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We are making progress on our breakfast hunt, GFFs (gluten-free friends)!
A little bird recently told me that Jersey Pearl’s vegetarian breakfast was gluten-free so, on a sunny weekend (sadly awfully rare this summer), I ventured out west to see if it would pass the Harry Smiles’ taste test.
Well… the verdict is in, and it is a yes.
One of my main gripes with so-called gluten-free breakfasts, as you will know if you’ve been following my hangry ramblings, is that most places simply remove the offending ingredient without providing an alternative, which leaves you with eggs, bacon, beans, mushrooms and a tomato... Yes, some places do not even offer gluten-free toast!
Jersey Pearl definitely packs more of a punch with spinach, halloumi and polenta cakes on top of the aforementioned, and gluten-free toast, bien sûr. And if you like your bacon at breakfast, fear not! You can add it as an extra!)
I have to say it was with a healthy hint of scepticism that I approached the polenta cakes, with a previous encounter having left me somewhat underwhelmed. However, I was pleasantly surprised - they were tasty, and their texture was close to that of a hashbrown, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Pictured: A hashbrown in GF disguise.
They also dunked perfectly in the egg yolk or in the bean sauce, which is what hashbrowns were made for, so received my full seal of approval.
The halloumi was a nice addition to the breakfast plate, and so was the spinach. Although I had personally never thought of those associations, despite my undying love for cheese, the flavour and textures all worked well together.
Pictured: Well, hallou there…
The halloumi was also perfectly cooked and, trust me, it takes serious skill not to transform it into a piece of rubbery cheesiness, so thumbs up to the chef! (Well, only one thumb up because only one of my two eggs was suitably poached, the other one was closer to hard-boiled!)
Having sampled all the ingredients on the plate, I was feeling quite full, so much so that I decided not to order the scrumptious-looking tart or the carrot cake that I had spotted at the counter on my way in… but I will come back for it another day.
With a gorgeous view over St. Ouen’s Bay and the most courteous of waiters, my first Jersey Pearl visit (yes, I know) was happily free of gluten but not flavour.
Pictured: Breakfast with a view.
If you are looking for something closer to the ‘full English breakfast’ experience, I highly recommend it. One warning, though - at £12 it is probably in the higher range of breakfasts.
I have yet to find somewhere to get a pancake or waffle fix without gluten so please, keep sliding in my DMs with your recommendations, I am always happy to try new things… for research purposes, naturally.
