Mustard Kitchen

Overview

Everyone loves a good comeback. What used to be a rather run-down lunch bar in the oft-overlooked suburb of Morningside is now the pretty, perky Mustard Kitchen, all brand new except for the rusted 'FOOD' sign gracing its exterior.

If Mustard's bread and butter is the working week lunch crowd, owner Maddy has succeeded in creating the perfect space for them to kick back, forget about their crappy jobs and spend less than half an hour's pay on a decent meal. The staff wear denim overalls, the colour palette's very 1970s, the music's upbeat, the coffee's Kokako and there are cute little swappa crates to perch on outside. What's not to like?

The menu is simple yet varied, with a selection of housemade pies, soups, sandwiches, pastries and inventive salads. The fruit and veg are organic, the meat and coffee beans are fairtrade and everything, where possible, is locally sourced. Mustard's vegan-friendly too and even caters to those on the Paleo train - my friend's 'Paleo pudding' (the lovely girl serving us assured her it was totally fine to eat for breakfast), with apples, coconut oil, cinnamon, vanilla pod seeds, berries and caramelised banana, was incredibly good.

I was desperate to taste their much-touted beef steak and ale pie, but settled for the bacon, mushroom and egg as I thought it was more 10:30am-appropriate. It was perfect: a breakfast of champs wrapped in crunchy gold pastry. Mustard sell these babies frozen too, so if I lived in the area I'd probably never cook another dinner again.

We were over the moon over our coffees and dessert, a chocolate ganache doughnut from the cabinet I'd had my eye on since coming in. The melting moments and peach cobbler will have to be for next time.

The Mustard Kitchen's just a short drive from the Kingsland shops and started opening its doors on Saturdays only a month ago, so get a group of friends together on a hangover-filled morning and check it out. A rare triple threat (good food, good value and a great atmosphere), this little lunch bar really cuts the mustard (heh).