Bear Coffee Derby Brunch Event
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On Monday 27th November 2017 Bear Coffee held a special preview event for their new Derby shop where specially invited guests including bloggers were given the opportunity to sample some brunch items from this new establishment. The aim of the event was to allow the shop a trail run of a busy daytime service in preparation for opening to the general public (which has since taken place).
Bear’s new Derby shop is located in a former bank branch on Irongate, which had been stood empty for a few years before Bear came along.
Venue atmosphere
Upon setting foot in the venue I immediately noticed that the feel of this particular coffee shop is rather different to those of the more established coffee shop chains. Indeed this new venue has more of a bar/restaurant feel to it, and there is a good reason for this as Bear is more than just a coffee shop because as well as standard coffee shop items they also sell various hot foods including brunch and pizzas, beers, wines and cocktails.
Anyway the atmosphere on the day of the brunch event was buzzing with several invited punters clearly enjoying themselves whilst tucking in to their chosen brunches and drinks.
So what to eat then?
There were several brunch options available that it was not easy deciding what to go for, but in the end I chose to play it safe (I’m a bit of a fussy eater sadly) and opted for the bacon brioche roll along with sourdough toast. The bacon roll was cooked beautifully and very tasty, and the toast was nice and crispy – definitely some of the best toast I’ve eaten in a long time.
The wait for food to arrive did seem a little long but was a very busy event and so was to be expected, plus this was a trial event to test things out for full opening so I have no complaints here. Overall the food I chose was great, but on reflection I now wish I’d been more adventurous and opted for something a bit different – the maple syrup pancakes with streaky bacon would have been considered, maybe next time.
As for drinks
Well being a coffee shop you would expect me to have a coffee here, but I’m more of a tea drinker and so opted for the breakfast tea. No bog-standard teabag drinks here but instead you get loose tea leaves in hot water in a filter pot. The tea was quite a delight to drink, so much so that I had to have a second pot.
If, however, I wasn’t having to drive later in the day I would certainly have tried out the beers – again though that will have to wait until next time.
My overall verdict
It is always great to see new independent business set up shop in vacant units, and Bear Coffee Company’s new Derby shop is no exception. Overall I was hugely impressed with the venue, atmosphere and service, and I will certainly look forward to making another visit to Bear Coffee in the future (preferably an evening visit to try out the pizzas and beers).
Address – 7 Iron Gate, Derby DE1 3FJ
Website – https://bearcoffeecompany.com/derby/
Disclaimer – The food items were provided free of charge for this event, however all views in this review are 100% my own and not influenced by any incentives provided.
