Bella Italia family breakfast feedback thread: find out how the MNers got on checking out the new menu! NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

This is the thread for the MN families who were invited to go and check out the new breakfast menu at Bella Italia.

Bella Italia say "We're celebrating the first birthday of our fabulous new breakfast menu packed with yummy favourites like the fruity pancake stack and the gigante breakfast - so big it needs two plates! So here's your chance to join in the celebration, try our breakfast menu with your family let us know what you think!"

Reviewers - please share on this thread your responses to the following questions

Generally - how did you find Bella as a place to visit with the family for breakfast?
How would you rate the food quality?
How would you rate the selection of food – grown ups and kids - what did you and your DC choose?
What was the best part about your experience?
How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?
And lastly, would you go again?

We'd also love you to add a review on your relevant MN local pages (find restaurant reviews under - On the High Street>Going Out>Restaurants)

Thanks - everyone who adds their feedback on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £200 voucher for Bella Italia

Good luck
MNHQ

We went on Sunday 2nd to the central Plymouth Branch

Generally - how did you find Bella as a place to visit with the family for breakfast?

Great, felt like a treat rather than just going to a cafe because someone was hungry

How would you rate the food quality?

Good, coffee was lovely, orange juice huge and the real thing

How would you rate the selection of food – grown ups and kids - what did you and your DC choose?

The Dc's were hungry and chose an adult sized stack of pancakes each - one with fruit, one with bacon. DH had a tasty omelet thing and having just run the Plymouth 10k the clear choice for me was the steak.

What was the best part about your experience?

It exceeded our expectations, lovely food, relaxed atmosphere compared with busier meal times. Clean plates from everyone which resulted in full tummies till late afternoon.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?

Your Plymouth staff are lovely, please congratulate them.. They made an empty restaurant very welcoming, responded perfectly to DH's request to reheat his coffee and showed great attention to detail. Very professional.

Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?

No, and neither do the rest of Plymouth, the 10k finish line with 2,000 runners going past and all the spectators was 300 m away. The race actually ran past but at between 10 and 11 am there was only one other table in.

And lastly, would you go again?
Yes, I would and we're going to have 'brunch' out again as a family. Worked very well for our family and it's stomachs, much more popular than making the children wait for an early afternoon, overcrowded, pub style Sunday lunch.

Thank you

Generally - how did you find Bella as a place to visit with the family for breakfast?
We went on Saturday 1st November (me DH and 2 DC's 10 and 8). We were the only ones in the restaurant, although there was a table of what seemed like staff and children having breakfast. The restaurant was clean and tidy and had a lovely atmosphere. There was a lady cleaning whilst we were there, in her bare feet which was a bit unusual but didn't put us off. The staff were nice and friendly. It was a lovely treat for us and the start of a day out, so were in jovial mood and the restaurant added to that happy feeling. The DC's really liked the colouring and the staff interacted with them nicely.

How would you rate the food quality?
Both DH and I ordered the gigante breakfasts, and the DC's ordered from the adult menu as I had read previous reviews and thought the kids menu might not be enough for their healthy appetites. DC1 had the Bella Breakfast and DC2 had triple pancakes with bananas and strawberries. We absolutely loved the food and all our plates were cleared. There was lots of swapping and trying each others! The jug of maple syrup was only quarter full and very hard to pour, but that was the only downside. Oh, and the butter with the toast was melted which we didn't like, but that might be just personal taste. We asked for fresh butter which they brough in abundance so all good.

The food was fresh, hot and delicious. Much nicer than another chain next door, which was much busier.

How would you rate the selection of food – grown ups and kids - what did you and your DC choose?
Sorry, already answered this above! The adult selection was very good! In fact, there was TOO MUCH choice. As this was a rare treat for us, we just couldn't decide! DH was going to try steak, but then changed his mind at the last minute.

As others have said, there wasn't much children's selection, but as I already knew this, I was forwarned and ordered from the adult menu. This wasn't a problem and we weren't asked to pay extra. We got refills of our drinks (latte, coffee, orange juice and apply juice) without a problem. We were offered these without being asked. I asked if we needed to pay and offered, but they refused.

What was the best part about your experience?
The whole thing was enjoyable from beginning to end! We got served by a Zombie, who even had great advice about where to go on our next adventure!

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Very friendly and welcoming. We did wait 40 mins from ordering for our food, which seemed a bit long. We weren't in a rush and were enjoying the rare family time, so it didn't bother us. I can imagine though that if you were in a rush the wait would be too long. Especially as there was noone else in the restaurant. A few diners joined as we were leaving.

Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?
We had no idea. We had been next door to another popular chain and walked past several times without even realising.

And lastly, would you go again?
Yes, we would. We much preferred it to anywhere else we have tried. However, the prices are a bit high for us. Even though the food was lovely, it may come down to price and it is cheaper elsewhere.

Thank you for the lovely experience. The whole family really enjoyed it.

Generally - how did you find Bella as a place to visit with the family for breakfast?
It was friendly and relaxing. There was a nice atmosphere despite it being quite empty. The children were acknowledged by the staff and their needs and requirements were considered - pencils and paper provided whilst waiting. Girls were given a helium balloon which made them very happy!

How would you rate the food quality?
Food was good quality and tasty.

How would you rate the selection of food – grown ups and kids - what did you and your DC choose?

Children's selection was very small. Based on early reviewers we let the children choose from the main menu. We are vegetarian so the only option the girls would have had would have been the fruit pancake rated as too small for a 3 year old above, as a brunch experience this would have devastated my hungry children!
My girls chose the fruity pancake stack and a cheese and tomato omelette. They both enjoyed them, though I felt that the omelette dish was lacking some bread, would be good to have the choice between the potatoes or a slice of toast.
I had an egg and tomato ciabatta - unfortunately lacking in much egg, I'd estimate about one tablespoon of egg in the whole thing, seems an odd thing to scrimp on.
The other two adults had the veggie breakfast. These were good however again they could have done with some bread.

The drink top ups weren't mentioned to us, nor were they offered during the meal.
The drink DD chose -(sparkling grape) wasn't available - our server said it shouldn't be on the menu. Disappointing for her (especially as she had taken 5 minutes deliberating!)

What was the best part about your experience?
Relaxed and comfortable atmosphere, DD raved about her pancake stack.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
The staff were very friendly and welcoming. Hard to tell on this though as they also seemed very nervous about us being there to review the restaurant.

We did wait a long time for our order to arrive and it didn't all arrive together, our breakfasts arrived one at a time over a 10 minute period. My (meagre) scrambled egg was cold. This was disappointing especially as the restaurant was nearly empty on a weekday morning. Not sure how it would be at a busy time.

Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?
No - despite having been for several meals - would be worth including something maybe on the normal menu or even the bill- why not try us for breakfast kind of thing

And lastly, would you go again?
I did enjoy our experience however if I had been paying I would have felt it was a little expensive. I might go again if there was an offer.

Forgot to add - tried out the free wifi - was great faster than I have at home :)

Ours is booked for tomorrow - too many birthday parties last month to go before now! We're really looking forward to it...

We went to the Camberley Branch

Generally - how did you find Bella as a place to visit with the family for breakfast?
Very good - colouring sheets & a pot of crayons were provided as soon as the girls sat down. Also, loos very clean.

How would you rate the food quality?
Very nice - one pancake was hard and they swapped it straight away. The sausages were very good quality & that's often where companies scrimp

How would you rate the selection of food – grown ups and kids - what did you and your DC choose?
DP & I had the Gigantia - lovely & filling. Also, butter with the toast, not "spread" so bonus points for that!
Girl 1: Child's cooked breakfast - disappeared very fast
Girl 2: Pancake face - loved it!

What was the best part about your experience?
Good food

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Yes, very.

Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?
No

And lastly, would you go again?
Yes just wish there was a branch closer to home!

Generally - how did you find Bella as a place to visit with the family for breakfast?
Lovely. The restaurant was clean and tidy and the table had been sat with balloons for the children and little activity bags. It was very quiet though - only us and one other family there.

How would you rate the food quality?
Very good. The items we chose seemed of a good quality.

How would you rate the selection of food grown ups and kids - what did you and your DC choose?
The selection for adults is great but the choice for the children was poor. My two both had meals from the adults menus as even my 2 yo would have needed more than the pancake face.
Between us we had the breakfast pizza, the gigante breakfast, the bacon pancake stack and the fruity pancake stack.

What was the best part about your experience?
The food! It was lovely and it was great to go out for breakfast/bruch together as it's only something we ever rarely do.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
Yes. Our waitress was lovely.

Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?
No.

And lastly, would you go again?
Probably, yes. The restaurant we went to is a bit far for an impromptu visit but if we were out shopping (it was on a retail park) then I'm sure we'd go back.

Thanks for picking us and allowing us to review!

