Brunch has got to be one of my favourite meals of the day. I’m rarely hungry first thing in the morning so breakfast doesn’t really happen until around 11ish which, is then brunch in my eyes. Amazingly it hasn’t been something that has been advertised around Manchester much until recently. Neighbourhood are the latest restaurant to put their offering out there to the brunch crowd and I was invited along with a gaggle (I have no idea what a group of bloggers would be called but I’m just putting this one out there, I like gaggle) of bloggers to see what they had to offer.
I am often intimidated by Neighbourhood I’m not going to lie. They’re regularly the background for the latest celebrities to hit Manchester and I think this neon sign in the restaurant says it all for me. I AM too old. I like to sit and enjoy my food with friends with music that is soft enough for me to be able to hear the people I am with. Brunch is a different story with soft music playing and a much lighter atmosphere all round.
The menu is small yet considering it is only available Saturday and Sunday from 10am-12pm it would be ridiculous for it to be anything more. There’s some healthy options dotted amongst the heavier traditional options too so it doesn’t have to completely spoil your diet.
I kicked off the morning with a Bellini. I may also have tried a Mimosa. Yes it was 10am but it’s always 5pm somewhere and, as my favourite quote says, a brunch without a Mimosa is just a sad late breakfast. They were perfectly tasty although no different to others I have tried.
We shared a stack of Buttermilk Pancakes with the glossiest of chocolate sauces and a splodge of cream. The pancakes were soft and light in the centre with a slight crust – just the way I like them and they were also piping hot which I find doesn’t seem to happen very often in this country. They were a little on the small side but the vast array of food we consumed meant this was not an issue for us.
Up next were the Breakfast Sandwiches served alongside teeny glass jars of ketchup, which we were all far too impressed with considering we’re food bloggers. The sausage, bacon and egg was sandwiched perfectly between a lightly toasted muffin. I was amazed that the filling didn’t spill out and they were surprisingly easy to eat without getting covered in their filling. I’d have liked a runnier egg but I feel this is totally just my preference. The sausages were fairly small yet delicious with great flavours and a light pepper kick I love in a good breakfast sausage.
We then made our own selection from the brunch menu with me going for the Full American Breakfast. Those same delightful buttermilk pancakes were served with maple syrup, bacon, sausage and eggs of my choice. I went for scrambled eggs and I am so glad I did. I kid you not, these are some of the best I have ever tried. Almost whipped they were light and creamy, like no other scrambled egg I’ve ever had in Manchester. The bacon was crisp and crunchy but without that slightly burnt flavour that so many crispy bacon dishes end up with. I love maple syrup with pancakes and bacon but I’m not sure the dollop of cream really worked in this dish, for me it separated my plate almost into two different dishes.
We left satisfied, ready for a day of shopping and gossiping and I felt brunch at Neighbourhood really set me up for the day ahead. I loved that it was much more approachable at this time of day and I’d be sure to give it another go in the evening if the brunch is anything to go by.
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