No 5. The Hounslow Council Civic Centre Canteen.

No 5. Hounslow Council Civic Centre Canteen. Hounslow, London.


Some of the breakfasts have seen your Editor go far afield, but it's also vital to see what is available on home turf. Thus, my attentions turned to my place of work: The Hounslow Civic Centre. which supplies a Fryup for the early hungry worker and the odd vacant local. I was accompanied on my quest by colleague Kate Mccann (not that Kate Mccann).


An ordered line of Hash Browns makes
for an ordered Borough.



Work Makes Free

As the canteen had served me a struck match in a Ratatoille a few months ago, it was with some fear that I attended the canteen at 8:30am. What's greater cause for concern is that rather than showing any contrition for trying to ruin the roof of my mouth, the staff have instead pegged me as an oddball complainer and seem to be seeing it as a game of cat and mouse that over time they have good chance of winning.


Amid the monastic quiet of the early canteen there seemed to be a tacit air of shame among the Hounslow fryup pilgrims who were queueing for breakfast. The furtive glances round to see who is watching them buying a naughty egg and sausage roll were reinforced by the giving of the toast in a paper bag, making one feel like an American parkbench drunk. Once out of the bag the toast was seeded and lovely.




A bag full of toast

The Breakfast:

I had the seven items for £2.50 and decided to invest in a Apple Juice, this being £1.20 and tiny ruined some of the value in the breakfast but it was still good.

The warming lights are a varied influence on any Full English; the Sausages and Mushrooms can benefit from a marinade under warm lights, whereas Hash Browns go floppy rendering them ineffectual. These had been under the lights of some time and were awful. No one wants a flaccid Brown.



Bleak

The sausage was excellent! Good taste and well cooked, a real star turn although we are old friend as any unbought sangers are cut up cold and put in the lunch salad bar.



Your editor: A belly full of regret.

When the keeper of the food reached under the sneezeguard to serve me my beans the notable thing was how much bean juice there was at the top of the giant container. Needless to say that any bean supplier that offers 50% sauce need to be changed. As you can see the beans were small and shiny: Not good.

The Bacon and Egg were enjoyable if a little bland but the tomatoes were something of a miss. Not cooked enough to be fried and not boiled; just sort of lacking in direction, cut open and plonked on.

Overall it was no more than OK, and in the real world it just wouldn't cut it. But I think I got it wrong; it's best to go for the cheaper five items for £1.99. Then you just don't have the Browns/Beans/Tomato and enjoy a tres cheap pesudo fryup. There is a point to this. It's much lighter, great value and condusive to a day at the social care pitface.

Needless to say afterwards I certainly was a Full English!

5/10