Generally - how did you find Bella as a place to visit with the family for breakfast?

We had a really pleasant visit. Our booking was at 9.30am on a Sunday morning, so it was very quiet with very few people around, perfect for breakfast with a potentially messy and noisy 18 month old DS. Nice family atmosphere - I'd recommend.

How would you rate the food quality?

Overall very good. All fresh, tasty and well cooked and I l thought the portions were a good size. DH thought the portion sizes were a bit on the small side and didn't think his meal was the best value for money because of the portion size.

How would you rate the selection of food – grown/ ups and kids - what did you and your DC choose?

Great selection for adults and I could have picked a few things from the menu, so we were happy with the choices available. I had the Bella Breakfast, DH had the Bacon Pancake Stack and DS had the Happy Face Pancake. Not a great selection on the kids menu – only two options and we felt this could be improved, especially for toddlers! Porridge is available on the adult menu and could be added to the children's menu. We picked the pancake option because it was smaller and we thought DS was more likely to eat it. We liked the concept of the pancake face, but chocolate as part of a kid's breakfast is probably best avoided! We did like the fruits that came with the pancake and DS loved his strawberries but again, the unnecessarily sugary biscotti that was served his meal could be easily omitted and replaced with something savoury.

What was the best part about your experience?

Everything really, we had a lovely relaxed time and didn't feel rushed. Good food, nice atmosphere etc.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?

Very much so. We booked a table and the high chair was already at the table when we were shown to our seats – we thought that was really thoughtful and it really is the little things that make a difference. We were shown where to put the buggy and told where the baby change was – I don't know if this was because they knew we were doing the review but nevertheless, we were impressed! The staff were all very friendly, brought out some crayons and DS was kept occupied colouring in.

Our food arrived within 110-15 minutes which we were happy with. We tipped at the end because it was a lovely experience and we enjoyed ourselves. It felt strange walking out without paying though, thanks Mumsnet :)

Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?

Yes we've had breakfast at Bella a couple of years ago. We haven't been for a while because we're now awake so early (thanks DS) that we've usually already eaten breakfast at home by the time we go into town!
And lastly, would you go again?

We definitely would and will recommend!

Just got back from the Crawley Leisure Park branch - it was our first time at a Bella Italia and I was pleasantly surprised!

Generally - how did you find Bella as a place to visit with the family for breakfast?

Better than I was expecting - the restaurant seems new, and very clean. Only one waiter (seemed to be the manager) on duty when we arrived at 10h30, more staff trickled in as we ate. We sat in a booth which was spotless (normally the floor under the tables in booths is revolting!) When we arrived the restaurant was empty bar one couple having coffees in the bar, but had filled up a bit by the time we'd finished. Most people were ordering off the breakfast menu it seems, and it was great to see all the dishes going past. We weren't offered the children's activity pack mentioned above, but the waiter was very sweet to DD and she seemed happy playing with my phone.

How would you rate the food quality?

Generally good - the portions are HUGE! Everything was hot and seemed fresh on arrival. I had an Americano which was VERY strong - I'm still buzzing now, four hours later - but DD loved her huge hot choc and DP said his latte was excellent. We could have done with a smaller cup for DD though - she was given one of those big glass latte cups filled to the brim, very hot, and she couldn't hold the glass by herself to drink it (she's nearly 6, so not tiny!). A teacup would have been more sensible.

How would you rate the selection of food – grown ups and kids - what did you and your DC choose?

DP had the Gigante breakfast. Holy cow - was it enormous!! He said it was generally OK - the eggs were a bit overcooked, the bacon was a bit undercooked and the sausages had been reheated but he loved the ciabatta toast and the mushrooms.

DD had the cheese omelette from the adult menu (after the reviews above saying how small the kids portions were) and she finished all the omelette (which is a first for her!), didn't really fancy the potatoes or tomato although she tried both.

I had the breakfast pizza which was fantastic!! Definitely the best of the bunch - the base was crunchy, the toppings tasty and the fried egg was still a bit runny... delicious! DP and DD tried some too and we all agreed it was worth coming back for. Yummy...

What was the best part about your experience?

The breakfast pizza! Who would have thought it?

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?

