The Canopy Café is perfect for a Bloody Brunch

The Canopy veggie hash (credit Honking Elephant)

I’m not really sure when brunch became a ‘thing’ but I’m guessing it found its way to Blightly from our friends over the pond where 24/7 eating has become an art form – and no doubt profitable – writes Nick Mosley.

Brighton’s always had its fair share of eateries offering breakfast and – as we all know – you can’t shift for coffee shops, with each and every single one offering the ‘best brew’ in town. But now this relatively new dining genre is taking the city by storm, whether offering extended breakfast times serving up the ubiquitous eggs Benedict or somewhat more raucous ‘bottomless brunches’ that include food and watered down cocktails for a set price. You can imagine the clientele that the latter attracts, but I won’t criticise venues for trying.

For a much more elevated brunch experience away from the bustle of the city centre and seafront I headed to the recently opened The Canopy Café. Located just off Seven Dials roundabout at the bottom of Dyke Road, over recent years the property has been home to a number of hospitality businesses that didn’t quite hit the sweet spot with diners nor drinkers but I have no doubt the new owner knows exactly what she’s doing. Which was pretty evident by the constant stream of guests supping coffee and croissants or diving into hearty plates.

The Canopy Café serves up a menu of Bloody Marys, Margarets and Marias

The Canopy Café is the brainchild of longtime Brighton restaurateur Carla Grassy. Carla and her then business partner chef Michael Bremner were the team behind the acclaimed 64 Degrees in The Lanes – although now closed, to my mind at least, it remains one of the city’s most iconic restaurants with everyone who’s anyone in Sussex hospitality working there at one time or another.

The venue is light and airy with exposed brickwork, terracotta-wash walls, warm wooden floors and informal dining furniture. Nothing is aesthetically overwhelming; it all ties in nicely which is perfect for what is essentially a daytime dining venue. There’s also a sunny rear terrace with an enormous fig tree, where the venue gets its name from.

The menu is a single side of A4 but has plenty of options including vegetarian and vegan. Eggs on sourdough toast are £9 with about a dozen dishes filling the gap until you hit the big boy: The Canopy salmon hash at £18. As you’d expect coming from a restaurateur of Carla’s provenance, everything is homemade and cooked to order.

I was ‘brunching’ with my photographer colleague, which is always handy as I can focus on what I’m meant to be writing about rather than how the light falls on a micro leaf garnish.

With Tom being sensibly off the hard stuff, a Virgin Mary for him. To kick the day with an “olé” it was a Bloody Maria for me; using tequila rather than vodka as a base spirit its got a bit more flavour to it, only made better by the use of Bloody Bens – a Sussex-made mix of all the spicy and umami-led ingredients you need for a perfect Bloody drink: just add your spirit of choice and a quality tomato juice.

For his order, Tom opted for The Canopy veggie hash at £15. His little eyes lit up like a hungry bunny in the headlights when the plate landed. A mountain of crispy hash browns, sautéed spinach, mushrooms, avocado and poached eggs with a healthy dollop of hollandaise sauce. The composition on the plate was impressive; clearly structured but not showy. The hash browns were particularly well-liked as he wanted more but I had to put my foot down on that one; we had plenty more work to do that day.

Maple bacon pancakes at The Canopy Café, Brighton

I have to admit that I’m not a breakfast person. I don’t even drink coffee in the morning at home. But I thought I’d try something that I probably wouldn’t usually order: maple bacon American-style pancakes at £13. It was utterly delicious – the two pancakes were as light and fluffy as a cloud. The smoked, slightly salty, Sussex bacon was cut-through by the sweet maple syrup; the addition of homemade maple butter was a stroke of genius – that would be lovely on a thick slab of toast.

Unfortunately, I was personally defeated by the dish but thats no reflection of its quality – or indeed generosity. If I’d had in the afternoon and worked up an appetite then I would have wolfed it down with gusto but unfortunately I also had a lunch review that day so two huge American pancakes was out of the question without a little late morning nap. Its not often that you hear in a review that the portion was too generous.

With a gentle soundtrack of familiar retro tunes, the venue is relaxed so great for families and – certainly for Brighton – it really helps if you’re dog-friendly, which The Canopy is. I should also note that they offer up a £5 food menu for little ones including strawberry pancakes, beans and toast and other recognisable dishes. Although I have absolutely no idea what a ‘baby chino’ is, I can report its £1.

The Canopy Café is a fantastic addition not only to Seven Dials but also the wider offering of Brighton. Open 9am through 4pm daily – and longer on Friday and Saturday with a pop-up dining option – I’ll be back again soon but probably for late lunch rather than breakfast-brunch.

The Canopy Café, 87-93 Dyke Road, Brighton BN1 3JE

01273 000 216 • www.thecanopycafe.co.uk