Grace and I have visited Bill's five times over the summer and it's fair to say that it has become a bit of a favourite.
Originally opening in Lewes and then moving on to Brighton, the Covent Garden branch is the fourth outlet of the laid back, chilled out, grocery store/restaurant and the only hope it that it can keep the spirit and quality of the first two branches as it expands.
The first four occasions we went to Bill's was for brunch - the meal on which it has developed it's reputation.
Vegetarian Breakfast
Grace loves the vegetarian breakfast. It's an eclectic mix of tomatoes, poached egg, mushrooms, sweet chilli sauce, guacamole and hummus. It sounds disgusting, but everyone I know who has tried it, absolutely loves it and adores the combination of flavours.
The couple of times I've been, I've had the scrambled eggs and bacon. In Brighton it was fab - fresh, buttery, perfectly cooked scrambled eggs and good quality crispy bacon. However, on my visit to the Covent Garden branch, the scrambled eggs weren't nearly as good and were badly overcooked and omlette like.
I suspect that they were cooked in a batch and left to sit on the hotplate, rather than being made fresh as in Brighton. Hopefully this is the sort of slip Bill's can avoid as it grows, as it will soon damage it's reputation if it doesn't maintain the quality of the Lewes and Brighton branches. Given everything I've had there has been enjoyable, then I'll hope it was a one off.
Chorizo and roasted peppers
On our post noon visit, I really enjoyed the spicy chorizo in a brioche bun with soft, moreish peppers and a cooling yoghurt. Chips were adequate, but the burger was something I'd definitely have again.
Strawberry meringue
Bill's also has a good line up of desserts and a wide selection of cakes. My two favourites have been the summery meringue with strawberries, which had the right balance of crispness and chewiness and the rich, slightly decadent, gooey chocolate brownie with chocolate sauce, a flake and vanilla icecream. Simple, but addictive and great for a chocoholic like me!
Chocolate Brownie
Overall, I'm a big fan of Bill's and it's good to have a reasonable, quick and affordable eating place close to Covent Garden. I'll forgive them once for the dodgy scrambled eggs, given the friendly waiting staff (makes a difference from some of the surly service I've experienced nearby) and the overall vibe of the place.
