Gonzo's itself has been a welcome addition to the city centre. For many years in prior incarnations, the bones of Gonzo's housed grimy but cool late bars/clubs with sticky floors and questionable interior design (anyone remember the day beds in Havana's? How was that ever a good idea?). Gonzo's transformed the space into something really quite different. In addition to hosting Morning Glory (until now), they also serve food in the evening, offering a playful and tasty-sounding selection of gourmet burgers. They even do takeaway via Just Eat. The décor at Gonzo's is firmly retro-chic, with a hotchpotch of furniture including grand leather Queen Anne chairs and a Pacman arcade machine table. There are vintage toys, games and the odd pop art flourish to boot. It is hip but unpretentious and offers something a bit quirky, which we like.
On to breakfast, and the options offered by Morning Glory represent a nice alternative to British and European classics. There is no traditional all-day breakfast on offer here, nor are there other staples such as Eggs Benedict or Eggs Florentine. The flavour of the day is Mexican, with a nod to the USA in some of the options too (particularly their thick, American-style pancakes with fruit or bacon and maple syrup). The menu offers a number of veggie options, including huevos rancheros, breakfast burrito, breakfast wrap and smashed avocado and egg on toast (with chilli to keep the Mexican theme going). They do a range of milkshakes, some of which also have a distinctly Latino kick. Mr Vegan Man ordered a Chocolate Mexicano - a shake made with almond milk, chocolate, banana, oats, cinnamon and cayenne pepper. It was very tasty and not overly sweet, with a nice peppery kick at the finish.
When it came time to order food, we plumped for huevos rancheros and huevos Mexicanos. The two dishes were very similar, both are constructed with a tortilla base and topped with two fried eggs, refried beans, avocado, salsa and fried potatoes. The only difference between the two is that the Mexicanos comes with the addition of two chorizo-style sausages. The other members of our party plumped for the breakfast wrap - stuffed with rice, avocado, salsa and refried beans - with an additional fried egg, a breakfast burrito which is stuffed with scrambled egg, salsa, avocado, cheese and refried beans, and finally the pancakes with everything. All the bacon, all the fruits, all the syrup. Although technically this was off menu, they were more than happy to oblige and all of their dishes have the option of adding breakfast items for a bargain 50p (sausages are more at £1).
The food arrived and the portion sizes were strikingly impressive. The tortillas on the rancheros and Mexicanos were piled high with toppings - there was at least half an avocado on each and piles of beans, salsa and fried potatoes sat beneath two perfectly fried eggs. The tortilla itself was large enough that not one bit of the plate could be seen beneath it. Our friend who ordered the pancakes with everything was faced with a mountain of doughy, fruity, bacon-y goodness and the burrito was the size of a small car (see below). Morning Glory do not scrimp on their portions. However, brunch should be a big meal - normally anyone eating it has already skipped breakfast and probably doesn't plan on chowing down lunch either - so you want a good-sized meal.
The first thing that struck us both was the flavour of the refried beans. They were simply beautiful, with a smoky spiciness that was incredibly moreish. The avocado was ripe but not yet turning to mush and the salsa provided a nice bit of acidity. The overall spice level of the dish was good, but it was not particularly fiery with chilli heat, the spices were more aromatic. They offer a range of hot sauces for anyone who likes it hot and Mr Vegan Man added some habanero sauce for a bit of extra pep. The crispy potatoes were a welcome addition too - Mr Vegan Man had somehow missed these on the menu so they felt like an extra treat. They were also coated in a light, smoky spice that complimented the rest of the dish really well. Wife of the Vegan Man is not a massive chorizo fan, but she really enjoyed the sausages and found the flavour to be just right - not too strong as to overpower everything else on the plate.
Mr Vegan Man is a quick eater and cleared his plate first, the speed of his eating helping to trick his stomach into not realising how full it was getting. Wife of the Vegan Man had a brief wobble about halfway through her brunch and wondered if she would have any chance of finishing. After giving herself a quick pep talk and taking a few deep breaths, she ploughed on and in the end only left some of the tortilla and a small amount of avocado, salsa and egg white. It was a good effort given that she had everything on the huevos rancheros plus two hearty sausages. Our friend who ordered the pancakes demolished them in impressive style and was hugely impressed with his food. Our other friends left a little and, whilst disappointed at being unable to finish, felt full and satisfied. Everyone who had the refried beans as part of their breakfast agreed that they were the star of the show.
We left with stomachs bulging and faces smiling. Morning Glory offer really good value for money - we had the two most expensive brunch dishes plus two drinks each and it came to £25. Not bad at all considering the quality of the food on offer and also taking into account that it filled us up until the evening.
It will be interesting to see what (if anything) replaces Morning Glory at Gonzo's, however based on our experience we are sure that Morning Glory will go on to do really well when they move premises. We will be seeking them out, even though Unthank Road is a bit more of a trek for us. If you are lucky enough to live in the Golden Triangle, make a beeline to 79 Unthank Road on or after the 6th of June when Morning Glory will be landing there.
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