Sunday 18 September 2016

Ilsham's Vintage Cafe Bar - a fab find in Wellswood, Torquay

Ilsham's Vintage Cafe Bar 
We've had a lovely weekend entertaining visitors! Dave's daughters came down from Bristol and London and tomorrow I will blog about our steam train and paddle steamer excursion to Dartmouth, but today I want to talk about a quaint and pretty cafe we discovered near to our home. It's on the Ilsham Road through Wellswood in Torquay and is, appropriately enough, called Ilsham's Vintage Cafe Bar. They don't actually sell alcohol although we learned today that it is ok to bring your own, but do a great brunch as well as full meals, light lunches and snacks, and a traditional Devon cream tea.

Today was the second Sunday running we have visited and I am developing quite a taste for their excellent vegetarian breakfast - fried eggs, veggie sausages, plum tomato, mushrooms, baked beans, hash browns and two rounds of toast with butter and marmalade. It's easily enough for breakfast and lunch in one meal and very reasonably priced! Everything is freshly cooked to order - no bunging it in the microwave here - so there is a little wait, but the food is well worth it and even impressed our Bristol foodie - a feat indeed! One other customer today had the Sunday roast dinner which also looked delicious and we might well be visiting again sometime soon to try it for ourselves!

What makes Ilsham's special for me though is the attentive service and the fabulous vintage decor. Nothing matches! All the chairs are different to each other, as is the china and I love that teas and coffees are served in good quality floral china cups and teapots. There are proper linen napkins too and fabric tablecloths too. Menus are written up on the glass of antique mirrors with specials advertised on chalk boards outside. A mad array of artwork on the walls caught our attention as we waited for our meals and the extra teacups hanging from the ceiling and chandeliers are a great touch. I wonder who used to wear this dress?


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