Jack's is a good response to the lazy cliche of cafes in decline. It's a successful, energetic business serving big old fry-ups to regular folk. They've upgraded fixtures and fitting, they've acknowledged the presence of modern tastes, they've got their own website, but they still do a quality ebcb.
Those chips look like they're swarming, a school of chips swimming around the bacon reef. I guess that would make the beans the sea or something. And the eggs would be the er, I don't know. The analogy collapses at that point. Suffice to say - delicious, the melty bits are properly melty, the crunchy bits deliver hefty crunch. Very good.
It's a clean, well-lighted place. (Is that almost a quote?) I'm as enthused as anyone by the down-at-heel, just-about-to-die vibe of some classic cafes but I also really like the bustle and life of a good, new cafe. There's nothing as human and social as a great little cafe, full of people and food and tea and shouting. Not that there's many people in this picture, it was very early. But you know what I mean.
I like that it's balanced somewhere between an American diner feel and a classic British one.
Good big mug. Lovely.
I think maybe the phrase you're looking for is "well-lit"?
I walk past Jack's every day on the way to work and have yet to visit it, but my friend says it's great for a hungover ebcb. I have always been a bit put off by the sign that says "Since 1902" whereas I know for a fact it opened about 6 months ago.
Posted by: Chris | September 18, 2007 at 03:01 PM
Hello Russell... I just wanted to mention that I rely on EBCB for a regular dose of normal civilization, stuck as I am in the middle of Wisconsin. Reading about a lovely fry-up is so comforting, like a cup of hot tea, a perfect antidote to the beer-and-bratwurst culture of the upper midwest. If you might manage to post a bit more often, that would be fantastic. But in any case, thanks for the blog and the reminder that there is life beyond the Great Frozen Cheeseland.
Posted by: Rebecca Fischler | September 18, 2007 at 03:53 PM
I know well-lit is more 'correct' but I think I was thinking of this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Clean,_Well-Lighted_Place
Posted by: russell | September 18, 2007 at 03:56 PM
I guess the other (original) Jack's may have been around since 1902 - or I rather like the notion of the idea of Jack's being around since then, instantiating itself in various neighbourhoods for decades at a time.
I love the aggressively friendly service here, and there's a top class range of breakfasts, starting from the linear structure of the Single, Double and Triple (I've never seen anyone attempt, let alone finish, the Triple). Lack of bubble and black pudding are the only downsides.
The only nearby competition I've found at Jack's standard is the Savoy Cafe on Wandsworth Road.
Posted by: Chris | October 02, 2007 at 06:54 AM