The manager who seated us was very welcoming, and was lovely to DD who came over all shy... he seemed a bit run off his feet until the other staff arrived but the service was generally good. We got the impression that they were giving us extra attention because of the Product Review - every staff member came over to ask how things were, which they weren't doing for any other table! There was an awkward moment when the meal had ended though - our plates were cleared and then we were left alone for about half an hour, and we weren't sure if we should just get up and leave or if we had to sign a bill. Once we eventually caught the manager he said there was nothing else to do so we left. At least he knew all about the zero bill, unlike other reviewers above!
There was one very odd moment when our plates were being cleared... I had not finished my breakfast pizza (it's massive) and the manager said "I don't like that pizza either" - which I was really surprised about... I wouldn't have thought that staff should talk badly about their dishes, but should rather sell them in the best possible light, iyswim? It was odd - particularly since the pizza was divine!

Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?

No I didn't - I've never been into Bella Italia before so hadn't seen any flyers or posters about it.

And lastly, would you go again?

Yes, I think so - particularly since the breakfast pizza was so lovely, and our local one serves breakfast until 2pm on the weekend so it would be a lovely place to have brunch after a Sunday lie-in (haha - I wish!)

It would also be an interesting exercise to see if the service is as good as a "regular" customer, rather than an expected reviewer...

Thanks MN and Bella Italia for the experience - it was a lovely way to spend a very wet Saturday morning!

Just seen the bit above about free refills - we weren't offered any, weren't made aware of them either... which is a pity as we were waiting 30 mins for service after the plates were cleared. Another drink would have been lovely! Ah well...

MissSusan we are going to the Crawley one tomorrow :)

we went to the Oxford Circus branch last saturday.

Generally - how did you find Bella as a place to visit with the family for breakfast?

we really enjoyed it. The branch was relatively empty - pretty good for oxford circus on a saturday.

How would you rate the food quality?

most of the breakfasts were really nice. we had a full range of meals. I had the steak and wasn't that impressed with the meat, but the sausages and bacon that others had were good. children really liked theirs and H had the big breakfast an he really liked it. coffee was ok-ish

How would you rate the selection of food – grown ups and kids - what did you and your DC choose?

I had the steak and eggs (low carbing) it was ok. v bland and unseasoned. my ds really liked the smiley face pancakes. dd2 had the veggie breakfast - they were really helpful and substituted bits for her that she didn't like. dd3 had a grown up pancake meal and she really liked it too. H had the big breakfast which went down well.

I think there was a really good selection of choices for breakfast. I do think that the child portions are teeny. Even my ds (who is 6) had an extra pancake. it was just the right size for my 2 year old, but my other daughters who are 9 and 11 had the grown up meals

What was the best part about your experience?

service was really good (see below). the restaurant had a lot of space and everyone seemed tolerant of us (we're a big, loud family). we were given endless coffee cups and top ups on toast etc too.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?

really good. (although I suspect part of it was because of who we were!). But yes, very welcoming. We made a mistake with an order - dd ordered the bacon pancakes not the fruit ones, and they very kindly swapped. They also allowed dd2 to swap her choices and kept bringing out additional honey, butter, sauce and coffee. they also didn't charge us for H's meal (I hadn't arranged to take him) which was very kind of them.

Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?

No I didn't.

And lastly, would you go again?

I would go again - especially to that branch as its never possible to get seats at oxford circus. BUT, it is too expensive for us to have big breakfasts etc - we would have to stick to croissants and coffee etc. unless they do special deals/promotions getting 2 for 1 etc. I think 8.95 (I think it was around that price) for a full breakfast is quite expensive too.

thanks for choosing us. The dcs had such a lovely time and are really eager to go back (in fact they asked if they could go today too!).

Generally - how did you find Bella as a place to visit with the family for breakfast?

It was practical and pleasant. DD liked the pictures on the walls and the staff were kind. We eat out a lot and are spoilt for choice here in London, and Bella wasn't quite distinctive enough to compete for me. It doesn't seem clear what market Bella is aimed at. Families? Better children's menu needed (at breakfast anyway, the main one looked better). It's not really very Italian either - fair enough at breakfast because it's not a big deal there but piri piri pizza is on the main menu . I noticed lots of cocktails on the drinks menu but it doesn't really have a night out vibe. None of those things are necessarily bad per se but it just made me wonder who it's aimed at.

How would you rate the selection of food – grown ups and kids - what did you and your DC choose?

Selection for grown ups very good, with options for a range of appetites. As others have said, the children's menu is too limited. Why not offer half portions of most of the adult dishes?

DH had a ham and cheese omelette and I had the Bella Breakfast. He had tea which was twinings in a pot (good) and I had cappuccino. No refills were offered.

