Chiswick: brunch perfection at Angie’s Little Food Shop

There’s nothing little about Angie’s Little Food Shop – it is big on flavour and big on style.

Angie’s, or ALFS as it’s known locally, was founded by South African Angie Steele who spent 10 years heading up various Gordon Ramsay restaurants before opening her own cafe.

Her impressive cooking credentials shine through in the delicious all day brunch menu, tempting GF cakes and innovative salads.

 The setting

ALFS is at the Hammersmith end of Chiswick High Street and stands out thanks to the bright blue awning and painted doors. There are two tables outside and inside rows of wooden tables plus a large communal table at the back.

They fill up fast at the weekend so make sure you arrive early.

There are fresh flowers and mini cactus pots on the distressed wooden tables. The walls display original ceramics and modern art. The staff are very friendly and helpful in seating you when it gets busy.

The little things

As soon as you sit down you are given decanters of water infused with cucumber. ALFS is very welcoming to dogs and there’s usually quite a selection of four legged friends including the owner’s Australian labradoodle.

The green juice test

Angie’s does sell the Cold Press Clean Green (apple, cucumber, spinach. parsley & lime), but often runs out.

When we visited on a busy Sunday lunch time we were too late so had a freshly squeezed OJ and an apple and carrot juice both made on site.

They were both equally refreshing.

What we ate

We tried two types of egg – the creamy scrambled eggs with roasted tomatoes on sourdough and the Eggs Royale.

The latter was perfectly poached eggs with salmon on sourdough.

Plus, we tried the soft goat’s cheese bruschetta with smashed avo, raw beetroot and sprout salad and heirloom cherry tomatoes. The mix of textures and flavours was gorgeous. Finally, we had the sweet potato soup of the day with garlic bread. It was a warming and a filling meal in itself.


The bill

Soft Goats Cheese Bruschetta £7.95
Scrambled Eggs £8.00
Eggs Royale £10.50
Soup of the day £6.00
Fresh Orange / Carrot & Apple £3.10


What else?

The wide range of ceramics on sale are by three of Angie’s favourite South African artists and make fantastic gifts or treats.

What made us glow?

The vibe, the dogs and the beautiful plates all the food is served on.

Chiswick: Crucial Cafe a hidden oasis of calm

“Nutrition for Life” is the mantra of Chiswick’s Crucial Cafe. Ruth Wood the founder, and a clinical nutritionist, is passionate about the life-changing power of nutritionally balanced foods.

Alongside her team, she creates super healthy meals, salads, cold-pressed juices, smoothies and snacks using the highest quality fresh ingredients, sourced from local suppliers.

There’s plenty of raw dishes and you can enjoy them all in the spacious and relaxed space as well as delivery free to your door if you live locally.

The good news is you don’t need be a member to use it.

The setting

Crucial Café is a well kept local secret. It’s tucked away in the Hogarth Health club – in a side road off Chiswick High Rd.

The café has a relaxed feel and you can sink into one of the red velvet sofas or lose yourself in their Eames black lounge chair for hours on end. It’s an open, large space with an in-built conservatory and plenty of outdoor tables in the garden that overlook a much-used tennis court. The conservatory is also home to laptop friendly counters and two communal tables.

Expect post workout lycra and a selection of individuals armed with laptops and lattes. The staff are super-friendly and Ruth herself is often on hand checking on the food and giving nutrition tips.

The little things

There’s free wifi and lots of plug sockets available. Crucial use biodegradable packaging and the space never feels crowded.

The green juice test

Crucial presses two green juices on site – Supergreens and 4 Greens. Supergreens (featuring celery, kale and pineapple) is slightly sweeter due to the pineapple. 4 Greens has kale, celery, cucumber, lime and coconut water. Both are large, refreshing and served in a Kilner jar.

What we ate

The fresh salads and specials change regularly and there’s plenty of choice.

Between two, we had: a perfectly poached egg with avo on toast; a wild rice and kale side salad with halloumi; sliced avocado and halloumi on a courgetti salad with kale and heritage tomatoes; and a deliciously, substantial protein bowl of beetroot, banana, nut milk, strawberry and brown rice protein topped with chia and pumpkin seeds, nuts, blueberries and coconut shavings.

Finally, we caved into the spiced apple and date crumble with creamy almond milk custard.

The portion came in its own tin and was enough for two. We managed one each (!) and it is quite possibly the best crumble we’ve ever tasted!


The bill

Poached egg and avo on toast  £7.00
added Halloumi  £3.00
added Avocado  £2.50
Protein Smoothie bowl  £6.00
Spiced apple and date crumble with almond milk custard  £4.00
Green Juice  £4.00


What else?

Crucial offer detox packages they can deliver to you door locally and for a small charge beyond their area.

What made us glow

The friendliness and attention to detail in the delicious food.

It’s a Glowcation HQ favourite we visit time and time again.

Chiswick: The Award-winning Urban Pantry

Urban Pantry takes inspiration from Aussie and Kiwi cafés – famous for delicious, healthy brunches.

This cute café set on a quiet shopping street off Chiswick High Road offers Veggie and Vegan breakfasts till 4 pm (!)

Urban Pantry won Time Out’s best Chiswick café in its first year and was a runner up in the Observer Monthly’s best cheap eats.

To keep at the top of its game, the cafe changes its menu every fortnight based on seasonality and availability of local ingredients and is organic wherever possible.

The setting

Urban Pantry is surrounded by the independent shops of Chiswick’s Devonshire Road. It’s a pretty café with pastel painted chairs, wooden tables and lime-washed wood panelling.

There’s also a counter at the window looking out onto Devonshire Road and an outside seating area hedged with plants. The staff are friendly and helpful.

At breakfast, the café was busy with locals and a couple of tourists. Urban Pantry is handy for Chiswick Park, Hogarth’s House and Chiswick’s many independent shops. 

The little things

Dogs are welcome. There are fresh flowers on each table and crayon pots for children.

The fresh juice test

Urban Pantry serves a smoothie of the day and fresh orange juice. In addition, the fridge is stacked with a selection of drinks including the Moju juice range. We had the Moju Green One – packed with kale, spinach, apple, ginger, celery, lemon and cucumber.

A lovely combo maintaining a veggie taste but with the ginger and apple adding a refreshing touch of sweetness.

Plus, we couldn’t resist the house mango and raspberry smoothie- thick, fruity and filling.

What we ate

Although there was a Vegan and Veggie Brekkie and warming porridges, we went for the seasonal special – the special autumn French toast.

A large plate layered with generous hunks of brioche, poached plums, plum compote, toasted almond flakes and clotted cream.

The avo on toast looked awesome, but we went for the corn fritters with roasted heritage tomatoes, chili jam and “little” leaves. A crunchy, yummy dish.

We had a rich Matcha Latte to finish.

 

The bill

French Toast Special £8.50
Corn fritters £10.60
Smoothie £3.50
Moju Juice £2.95
Matcha Latte £2.90


What else?

There’s free wifi and the staff are happy to provide goodie bags of any leftovers from the large portions.

The coffee is also highly recommended and Urban Pantry serves alcohol.

What made us glow?

The vibe – the friendliness of the staff spilled over and most of the customers ended up talking to each other. A lovely place to spend a morning.