TL;DR: Not really anything that is to write home about beyond making the standard fare to a high degree of quality, what Mickle Pickle could have going for it is a homely and relaxed place, but the atmosphere made it all feel off. For the whole experience to work, what is tantamount is for the waitstaff to show some kind of care or energy - that wasn't here, and if it weren't for the food coming out quickly, this might well be a write off.

It was one last day before the new year was to begin, that day having to be a Sunday. Being an early riser these days, it is rare to wake up after the alarm goes off - and Sunday is the day with the latest one that has been set (a leisurely 7 in the morning). Still though, the house mate is one that has a bit of a different sleep pattern; most of the time he is already wide awake during the wee hours of daylight which gives him the advantage of waking the other up rudely. With quite a bit of time before the bells were to go off, it was up and getting dressed to head out to a surprise location, one rare place that happened to be open - and while the food from here managed to hit the spot, most of the rest did not seem to come together coherently.

A couple of aspects about here, key ones at that, made the whole experience far less memorable and recommendable. Those had to be the general aesthetics and look of the place, though there were some nice touches here and there, and what really managed to drag the whole thing down - affecting the vibe of the cafe - was definitely the service. Worse in many respects than it being bad, the whole air of Mickle Pickle just seemed to say apathy. What could be said about the pinnacle is that at least it was fairly quick and efficient between ordering and bringing out the food.

It was not like they were short staffed either; there were possibly more people helping out in the kitchen than there were clients at the time. Small aspects matter quite a bit, with an example being them coming out and asking how the meal is - which didn't happen here. Most of them seemed to be preoccupied with other tasks, not making an engagement with the clients, possibly even leading to the idea if they were even in a cafe, that is without the quick service of the food in front.

The other issue here had to do with the decor. Granted, I understand the aesthetic that they are going for with the slightly grungy and rustic look; that is not an excuse for it to be dusty and dirty, since it needed a bit of a touch up and some care. Even the water jugs were a little on the rusty side. This is a pity, since the whole look and ergonomics of the place is one that I will give an appreciation to, providing reading material to clients, and some less conventional seating which is pretty comfortable. And outside had everything that should work as well, right on display to the world to be seen. If this is to be the place, a bit of grunge can be earnest in honesty, but tender loving care goes a long way.

Now after those complaints, we can get to something that actually worked well here. One of the biggest saving graces about this cafe has to be the choice of coffee that they have made. These beans that they have selected are courtesy of Genovese - which is often one of the most consistently good choices of brew. It is pretty accessible to newcomers to coffee, however it still manages to get a little bit of a buzz that while wake you up. The doppio in which I ordered had all that was needed for a good cup - the extraction, the drinking temperature, and the textural body each worked well.

As well as a nice and satisfying cup of coffee, the breakfast that I had also managed to do the trick. It was a fairly basic menu as it was said, and it did take a bit of decision about what to have, it was ultimately a classic that was fallen back on. One that was upgrade a fair bit - egg's Benedict, how can that ever go wrong? Called the Super Benedict on the menu, it topped off the usual sourdough toast, two poached eggs - which as per usual, I requested the yolks being soft - some spinach, and a pretty generous lot of hollonadaise sauce. It would be good there already, yet there were three additions to it - a great combination of bacon, avocado and mushrooms - a pretty hard deal to turn down if I do say so myself.

This was a good and filling breakfast, where everything was done right as it should. Three bits of toast were hidden under what was a big pile of everything else, and the first thing to start off with is the generous amount of hollandaise sauce. The spinach was freshly cooked and well sauteed, the eggs plump and juicy having the yolk spill out like oil, the bacon was nice and very crispy without having it requested, and the mushrooms and avocado both provided mild and creamy contrasts to the rest of the meal. Maybe a tweak could have been thicker, more substantial toast, however aside from that, the Benedict pretty much ticked all the right boxes.

More or less with the food that is offered, just expect the usual kind of cafe fare that is expected these days. That is the melding between the all-day breakfast and brunch, then the usual suspects pop their heads up at lunch with burgers, sandwiches, and salads - and not to mention all during the operational hours, the cabinet is filled with sweets and other items not on the menu. And as we are on the sweets, to go with them they have coffee and tea - aforementioned is the choice of beans they use - as well as milkshakes and the like.

Basically, from the start this might have been solid at best, mostly since it is there to please an audience. That in itself is not inherently a bad thing, however if it is going to be that local that people are talking about going to, quite a bit of the operational dysfunction needs to be fixed stat.

What we have here is somewhere that is a bit on the standard side in many respects, so it does not have too much to make it stand out. That in of itself will never be a direct knock against the restaurant being reviewed, since they can manage to do all the necessary and technical aspects competently. With it all being said and done, the atmosphere and vibe of the place must definitely be present if there is going to be any legs to stand on; the primary factor that assists in bringing that to life is the service - which was practically not existent here. This is all of a pity, since the food itself - even if it was the usual stock standard selection - managed to be good quality, plus filling and tasty, satiating well until the afternoon. If it is only the food that does the trick, I guess this might be for you, yet if the holistic experience is something that is valued, maybe try going further down the road.

Just had lunch here, was very quiet for lunchtime midweek. The shop has plenty of seating and a trendy 'hipster' vibe. We were served immediately and the food was quite nice when it came out. My partner ordered a coffee and he said it was pretty good. The pricing was fair for a local business. The staff were friendly and I think I will be back.