DD (1.5) had the happy face pancake. I ate her chocolate because we don't really give it to her yet and she proclaimed it 'dirty' when it melted on her! The advertised fudge and wafers were absent but that was a good thing! I reckon most children would be pretty pleased with the pancake and fruit without the sweets so they are unnecessary imo. She had milk instead of juice. Lots of children's menus seem to only offer juice which isn't great for toddlers.

How would you rate the food quality?

It was fine. The bacon was good quality and the fruit on the pancake fresh. The ciabatta was good too. Coffee was nice and rounded but too milky to appreciate properly. The omlette was overcooked though and portions were fairly small e.g. of potatoes, beans and toast, cheap ingredients that could be bulked up to appear more generous for little cost. The sausage was ok but could've been meatier. DD's pancake was too sweet but texture was fine unlike some other reports. My breakfast could've been hotter.

What was the best part about your experience?

Food came fairly quickly and staff were all welcoming. Crayons and colouring in for DD were appreciated. The high chair and indeed the whole place was spotless, which is rare, so full marks for that!

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?

All the staff were kind and helpful, showing us where to put the pushchair and thinking of things for DD when she was (briefly) grumpy. Perhaps I'm expecting too much but I think they could have noticed dropped cutlery and a spilt drink.

Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?

No.

And lastly, would you go again?

Yes, if it was the best option in the area. I wouldn't seek one out though and would choose Carluccio's for preference if looking for something similar.

And I meant to say thank you mumsnet and Bella for the opportunity, we enjoyed our brunch.

how did you find Bella as a place to visit with the family for breakfast?
It was fine. Not far from our house, about a 20/25 minute walk. It was very quiet - until we arrived and Ds2 was in major windup mode!

How would you rate the food quality?
Fantastic. The sausages and bacon were really good quality. Thick and tasty. Well cooked.

How would you rate the selection of food – grown ups and kids - what did you and your DC choose?
There was a massive selection on the adult menu but not a lot for children there was no cooked veggie breakfast on their menu.The adult cooked veggie option sounded lovely but my fussy ish vegetarian ds1 wouldn't eat most of it. That said they could choose from the snack part of the adult menu too.
I had the gigante breakfast and couldn't eat it all! Ds1 had the pancakes off the adult menu and Ds2 had the children's pancake face. This said it came with fudge and chocolate tagliatelle which I didn't. I probably should have asked but he didn't seem bothered. They both had fruit juice and Ds2 shared my latte.

What was the best part about your experience?
Going out for breakfast together, we don't do it often. Ds1 likes the fact he could have something we don't have at home and ds2 liked the latte!

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming? I couldn't fault the service. Our waitress served us when we were there for dinner a few weeks ago. When Ds2 told her she said she remembered us.
Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this? no. It would never have occurred to me that they did!

And lastly, would you go again?
Yes. Definitely.

Thank you so much for choosing us to do this.

We're hoping to go tomorrow but I forgot to book today. Has anyone turned up with no booking? And has anyone had a problem when handing the letter over? It's the kind of thing I'd die of embarrassment with if they were funny about it.

I rang about an hour before we went Seattle and they said there was no need to book anyway.

Fab Ghana you.

Ghana?! Thank you!

Hello!

We visited the Oxford branch yesterday morning and had a lovely time!

Generally - how did you find Bella as a place to visit with the family for breakfast? We found the Oxford branch to be a lovely place to visit with family. It had a lovely, cosy, warm, happy atmosphere and the staff were very welcoming (especially the lovely Helen) who made sure we were happy with our table and food etc

How would you rate the food quality? The food was delicious! It arrived warm and beautifully presented. We had some really scrummy dishes!

How would you rate the selection of food – grown ups and kids - what did you and your DC choose?
We found the children's options quite good. I agree with others that there are only a few to choose from and that this can be disappointing for a few families, but we were quite happy with this as it made choosing easier for my little girl. She knew she could either have sausages, which she loves, or try something new-the smiley face pancake. My daughter chose the pancake and, although she hasn't had pancakes before, she enjoyed trying them! It was such a nice treat; lovely that they were topped with fresh fruit as well as a little bit of chocolate and some very sticky syrup, the perfect breakfast!!

We found the adults selection very good, there were some really nice choices. I chose the pancake stack which was DIVINE!!! Again these were a really nice treat, the chopped strawberries and bananas between the layers made it all the more enjoyable. I have to say that these are VERY filling though. My other half had to finish the third pancake for me!

