FOOD&DRINK

As a devotee of the full English, I’ve sampled the bacon and eggs at every café in my locale. Most were mediocre, some downright disgusting and, until Grounded opened its doors and the Stop Gap Café had a change of management, there really was nowhere worth going. Having set foot in the Fountain Café once and been subjected to its rotten floors, peeling paint and mildew-encrusted walls, I vowed never to trouble them again. That was until Charmaine, Kirsty and Charlie took over, cleaned the place up, installed a new kitchen (already awarded five stars by the health and safety police) and clean, simple furniture and relaunched this once tired old transport caff as a fresh, light and airy neighbourhood diner.

The all-day breakfast menu is excellent, with everything from beans on toast (for just a quid) through to the belly-busting Fountain Special (two each of bacon, sausages, eggs and hash browns plus mushrooms, tomatoes, fried bread and bread & butter) and – hurrah – real coffee. Main meals are all under a fiver, with old-fashioned staples like ham, egg and chips or fish, chips and mushy peas available plus a wide selection of kids’ meals, jacket potatoes, paninis, toasted sarnies and more. You can phone in advance to organise a takeaway, and they even provide a buffet option for busy office workers.

The Fountain Café is everything it should be: cheap, cheerful and catering for the whole community. (Darryl W Bullock)

FOUNTAIN CAFÉ 326 CHURCH RD, ST GEORGE, BRISTOL, BS5 8AJ. TEL: 0117 955 9894 OPEN MON-SAT 8AM-3PM.

Copyright Darryl W Bullock 2010