Don’t get me wrong, I love my college. I’d proudly defend it against most criticisms. But it does have one major flaw: the absence of Sunday Brunch. So, to overcome this tragedy, and in the hope of appeasing my hangover with some much needed sugar, I headed out last week to the Green Routes Café in Cowley.
Walking down Magdalen Road, we pass two well-cared-for gastropubs, three Scandi-style cafés and one Tibetan restaurant. Green Routes, with its wooden benches, whitewashed walls, and enough plants for a small greenhouse doesn’t look in the least bit out of place. Â
The other patrons seem, and I don’t know how else to put this, like they have their lives together. Joggers, dog walkers, well-dressed hipsters and mums with strollers. They probably look after their microbiome, have an active Strava presence, and earn a stable income.
Green Routes is the kind of place that cares a lot about coffee. Their speciality roasts come with a backstory longer than most Hollywood characters. Their latte art could be framed. I’m probably not qualified to talk about it (my point of comparison here is freeze-dried instant coffee), but I’ve got to admit they know their stuff.
Their sustainable ethos carries over to the menu, which is mostly plant based and, given the sheer volume of adjectives in it, is halfway to a food review itself. My dining companion (confusingly also called Nancy) orders the ‘Bagel Baby’. I’m slightly sceptical about it, as it has seven fillings, including a hash brown and smoked chilli jam. My suspicions, however, are entirely misplaced: once you’ve actually managed to fit it into your mouth, the flavours complement each other surprisingly well. It’s a little on the oily side, but it comes pretty close to the Platonic ideal of a hangover cure. Especially because the plate is also heaped with a generous helping of Tater Tots, which the other Nancy describes as hash browns with extra surface area. She’s pretty bang on – steaming hot and glistening with oil, these are a far cry from the humble jacket potato. I don’t see any possible room for improvement. Except that the table next us has ordered the Marmite Tots. We catch a whiff as the waiter carries them past, and the scent alone is enough to make me genuinely start salivating.
If good old oily food is one answer to a hangover, then I’ve gone for the other – sugar. But even I am not prepared for the miracle that is the spiced apple pancakes. Draped in maple syrup and a heavenly apple compote, the pancakes themselves are pillowy without being too dry. Dolloped on top is a ‘whipped brown sugar cream cheese’, which I’m hoping they will start selling by the kilo. And then, as if it couldn’t get any better, there is the almond brittle, salty and sugary and crunchy and utterly addictive.
At times Green Routes might feel a little like a parody of itself and its concept isn’t exactly groundbreaking, but, with the end of Hilary on the horizon, it might just be the perfect place for a sunny Sunday morning.