My other half chose the steak as, although there are lots of options to choose from in the adults menu, the majority include pork sausages or ham, which my other half is allergic to. So we think it may be nice if beef or vegetarian sausages were available. Other than that, we really enjoyed our breakfast!

What was the best part about your experience?
We have to choose one thing??!!! We loved the atmosphere, the friendly, welcoming nature of the staff and the delicious food.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
As above, the staff were so very friendly. From the moment you walk in, to the moment you leave there is always someone to help. When we first arrived one member of staff stopped what she was doing to show us to our table. When Helen took over, she was always on hand and ensured we were happy. We had smaller cutlery and a beaker with a straw provided for our daughter. We didn't feel rushed and really enjoyed our visit. I think our daughter took a shine to Helen, giving her a very big squeezy hug before we left!!

Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?
Unfortunately we didn't, but I'm really grateful we've had the opportunity to try it for ourselves and are really excited to visit again soon.

And lastly, would you go again?
Absolutely!!! We had a lovely time, some very delicious food and we can't wait to go back. We have been invited to try out Bella Italia's new menu which they are trialling over the next few weeks. So we are super excited to visit again for lunch, especially our little girl who was a little sleepy for breakfast this morning (I'm sure she'll be ready and raring for lunch when we next visit!)

Sorry, I seemed to have chopped off half of my essay! I just wanted to say a big thank you to Mumsnet for choosing us. We haven't been to Bella Italia for 6 years (DP and my first date!) and it's our 3 year engagement anniversary on the 11th, so we treated our visit as a bit of an early celebration. It was lovely for all of us and we're so grateful we've had the opportunity to go back and have decided we should go much more often! Thank you!x

Generally - how did you find Bella as a place to visit with your family?

Great, lovely airy venue, bright, clean and friendly staff.

What was the best part about your experience?

The staff were great, really welcoming and friendly as well as helpful, thanks especially to Keith who looked like the manager as he was very attentive (even before the letter was produced!) the food was lovely and the balloons for the kids were a nice bonus.

I had the giganre breakfast on Keith's recommendation, as he said 'since it's free you might as we'll get the biggest item on the menu!' DH had the pizza which he is still full from now and DD had the bacon pancake stack whilst DS had a sausage and bacon ciabatta. All absolutely delicious and very filling.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?
As above service couldn't be faulted.

Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?

No but it's somewhere we'd definitely go back to.

And lastly, would you go again?
As above yes but the children's menu could do with increasing the range.

Thanks so much for this. Had a lovely family morning.

I've still to go use my voucher will be next sat when were finally all not busy!

Thank you MN, for choosing us and letting us have a lovely treat!

Generally - how did you find Bella as a place to visit with the family for breakfast?

Bella Italia is my daughter's favourite restaurant, so we have been there quite a bit for lunch and dinner. However, we've never been for breakfast. It felt a little odd being there in the morning, as the place has a very evening feel - all brown decor and subdued lighting. We were also the only people there the whole time. It would be excellent if I ever got to have hangovers these days! Still, it did feel like a real treat on a Sunday morning.

How would you rate the food quality?

It was good - not fantastic, but good and reliable.

How would you rate the selection of food – grown ups and kids - what did you and your DC choose?

The selection of food was much better for adults than for kids. My daughter was very excited at the thought of pancakes for breakfast. As she's 9, she's a bit on the borderline for kids or adult meals. She opted for the adult fruit stacked pancakes. We hadn't read this thread before we went and when I told her she'd have just had one pancake with the kids version, she was horrified. She thought the banana wasn't quite ripe enough (I thought it was) and the strawberries were a bit odd (true), but she loved the pancakes and the pot of syrup.

I had the omelette with cheese and spinach, which was pretty good, if a tiny bit dry. The fried potatoes with it were great. Lovely coffee, but no one offered me a refill, which was a shame, as I would have bitten their hand off.

We're both vegetarians, so it was good to have a few clear options amongst the bacon and sausage frenzy.

What was the best part about your experience?

It felt pleasingly decadent to go out for breakfast.

How about service: was it friendly and welcoming?

Yes, they're always good. Daughter had an activity pack, which she really enjoyed. The food took rather a long time given we were the only people there, but perhaps we were the first customers!

Did you know Bella did breakfast prior to this?

No, I didn't.

And lastly, would you go again?

Definitely. I wouldn't go out for breakfast often, as it was would have been quite expensive if we'd been paying for it. It was a lovely start to the day, though, so I'd do it again if we were going to have a nice day out.

Thanks again, MN!