On my birthday this year, Nik and the twins took me out for birthday brunch! I chose the place as I remembered going to The Real Eating Company earlier in the year with Laura and the kids and we loved it plus they do prosecco. There was plenty of space and the menu was fab with a special breakfast deal on weekdays. You can get a breakfast with a tea or coffee for £7.95 before 12pm. We actually didn't arrive until 12pm after all the morning birthday fun but it was on Saturday anyway so we missed out on the deal.
It was pretty busy when we arrived but we found a few empty tables at the back where it was quieter. Sadly the brunch I had in mind, the caramelised bananas and bacon on pancakes (sounds a bit random but it's SO good, we had it last time) was no longer on the menu so I had to rethink my choice. We ordered a full breakfast for Nik, Bacon Eggs Benedict with added avocado for me and the kids wanted sausage and chips (it was basically lunch time by then and they'd already had porridge and birthday cake).
We also ordered coffees to come with the food and a glass of fizz for the birthday girl in the meantime ;)
And then began the waiting, they did warn us when we ordered that it might be about 30 minutes to wait as they were busy and had just taken lots of orders but we decided to wait rather than get the kids all wrapped up again to go elsewhere. Nik had asked to take the prosecco back to the table with him when he ordered at the bar but they said they'd bring it right over. They seemed to forget as we had to go and ask again after about 20 minutes or so. Unfortunately the waiting took a lot longer than 30 minutes but by then we kept thinking it would be any minute. In hindsight, we wish we'd cut our losses and headed to Bill's instead as it may well have ended up being quicker to start over!
When our food came it was delicious, we really enjoyed it but we were SO hungry by then and had gotten pretty stressed out trying to keep the kids occupied spotting cars out of the window, counting pine cones we'd picked up on the way, "cheers"ing a lot and kisses and cuddles while I shared everything on my Instagram Stories. 50 minutes is a VERY long time for 3 year olds to wait in a restaurant! (And if I'm honest for me too, especially when I'd only eaten a slice of birthday cake since I woke up!)
When the food finally came, the kids loved their sausages, beans and chips (the chips were amazing, I actually would have ordered a portion for myself if I hadn't been worried they'd take another half an hour or more).
Nik enjoyed his full English and my Eggs Benedict was lovely too, it's just a shame it took so long as we are unlikely to go back now and would choose to go elsewhere for brunch instead of risking such a long wait (a friend from Lewes commented that she's had a similar problem every time she's been too so it appears it wasn't a one off). The Eggs Benedict is served on sourdough toast with the choice of ham or bacon, I asked for the addition of avocado both times. If you get there before 12pm on a weekday the breakfast deal is good value, basically getting the tea or coffee free and it includes hot chocolate too. Our bill came to £33 for 3 meals, 2 coffees and a glass of fizz (without the deal as it was a Saturday).
I've given 2/10 for service due to the wait for food (with no updates to let us know of the extra delay) and forgetting my prosecco. The service was polite but seemed pretty inefficient, maybe they were short staffed. Overall, although we liked the food, we didn't have a great experience.
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| The bacon & banana pancakes we had in May which are sadly no longer on the menu. |
It was pretty busy when we arrived but we found a few empty tables at the back where it was quieter. Sadly the brunch I had in mind, the caramelised bananas and bacon on pancakes (sounds a bit random but it's SO good, we had it last time) was no longer on the menu so I had to rethink my choice. We ordered a full breakfast for Nik, Bacon Eggs Benedict with added avocado for me and the kids wanted sausage and chips (it was basically lunch time by then and they'd already had porridge and birthday cake).
We also ordered coffees to come with the food and a glass of fizz for the birthday girl in the meantime ;)
 |
| A selection of photos from my visit with friends in May |
And then began the waiting, they did warn us when we ordered that it might be about 30 minutes to wait as they were busy and had just taken lots of orders but we decided to wait rather than get the kids all wrapped up again to go elsewhere. Nik had asked to take the prosecco back to the table with him when he ordered at the bar but they said they'd bring it right over. They seemed to forget as we had to go and ask again after about 20 minutes or so. Unfortunately the waiting took a lot longer than 30 minutes but by then we kept thinking it would be any minute. In hindsight, we wish we'd cut our losses and headed to Bill's instead as it may well have ended up being quicker to start over!
When our food came it was delicious, we really enjoyed it but we were SO hungry by then and had gotten pretty stressed out trying to keep the kids occupied spotting cars out of the window, counting pine cones we'd picked up on the way, "cheers"ing a lot and kisses and cuddles while I shared everything on my Instagram Stories. 50 minutes is a VERY long time for 3 year olds to wait in a restaurant! (And if I'm honest for me too, especially when I'd only eaten a slice of birthday cake since I woke up!)
When the food finally came, the kids loved their sausages, beans and chips (the chips were amazing, I actually would have ordered a portion for myself if I hadn't been worried they'd take another half an hour or more).
Nik enjoyed his full English and my Eggs Benedict was lovely too, it's just a shame it took so long as we are unlikely to go back now and would choose to go elsewhere for brunch instead of risking such a long wait (a friend from Lewes commented that she's had a similar problem every time she's been too so it appears it wasn't a one off). The Eggs Benedict is served on sourdough toast with the choice of ham or bacon, I asked for the addition of avocado both times. If you get there before 12pm on a weekday the breakfast deal is good value, basically getting the tea or coffee free and it includes hot chocolate too. Our bill came to £33 for 3 meals, 2 coffees and a glass of fizz (without the deal as it was a Saturday).
I've given 2/10 for service due to the wait for food (with no updates to let us know of the extra delay) and forgetting my prosecco. The service was polite but seemed pretty inefficient, maybe they were short staffed. Overall, although we liked the food, we didn't have a great experience.
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| My birthday brunch, they're generous with the bacon - so good! |
Olive Dragonfly Rating - The Real Eating Company, Lewes
Food & Drink - 7/10
Atmosphere - 6/10
Service - 2/10
Value - 6/10
Overall - 5/10
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