A Brown Study
Pro A decent portion size.
Con Not as...brunchy as you might be hoping for.
Pay
€
Per Person €14.50 Two courses, coffee, mimosa. Weekend bookings recommended.
Find
Website Here
Access Step-free
In Short
Hopes? Never a frown, texture like sun, etc etc.
Reality? At times, more Gordon Brown than Golden Brown.
First Impressions? Smallish, well-lit slightly scuffed-about space.
A USP? Nearest brunch to Noviciado.
The food in three words? Bronzed. Russet. Umber.
Service! Efficient.
Friend friendly? They've come up with Vegan Rancheros.
Rating for dating? Stopover with hangover, potentially.
Tip? No brownie points.
Change one thing? Not good for staff to sound browned off.
Going back? Unlikely, not unthinkable.
Compare & Contrast
El Ferry and Maricastaña do their own thing.
In Pictures
On Google Images
What's the story?
A filling brunch choice near Plaza de España.
It's not easy finding brunch on an August Sunday in Malasaña. We've been wandering past Carmencita and its predecessors for years, but only this August did we get a look in, with an early booking at opening time.
Mimosas are just €1 here, which is a welcome good value deal. One's included in the brunch and they have excellent Goodnight Vienna potential. Order a second, is our advice.
The brunch mains are well proportioned and filling. American breakfast came with two slightly over-fried eggs, similarly singed bacon, a bland butterflied homemade sausage and hash browns. Otherwise, eggs benedict dominate the menu. The excellent hollandaise is creamy and enhances the eggs very well, as it should. It's really very moreish. The moreish, the merrierish? Well, the bread is more bagel than muffin, so not the texture it should be, but it does its job. Again, the bacon was beyond crisp, heading to blackened. A mistake. Go too far and you cook the flavour out. Hold back a bit, guys.
For whatever reason, this Sunday overcooking seemed an ongoing strand. The pics don't lie. Everything was brown and don't look appealing enough. Superficial perhaps, but it leaves you thinking it may be reflected in the flavours, and to an extent it is. Make it look loved and special and it sells itself better.
For dessert (do you have dessert with brunch? what are we supposed to call it?) we chose Carrot from two cake options. Successful but not excting, with a reasonable creamy topping that didn't taste entirely industrial and it's the right portion size for one.
Service was efficient. Water was offered without asking, which is a nice touch. There are plenty of sauces on the table. Billing was a bit confused and it's certainly not advisable for whoever's in charge to point out new staff's mistakes with customers in earshot.
All in all, this wasn't firing on all cylinders. We'd have liked more flexibility. Whisper it, but baked beans or tomatoes on the American might be a winner. How about a pastry basket as an alternative to the cakes? Or toast and preserves? Let's face it, €14.50 is hardly a bargain for less food than a standard menu del dia.
So. More attention to the cooking and some passion and feeling in the presentation. A few variations on the menu and a bit of wit and fun in the ingredients. A more collegiate atmosphere. and a sense that this is a fun experience for all concerned. We'd think about another visit.
Pro A decent portion size.
Con Not as...brunchy as you might be hoping for.
Pay
€
Per Person €14.50 Two courses, coffee, mimosa. Weekend bookings recommended.
Find
Website Here
Access Step-free
In Short
Hopes? Never a frown, texture like sun, etc etc.
Reality? At times, more Gordon Brown than Golden Brown.
First Impressions? Smallish, well-lit slightly scuffed-about space.
A USP? Nearest brunch to Noviciado.
The food in three words? Bronzed. Russet. Umber.
Service! Efficient.
Friend friendly? They've come up with Vegan Rancheros.
Rating for dating? Stopover with hangover, potentially.
Tip? No brownie points.
Change one thing? Not good for staff to sound browned off.
Going back? Unlikely, not unthinkable.
Compare & Contrast
El Ferry and Maricastaña do their own thing.
In Pictures
On Google Images
What's the story?
A filling brunch choice near Plaza de España.
It's not easy finding brunch on an August Sunday in Malasaña. We've been wandering past Carmencita and its predecessors for years, but only this August did we get a look in, with an early booking at opening time.
Mimosas are just €1 here, which is a welcome good value deal. One's included in the brunch and they have excellent Goodnight Vienna potential. Order a second, is our advice.
The brunch mains are well proportioned and filling. American breakfast came with two slightly over-fried eggs, similarly singed bacon, a bland butterflied homemade sausage and hash browns. Otherwise, eggs benedict dominate the menu. The excellent hollandaise is creamy and enhances the eggs very well, as it should. It's really very moreish. The moreish, the merrierish? Well, the bread is more bagel than muffin, so not the texture it should be, but it does its job. Again, the bacon was beyond crisp, heading to blackened. A mistake. Go too far and you cook the flavour out. Hold back a bit, guys.
For whatever reason, this Sunday overcooking seemed an ongoing strand. The pics don't lie. Everything was brown and don't look appealing enough. Superficial perhaps, but it leaves you thinking it may be reflected in the flavours, and to an extent it is. Make it look loved and special and it sells itself better.
For dessert (do you have dessert with brunch? what are we supposed to call it?) we chose Carrot from two cake options. Successful but not excting, with a reasonable creamy topping that didn't taste entirely industrial and it's the right portion size for one.
Service was efficient. Water was offered without asking, which is a nice touch. There are plenty of sauces on the table. Billing was a bit confused and it's certainly not advisable for whoever's in charge to point out new staff's mistakes with customers in earshot.
All in all, this wasn't firing on all cylinders. We'd have liked more flexibility. Whisper it, but baked beans or tomatoes on the American might be a winner. How about a pastry basket as an alternative to the cakes? Or toast and preserves? Let's face it, €14.50 is hardly a bargain for less food than a standard menu del dia.
So. More attention to the cooking and some passion and feeling in the presentation. A few variations on the menu and a bit of wit and fun in the ingredients. A more collegiate atmosphere. and a sense that this is a fun experience for all concerned. We'd think about another visit.
