Sugar Bar/Cafe, Bank Street, Newquay

We had not planned on a breakfast today, but the 'urge' came over me to have a cooked breakfast and having seen the 'A' board outside this cafe/bar we decided to go in. We had visited this location before but since we had it has been 'done' up and now fits in to the 'trendy' bar scene during the summer. No doubt to earn extra money during the summer and to keep the business going during the winter they serve good and offer breakfast in the mornings.

A number of options existed on the menu, i went for the 'full breakfast' which included bacon, tomato, sausages, sautéed potatoes, beans, toasts and if you like them, mushrooms.

This was never going to be a 10 out of 10 breakfast due to the sauteed potatoes - i just don't get it, i like them, but they just don't work with a cooked breakfast.

Having said that, it was a good breakfast. Two sausages, which were really good, nice runny egg, and toast which was warm.

Location was ok, and despite having Sky News playing when we went in, they turned over after us hearing about 'The Wally with the Brolly' !!! and we had the radio playing in the background.

Tea/Coffee was included in the price (£3.99) and overall it was a good breakfast, not the best in the world but good.

8 out of 10.

The Holy Grail ?

For those who have been following this blog from the start they will know that this rating of cooked breakfasts started in a cafe in Newquay many years ago! Well, we are back, and we today visited the location of the famous 10 out of 10 breakfast!

Firstly, we have to point out that the original establishment is no longer there, the cafe, although maintaining its name, has no doubt changed hands and has certainly been refurbished. The 'surfie' look of the original cafe has gone and now it is 'young' and 'trendy'. I actually think it is ok, and although the seats are a little tight it looks good and no doubted was well overdue for a face lift, but for some, it might not be that perfect cafe anymore!

So, to the breakfast. Well there as a number of choices but the three of us went for the 'Number 1' breakfast which included - sausage, egg, beans, hash browns, fried bread and bacon. And, for the first bonus point, a free cup of tea or coffee!

Tea / Coffee was good and the Orange Juice was also fresh.

Breakfast was cooked from fresh and was quick to arrive. Fresh egg, well cooked hash brown, well cooked bacon, and plenty of beans to 'gel' the breakfast together, and the toast was still warm.

It filled you up just right, you did not feel over full or bloated, it was just right.

But did it reach that magical 10 out of 10?

NO! - Why not, well for a number of reasons - too many beans, they swamped the plate, for the £4.75 we paid, a bottomless cup of tea/coffee would of been nice. Although a tomato was included in the bigger breakfast we think it should of been on our plate too (or mushrooms for those that like a mushroom or two!).

Also as a side note, and this did not loose the breakfast points, Sky News was playing on the TV Screens, nice to have some background music/noise - but not Sky News, who cares what politicians are doing when we are doing important things like having a cooked breakfast and planning the rest of our day!!!

The weather was foul and it prevented us being able to sit outside, i think in the past being able to sit outside and watch the world go by added an additional point.

9 out of 10.

Little Chef, Axminster, Devon

As is tradition when setting off for a Butler holiday, a cooked breakfast is required. Well not being one to buck the trend we headed for a breakfast establishment on our way to Cornwall.

We ended up at a Little Chef, more out of hunger than choice!

Little Chef's have a large range of breakfasts, as long as your arrive before 11am, after 11am you have a choice of two, the Olympic Breakfast or the Early Starter. We both went for the 'Early Starter' which was 1 sausage, 2 x hash browns, bacon, baked beans and toast.

Well the service was very quick, the breakfasts arrived before we had really got started with our coffee. Beans, sausage were good, bacon a little under cooked and then the hash browns. Hash browns would normally earn a bonus point from me, and especially with two, but not on this occasion, this was due to the fact that they were fried or dipped in cooking fat as they did not taste very good at all - no bonus point!

Finally, a serving error caused another point to be dropped - we ordered orange juice, it did not arrive!

The view or location could not save the breakfast, so a very average 5 out of 10.

John Lewis, Southampton - Return visit!

When we started this blog i had not thought that we would repeat any of the entries, in terms of locations visited, but - i was wrong!

On this occasion two judges (there can only be two!) visited the John Lewis store in Southampton and tried out there breakfast. (Saturday 10th November 2007). To refresh you memory, on the first visit the breakfast scored 6 out of 10.

Well, i have to report that John Lewis have lost a point!

It was always going to be hard with two judges, but what it came down too was the following:

Sausages undercooked! Although they still offer two sausages as one item, they were not brown and it was as if they had been cooked in the microwave!

The fried bread was a little over cooked making it too crispy.

The bacon was again undercooked and had a lot of fat on it this time.

Still no hash browns!

On the plus side the tea pot was big and allowed for two cups of tea.

Lastly, if you've had a good breakfast, you know it, and you feel as if you enjoyed it, this one just left you feeling bloated and regretted having it!

So, John Lewis have dropped a point!

5 out of 10.

Hilton Hotel, High Street Kensington, London - 27th October 2007

Now, this is an interesting one, in terms of does this breakfast fall into the true cooked breakfast category. Why i hear you ask? Well slow down, and i will tell you!

As per a lot of London hotels, they tend to either do a continental breakfast or a buffet style cooked breakfast. Yes you have to do the hard work and go up to a buffet and make your own decisions on what you want on your plate! To some, that might not be acceptable, however, on this occasion i have let it pass, mainly because it was a good breakfast!!

The breakfast was hot, they had hash browns, and the egg was freshly cooked and runny! Black pudding was available, an optional extra in terms of scoring, but again on this occasion i think it deserved a point!

The coffee was poor, weak, but it was bottomless. The bacon was a bit stringy and not as cooked as we would like it, but it was ok. Location, well it was ok, and only a few 100yds from an Mac show (ok ok, that does not deserve an extra point!)

So, the score, well i am going for an 8 out of 10 ! Yes the highest scoring breakfast so far in this blog!!

A trip to Cornwall is getting close for us, so keep an eye out on this blog, you never know, that 10 out of 10 is out there!!