C.R.E.A.M

Wu tang clan aint nothing to (cue naughty word here) with.

And neither is the coffee at C.R.E.A.M

CREAM, short for Coffee Rules Everything Around Me, is my favourite cafe in the seaside burbs of Brighton. It’s a blink and you’ll miss it joint, with nothing but a sandwich board and a Wu-tang door mat to help you find this hole in the wall. But it seems that’s all they need, as hoards of people are finding themselves fighting for a table at this gem.

As soon as you walk into the café you get that instant industrial-street feel. There’s an array of timber- think custom made seating and the most beautiful parquetry table you’ll lay your eyes on. There’s matt black everything. Concrete and metal. Skating photographs. And most importantly, copper. I’m talking copper pull taps and exposed piping. They have even become so popular that their merchandise room has been adapted into another seating area to feed the hungry masses- this place fills up quick.

To match the incredibly cool décor you’ll find that they employ incredibly cool staff-or as the signage states “The heater is on, the coffee is hot, and so are the staff”. True story. They are super attentive, are quick to get you caffeinated and are more than happy to share their menu recommendations- hello fried chicken and ploughmans platters!

On this occasion the other half and I visited and as always we were impressed. He ordered the Open Bagel with creme fraiche, smoked salon, Spanish onion, capers served with grilled truss tomatoes and I ordered the Rogos special fried chicken with hot sauce. Of course a latte made with 5 Senses Coffee was on the cards, and as always it was delicious and devoured in a heart beat (after several photos- foodie photo folk beware, their latte art game is strong). One thing I love about C.R.E.A.M is that they support local producers- using Tweedvale milk from Lobethal and bread from Brighton Jetty Bakery- one of the best bakeries getting around.

My other half LOVED his open bagel- he said it was super fresh, the creme fraiche was smooth and the dish as a whole was very tasty. My fried chicken was RIDICULOUSLY good. It was crunchy on the outside, super moist and not at all dry and not a ounce of fat was seen. You wouldn’t even know it was fried because it didn’t taste greasy at all. The hot sauce almost blew my head off but it was totally worth it. On other occasions I have dabbled in their smoothie bowl, smashed avocado, in house granola and their Donut Breakfast Sandwich, and I’ve always been chuffed with what’s been put on the plate.