Sip Tuck - Colchester

“British food is inedible”, “the lack of flavour is shocking” my apprehensive American boyfriend droned on as he arrived in the UK after a food tour across Asia. Despite his bad attitude (I’ve given him benefit of the doubt by attributing it to jet lag), he accompanied me to Colchester on a day trip. After a stunning castle tour and park walk we were famished and thought we would die, or worse, *have a domestic disagreement*. After trekking across the entirety of Colchester we spotted a hip looking brunch place with its instagram handle posted on the outside. “The Italian place we considered is closed so this will have to do” my fusspot American boyfriend stated. To our surprise the food and excellent quality ingredients moved him to tears. clearly good quality ingredients. Baron bigod is one of my favourite cheeses so seeing it on the menu was a great surprise. Had the bacon and Brie panini as well as the club sandwich. Two iced coffees. Cannot fault them.

I always like to try a new brunch venue, so I thought I’d try Sip and Tuck. Amazing location just opposite the entrance to Castle Park, which I think may be it’s saving grace. Friendly young serving staff. I ordered the chicken and waffles… it was described on the menu as chicken, waffles and breakfast potatoes. (A point to note if you are on a budget- the menu in the window is out of date and the ones on the table are current and more expensive! When the food arrives I was somewhat shocked by the portion size for the price I paid and I’m not a big eater! One the plate were shop bought sugar waffles (I buy these exact ones from the supermarket for my mom! two very small bits of tasteless chicken that could both of laid in the palm of my small hands, and a scattering of breakfast potatoes. There were so few I could literally count them! I know everything is so expensive now, but honestly It’s a potato so you could at least be a bit generous??? I called over the waitress to ask her if I could get some more breakfast potatoes as it was a bit ridiculous how few they were. She came back to advise :”the chef said they are more of a garnish” I politely replied that the menu didn’t state that and I was expecting a normal sized side portion . She advised the chef said I could hv more but I’d need to pay extra for them. No thanks. I paid nearly £12 for this! I was so disappointed I couldn’t even eat it. When I paid at the till, the chap asked if everything was alright… I politely told him the potato saga and how expensive I thought it was for the tiny portion. Also that the waffles are shop bought and not home made for the price. He apologised but offered nothing. I really wouldn’t recommend this place, but instead go to Tymperleys on Trinity Street, or Cafe 21 on Trinty Street or even Bills on the high street next to town hall.

We went for breakfast as a birthday treat for my sister and we orders 2 full English and 1 vegetarian breakfast. The poached eggs were served undercooked as the egg white was not cooked so we asked the waiter and he said that’s how the eggs come ‘snotty’ that was so off putting. He said when we ordered we should have said for our eggs not to be snotty. They come snotty, soft or well done. We couldn’t really finish our breakfast as the eggs turned my stomach then two fresh poached eggs came over in a separate bowl but our breakfast was cold and finished. Thought the customer care was awkward and not worth the £44 I spent. I thought as least they could do was send out a fresh breakfast. Why would we eat two poached from a bowl next to a cold breakfast that still had raw eggs on. Such a shame. I did send in a contact form but I haven’t received a reply.

Walking around Colchester, the name caught our eye and the cafe looked so inviting we had to give it a try. We weren’t disappointed as we had a delicious lunch and the service was excellent. We can recommend it as an excellent cafe to visit.

Positioned directly across from the Colchester War Memorial in front of the entrance to Castle park, this excellent cafe offers a comprehensive range of meals including vegan and vegetarian options. Combine this with excellent coffee, you have a winning combination that cannot fail to delight.