The title says it all.

We were down in the city centre of Plymouth several times over the weekend for Seafest-related events (and Toddler Club at Everyman, of course). On Saturday after the cinema we had a quick walk through the stalls on display at Royal William Yard and got to try some circus equipment and had a survival skills demo from Survival Steve who was making popcorn in the wild. Given the hit rate on this occasion, I think I’ll stick with popcorn from Everyman. The demonstration was good fun though and quite hands on for the kids including how to make bundles of willow to use as kindling, and using a Ferrocerium fire starter.

Fig & Thyme Kitchen

Sunday was a walk around the Barbican to hear some sea shanties and soak up the ambience. It’s great to see Plymouth thriving and plenty of people were visiting from outside the city. We called into Fig & Thyme Kitchen for brunch after a recommendation from a friend. It’s worth booking in advance if you’re interested, although we still managed to get a table after a five to ten minute wait outside. I was debating abandoning ship at that stage, but we stuck it out. I’m glad we did.

There is a definite brunch focus on the menu with waffles and croffles (croissant waffles to the uninitiated) featuring heavily. Some of the sharing boards looked delicious too. It’s priced how you’d expect from this calibre of café with mains in and around £12 to £13, and sharing options about £30 for two people.

We split the breakfast croffle and house waffles. The breakfast croffle (I can’t in all good consciousness write “croffle” again) came with sausage, bacon, chilli jam, and a poached egg. I wasn’t sure how well the chilli jam was going to go with it, but it turned out to be a delicious addition. The Fig & Thyme waffles came with berries, Chantilly cream, and a jug of maple syrup. The waffles were crisp but fluffy at the same time, and both the dishes were well executed.

Would I go back? Definitely. It didn’t feel as hectic as our visit to the Early Bird Café. The atmosphere was more laid back and there weren’t an excessive number of tables crammed into the available space. They’re clearly flourishing here: there aren’t that many spots in Plymouth where there is a queue of people waiting for tables. The coffee was pretty great too.

Sitting outside the café waiting for a table did give me a better appreciation of the character of the surrounding buildings. The red brick one directly opposite looked fascinating.

Meanwhile in shed world, I’ve made a little more progress moving things out there and filling in what will become a border at the front. The skip is half full (or half empty, depending on your perspective), and I still have some rubble to go. I haven’t decided what to do with the decking boards either. The project continues!