfast connoisseur, has never known a time of day when a good fry-up should not be consumed. In fact, with his tardy rising, he often eschews the traditional pattern of mealtimes. So, having built up an appetite coughing up his lungs after a morning inhaling 2-stroke fumes from a record-breaking number of scooters, Matt and Cat entered Dillangreli’s Cafe at 2pm, specifically lured in by the promise of a 99p breakfast. 99p? Surely shome mishtake?
The 99p breakfast (bacon, sausage, egg, tomatoes, beans, toast) certainly looked like outstanding value, but would it be enough? Matt was inevitably lured by the next item on Dillangreli’s menu – the mega breakfast. That’s more like it: 2 x bacon, 2 x sausage, 2 x eggs, tomatoes, beans, 2 x toast with butter, 1 x fried bread, 2 x hash browns, mushrooms and black pudding. Heart-busting stuff and all for a mere £4.25.
Within moments of their entering the cafe the extremely polite and friendly waiter offered Matt and Cat menus. There’s nothing fancy about the food offered in this establishment – just simple cafe fare. One section of the menu even frankly referred to itself as ‘Something ‘n’ Chips’, putting M and C in mind of the menu in the Monty Python Spam sketch. However five stars from Environmental Health, proudly displayed on the door, confirmed that Dillangreli’s was far from your usual greasy spoon.
Cat, having not long finished her own breakfast, decided that she did not want salad or a filled baguette and asked for a cream tea. Unfortunately, with the influx of people in Ryde that weekend, the scones had run out. The friendly waiter was all apologies and was anxious to accommodate Cat in some way: so an off-menu compromise was soon reached and tea, toast and strawberry jam were delivered.
The piping hot toast was presented in a neat chrome rack, the butter and jam in little packs and the tea served just how Cat likes it – in a pot with a jug of fresh milk. She was even given two knives (one for the butter, one for the jam) and an extra plate on which to spread the toast. What attention to detail! The toast was very nice.
Matt sipped his tea and read a complimentary Sunday paper whilst waiting for the mega breakfast, although he only had time to read a couple of salacious articles before a ginormous roasting plate arrived full of fried food, with a toast rack holding two slices of perfectly cooked toast.
Matthew’s eyes were out on stalks as he picked up his knife and fork ready for battle to commence. This breakfast was even bigger than the menu promised, and everything looked perfect. The first thing he tried was the black pudding, two generous discs of which flirted with him mischievously. The three hash browns were next under the knife, the fried eggs were then opened to eject their yellowy centres, mushrooms speared, tomatoes scooped and sausages and bacon gnawed. All interspersed with bites of the delicious toast and swigs of hot tea. And then it was all over… well, nearly all…
Matthew was defeated by the mega breakfast, this last piece of sausage lay uneaten on the plate. When the chef came to clear the table he amiably offered Matt the consolation that almost everyone is beaten by the mega breakfast, apart from his own daughter. Suddenly, those words of comfort seemed a little hollow!
Matt and Cat couldn’t fault Dillengreli’s. Its slightly shabby but immaculately clean interior did not do justice to the good food and impeccable service which more than eclipsed that of some more up-market joints Matt and Cat have eaten in. And the prices are extraordinary. You’d be hard pressed to find better value for money. Most highly recommended.
Note: M & C have not yet tried the evening ‘kebab shop’ manifestation of Dillangreli’s – which apparently is run by different people from the same shop. So this review does not apply to that.