Francis St and Allandale Road in Stoneygate Leicester used to be a vibrant suburban High St known for it’s posh shopping and independent boutiques, galleries, jewellers and antiques as well as the beautiful garden centre and cafe Outerspace which is still open and worth a visit.
Another lovely spot that has survived the downturn in the economy is Cue, part restaurant, part cafe it has an international feel, a bit like the cafes and coffee shops you might find in larger metropolises like New York or Sydney serving healthy modern dishes, lovely breakfasts and brunches with in a minimalist super clean stark setting. The white walls and modern furniture is complemented with lush cactus on every table and chilled complimentary water.
The simple ceramics and super modern in design, table ware make you feel like you could be anywhere, about to go surfing on Bondi Beach, or browsing the galleries in Soho, short for South of Houston in lower Manhattan. There is a lovely art gallery opposite Adore Fine Art curated by Oksana Smaditch. She has a great eye if you’ve got a few hundred to a few thousand going spare. It’s a beautiful space inside and makes for perfect window shopping after breakfast.
The friendly “students on a gap year” staff at Cue add to the ambience, the brainchild of the owners of the Northern Cobbler on Queens Road, Leicester, Feroza and Steffan Safhill who described Cue as Scandi inspired.
The breakfast brunch options are my favourite coconut and chia pudding, a take on porridge, with granola and fresh berries, or sweet waffles with hazelnut spread, caramelised banana, creme fraiche and almond crumble is delicious. Quite a few vegan and veggie options on the menu too, the avocado toast is with a twist, pomegranate and the crumbliest of feta can be removed with the eggs if you are looking for plant based.
You absolutely must try the sliced avocado on toasted sourdough, it soars above your hipster cliché, being paired with salty crumbled feta, a spiky chilli and lime dressing and as I say with or without perfectly poached eggs. A stand out for me and worth returning for. Òne lunch dish we saw delicate Korean-smoked brisket loaded into a sweet brioche bun, not a combination I’ve had before which may split the crowd but the very tasty sesame-rich Asian ‘slaw on the side was notable. The home fries were really good and crunchy, actually sautéd new potatoes, we cleared the whole plate and wished there had been a few more, even though the portion wasn’t skimped in any way.
The prices are average I’d say, £10 per person for breakfast slash brunch plus drinks, a bit more for lunch, may £12.50 so with a tip if you budget £15.00 per head for breakfast, £17.50 for lunch you’ll probably have a little wiggle roam, maybe for a homemade cake or flapjack to go.
For information only this spot is halal which means permissible or lawful in Islam. The term “Halal” usually relates to food and often is connected to the slaughter of animals in a specific way, although it can extend to other areas of life including business, finance and social interaction, guiding Muslims to live a life of purity and ethics.
If you are expecting Pork sausages or bacon with your waffles you won’t find it here.