Thursday, November 18, 2010

Budget Breakfast Review - Wimpy and Carlucci's

I love having breakfast. And despite my effort to stay healthy, when I talk about breakfast then I usualy have a full English breakfast in mind, with at least bacon and egss to make it "complete". If someone wants to treat me, don't invite me to a fancy dinner at a posh restaurant, invite me for a breakfast. It does not even have to be an expensive breakfast, it only has to have bacon, egg and toats. And to end it off, at least some good tasting coffee.

So, seeing that I am always in search of cheap quick breakfasts where I can pop in quickly before work and treat myself, I have decided to review a few places that I usually go to. I am also hoping of dicovering a few new places as well. The only criteria that I have for this "quick and cheap breakfast" is that it has bacon and egg, and that is has to cost less than R25. So this week I will look at The Wimpy and Carluccis, my two most frequented places for breakfast.

THE WIMPY

Wimpy Menu

This is such a traditional South African restaurant that I don't think there are many south Africans that as never been in one. More famous for their burgers, they have really caught up on the breakfasts as well, with some reasonably priced breakfasts. Another good thing about The Wimpy is that there are so many branches around, you don't have to go far to find one. The problem is that these branches are usually inside shopping malls with limited view. I hate shopping malls.

The presentation is very plain, and you know exactly what you are going to get, no matter to which branch you go. Their cheapest breakfast at R19.95 is the Sunrise Breakfast, but with only one egg it's too little for me. So, I opted for the cheapest one with two eggs which was the Early Bird Breakfast. Two slices of bacon and one slice of toast. This sound very skimpy, but for the amount of oil it was baked in, it is probably better not to have more on your plate. At R23.95 the price is at least within my criteria.
One good thing about the The Wimpy, for me at least, is their coffee. Coffee connoisseurs might not agree, but I will drive to the Wimpy just for their coffee. And you can get a Mega Coffee if you want a larger mug. So, taking everything into consideration, I would give The Wimpy 7/10 for their breakfast. If you ever think of taking me there I would definitely accept the invitation, but I would go for the more expensive Farmhouse Freakfast with more toast and chips.

Early Bird Breakfast
CARLUCCI'S

Carlucci's Menu
I think everyone that reads my blog would by now know that I love to go to Carluccis. It's a bit more "upmarket" and is situated at Kite Beach, with a stunning view over Table Mountain and Robben Island. In summer months the place is crowded with kite surfers from all over the world, and in winter it is very cosy place to hang out. For location and atmosphere it gets a very good score. When you go to Carlucci's it is good to arrive early, the place is very popular among the locals, and some people seems to go there every day for a quick breakfast. And talk about quick, their cheapest breakfast is also called the "Quickie". With two eggs, bacon and toast the R22 is a bargain. What is also nice is that you can swop the toast for ciabatta or panini at no extra costs. The size of the panini alone is enough to fill you. Also, what I have noticed is that when you ask for scrambled eggs, you definelity get more than two eggs worth of scrambled eggs, making it even a better choice than fried eggs. The good quality bacon is not deep fried and the scrambled egg really tastes better than most other places that I have tried. In general the food is quite good here, even their other breakfasts, but it exceeds my price limit a bit and I usually just take a Quickie with a latte. The latte's are a bit expensive in relation to the breakfast, but I guess for that quality of breakfast they have to make up at somewhere else. I give Carlucci 9/10 and could definely recommend it.

Quickie Breakfast

The Wimpy: 7
Carlucci's: 9

3 comments:

  1. Carlucci 9/10, that is not right, it has to be 10/10, best place you will ever go for a breakfast and atmosphere.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Somehow I have to agree, but if I say that then I guess the search is over....

    ReplyDelete
  3. The "quickie" looks much better than the wimpy breakfast, but I still love a Wimpy coffee. One of the things to have when I get to SA!!

    ReplyDelete