The Ultimate Brunch in Durham

Remember when I was reviewing Cafedral and mentioned that the queue to Flat White Kitchen was wayyyy to long. Turns out that going on a weekday helps a lot. So here's my review of a place that's been among the hottest in Durham for a long time now.

A relatable picture, isn't it? It's May and the weather in Durham is, well, slightly moody. So when it's raining for the 15th time today it's easy to find an excuse to take shelter in one of many coffee-serving establishments around. This and the fact that I just left a really horrible exam led us straight to Flat White Kitchen. Thankfully, there queue was not too long; we sat comfortably and waited for around 15 minutes to get a table.

The inside is one of those minimalistic yet cozy, extremely instagramable and slightly Scandinavian-inspired ones. They have a lot of plants hanging from the ceiling and beautiful wooden tables. Even though the place was full, we didn't have to wait a lot for the waitress to take our orders. She also patiently answered every question we had and was overall a really kind and cheerful person, which is always so nice and an important part of the whole experience.

We both ordered hot chocolates as it was pretty gloomy outside. I've heard they make wonderful coffee (as the name suggests), but that day I knew I was slightly on the over-caffeinated side. I'll surely be back to try their famous flat white though. Our drinks came steaming hot and decorated with proper whipped cream (not the store-bought spray one) and marshmallows. It was rich and sweet and smooth and exactly what we needed.

Food-wise, they have quite an extensive brunch menu ranging from classic dishes such as porridge and scrambled eggs on toast to more extravagant ones including salt beef hash with salsa verde and poached eggs. We went for ricotta pancakes with fruit and maple syrup from the brunch menu and Korean fried chicken sandwich from the lunch menu, but it was quite a hard choice as we were first-timers. Honestly though - that's the only kind of choice I want to make in my life, ever.

A fan of pancakes that I am (which you could see in one of my latest posts), these beauties were literally the best ones I've ever had. Perfectly thick and fluffy, they were a perfect base for the toppings. I congratulated myself for only ordering half a stack though, because I spotted somebody trying to battle the whole portion and getting defeated. But seriously, I'm living for these pancakes and I can't wait to be back to try the blueberry ones.

The Korean fried chicken sandwich was a beauty amongst sandwiches too. It comes with a deep fried chicken schnitzel spiced up with mayo and Korean sauce (which must have featured sesame, chillies and spring onions and was an absolute explosion of flavours) and wrapped in a fluffy brioche bun which is almost too pretty to touch. We ordered a side of sweet potato fries and they did the job being crispy, sweet and salty and totally not greasy. Oh, I almost forgot to give a special mention to the coleslaw with coriander, it was very refreshing in between the bites of the sandwich.

Generally, our visit to Flat White Kitchen was a big success. You really cannot go wrong - if you're craving a certain brunch item, they most probably have it. Although the place is usually busy, it's well worth the wait. The service is great and the quality of food is exceptional - it's a true gem amongst Durham cafes. I'll certainly be back!

Flat White Kitchen

40 Saddler Street DH1 3NU Durham, Durham

This post is supported by Soap & Glory.