Lunch Review: Mojo Coffee House

For this month’s lunch review, SBT’s Jess Saunders takes a trip to Brighton town to enjoy lunch at Mojo Coffee House

Located on Queens Road, with a twin shop on Lewes Road, Mojo Coffee House is the ideal place for a relaxing and comfortable lunch, right in the heart of the hustle and bustle of Brighton, making it the perfect pit stop for commuters and students alike.
Before even walking in, my mum and I were enthusiastically greeted by two out of the three polite and friendly staff working that day, who made a point of introducing themselves and the coffee shop they seem very proud to be working in. When walking in my initial thoughts were of how small the shop was, building up concerns of an unrelaxing lunch if it were to fill up with people. However, when walking past the counter – which hosted a plentiful fresh cake display – I came across another, almost hidden part to the building, offering the customers – who may not want to endure the street commotion – a large amount of peace and privacy.

One thing that impressed me the most was the interior design. The front of the building featured lovely round wooden tables, all situated near the huge front window, allowing customers to watch the world go by while eating their lunch. With the counter directly in front of the door, visitors will also get a warm-hearted welcome from the sociable staff, just as I did – bound to put a smile on anyone’s face. The white walls meant the shop was bright and cheerful and were nicely contrasted with several arty photographs on one side, while the enormous menu board took up the other wall, chock-a-block with the never-ending list of meals and drinks available to us. As I continued round the shop I came across a beautiful stone fireplace, perfect for cosy winter nights. My favourite attribute to Mojo Coffee House though, was by far the lighting, which had been uniquely created by the manager’s husband, who put jars over the bulbs – something I had never come across before in any coffee house or restaurant, for that matter. Although a table had already been reserved for us, we were told by the manager to sit anywhere we wanted as she gave us a menu each, proving that the happiness of their customers is their main priority.

We followed the stairs up to the second part of the building, where we decided to sit for the duration of our lunch, and were accompanied by a variety of music to suit every mood. This half of the shop was almost the opposite of the first half, which I think made the interior all the better.

Three low tables were placed along the left-hand side, each with a number of luxury leather armchairs – which we picked straight away! The walls were made half of vertical wooden beams while the top half consisted purely of mirrors, providing a lovely combination of modern and rustic designs.The overall area, along with the small bookshelf and flowers on each table, gave off a cosy cottage or living room vibe, making us feel very at home during our visit.

The staff, who provided us with pleasant service, came up to our table to take our drinks order, along with politely giving us the choice of ordering our food straight away, or enjoying a drink beforehand. We decided to wait for before ordering our food, so I opted for the Happy Days Mojo – a smoothie consisting of banana, forest fruit, yoghurt and honey, while my mum chose the iced late with hazelnut syrup.

Almost moments after ordering our drinks, they arrived at our table in old-fashioned jugs with a straw, and served with a smile. I was again, given the option of ordering food or waiting, so we decided to wait as the anticipation of trying my colourful smoothie was eating away at me. Even if we had waited an hour for our drinks, it would have been worth it, as they were beautiful and refreshing; perfect for this hot weather.

Now content and quenched, we went up to the counter to order our food. I opted for the chorizo, chicken, mozzarella and tomato Panini, while my mum went for the goat’s cheese, red pepper, tomato and pesto Panini. After waiting no more than 10 minutes, our food was served to us, each meal accompanied by a mixed lettuce salad and garnish, along with the offer of a glass of iced water.

Both Panini’s were full to the brim with the different ingredients, but full to the perfect level, so we could taste all the wonderful individual flavours. During our meal, which we both thoroughly enjoyed, the attentive staff came to our table at least twice to ensure that everything was okay and ask if there was anything else we needed.

After inhaling our food and almost unable to take another bite, one of the managers came to clear our plates almost immediately, and asked us if we would like to have a taster of their brand new signature dessert dish, which we couldn’t turn down. He came back with, what they had named, an Affogato – chocolate fudge brownie and ice cream in an espresso, which sounded strange to me at first as a non-coffee drinker, yet I was delightfully surprised. The vanilla flavoured ice cream was the perfect supplement for the sharp taste of coffee, while the chocolate fudge brownie was beautifully light – the perfect dessert after a meal.

Overall, the divine food along with the impeccable service and funky interior made for a perfect lunch, and I left with only one minor complaint – the lack of ventilation down the back end of the shop. Aside from this, my visit to Mojo Coffee House made for a wonderful and unique experience, the perfect place for a lunchtime bite.

 

Mojo Coffee House, 23 Queens Road, Brighton

01273 779320      sales@mojocoffeeclub.co.uk

www.mojocoffeeclub.co.uk