The Village Café and Bistro in Keyworth has been in the news over the last week or so with a ranking in the top ten on Tripadvisor. I am not necessarily a slave to food fashion, but when the article in the Nottingham Post was thrust into my face and I hadn’t been there, well I felt obliged nay compelled to make a special trip over to investigate for myself.

It is very comfortable inside and quite welcoming, it was well frequented on a midweek lunchtime, but I was still able to squeeze myself in to the corner from where I could view the calm hustle. There was a fairly interesting specials board that I spent a little bit of time contemplating. It was offering a Warm Chicken and Bacon Salad for £7, Butternut squash risotto balls and salad for £7.95, and a Ribeye steak salad for £8.
I wasn’t really tempted as I was not quite in the mood for a salad, so I started to peruse the breakfast or brunch section of the menu instead. I very nearly ordered the Village breakfast, as I saw a few tables participating in mass enjoyment of that dish, which was (or is) a plate of bacon, sausage, mushroom, tomato, beans, hash brown, black pudding, choice of egg, and toast for just £4.50 (what a bargain) . On this day though, it was not to be and I was looking for something a little more stylish.

A little bit further down the menu I found what I was looking for and it was the Eggs Royal. This is essentially Poached eggs and Salmon on a toasted muffin with hollandaise sauce for £4.95. When it arrived it turned out to be two poached eggs and salmon on two toasted muffins. Good value indeed.

There were a couple of similar options on the menu, an Eggs Benedict which was the same thing with ham instead of salmon for £4.70, or you could have the Eggs Florentine with Spinach instead of ham or salmon for £4.50. I was happy enough though with my choice. The only thing I might have changed would be having just a little bit less sauce so that I could see the rest of the ingredients on the plate. It all worked together really well and the sauce was so delightfully light and creamy that even when I had run out of salmon, muffin, and egg to mop it up with, I was still spooning it up.

The Village Café and Bistro is located at 4 Main St in Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5AD within sight of the St Mary Magdalene Church. You can follow them via their website, on facebook and on twitter.

At lunchtime the place is a nice brunch spot serving up some simple yet competent dishes, a decent traditional breakfast, and also some more classic and stylish breakfast options such as the Eggs Royal with which I became familiar. In the Evening in their own words it transforms into “an intimate relaxing bistro with soft lighting and candles”

It was a jolly pleasant experience and I would heartily recommend a trip over to Keyworth to try it out. If you do not want to drive from the city, then you can catch the regular bus on the Keyworth Connection route.