Northern Soul
| Where | 843 High Street, Thornbury, 3071—View map |
Contact | 03 9480 2333 |
Website | www.northernsoulcafe.com |
Open | Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 4:00 pm, Saturday and Sunday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm |
Payment | Cash |
Diet | Check with venue |
Seating | Inside and outside |
Kids | Welcome |
Pets | Welcome |
It's far from grim up north
Rowena Robertson 21 August 2009
There's no talcum powder on the floor and there's a distinct lack of speeding mods dancing to rare 45s (at least, that was the case when we went there), but Northern Soul is redolent of another crucial cornerstone of British culture – namely, the famous British greasy spoon. When I was living in the UK I passed many an hour in this most comforting of environments, and I can safely tell you that Northern Soul, with its fake timber panelling, fern-frond wallpaper and big old utilitarian clock, has the greasy spoon décor down pat.It's even run by a Real English Person.
Now, I must assert that I'm a big fan of the fat-laden fry-up, the standard meal served at the British greasy spoon, but it will probably come as a relief to those with more sophisticated palates that the food – and most importantly the coffee – at Northern Soul bears little resemblance to the type of fare one might encounter at Eileen's Caff in Salford. (I don't know if there actually is an Eileen's Caff in Salford, but you get my drift).
I said little resemblance – you can get fried potato in the form of a potato cake, but in this case it's topped with spinach,smoked salmon, poached egg, mustard and dill sauce. And, of course, you can also get bacon. But I doubt Eileen's would serve such a treat as spicy corncakes with tomato relish and sour cream (which my friend ordered, and adored) or pancakes with blueberries and marscapone (my choice). The pancakes come in almost pikelet-esque form, and the blueberries have been added to the pancake mixture (as in they're not served on the side). Even so, the dish remains light and highly digestible.
Other menu highlights include the fruit tabouleh with house made labne, honey and roasted pistachio nuts, and the housemade toasted muesli with rhubarb compote, poached pears and yoghurt. The coffee is faultless, and tea-lovers can try one of the organic shade dried teas blended by local naturopath Lea Morgan.
I think the only way Northern Soul could be improved would be to incorporate more northern references into the names of the dishes. For example, the porridge with honey could be called 'A Taste of Honey'. Or there could be a signature vegetarian breakfast called 'Meat is Murder'.
Yeah, I know, I'll be going now. Tarrah!