Please note we will be closed from 1st – 5th January for our annual break. We reopen for business as usual on Friday 6th January. We wish all our customers a very Happy New Year

Geoff Robb plays classic spanish guitar from 8pm. Bookings recommended

So Magazine Black Dog Review

Mrs Anke’s recent review of breakfast in TW hit the nail on the head about our love and care for food, particularly how we treat eggs. Eggs are a perfect nutritional package, a true privilege that deserves a little effort & respect. Here are our simple egg tips to make sure your breakfast tastes as good as The Black Dog’s:

1. Obvious, but you would be surprised how many claim to use free range eggs but don’t. We have strict principles on this. Happy hens make tasty, fresh eggs.
2. All eggs that are to be eaten hot should be served as soon as they are ready.
3. Don’t be afraid to poach the classic way – it’s so simple and results in a much more appetising egg than the anaemic ones which come out of a poaching pod. Use a deep pan of simmering water (aim for 2-3 litres) and add 3 tablespoons of white wine vinegar to every litre of water – the vinegar coagulates the egg white turning it into a perfectly poached egg. 2-3 mins and you’re done.
4. Salt is the raw egg’s enemy; it breaks down the white and makes it sloppy. When scrambling, add salt and pepper to the butter in the pan rather than to the eggs.
5. Overcooked scrambled eggs become watery because the protein has been destroyed so that it can no longer hold the water. This makes the toast soggy and the eggs taste slightly tinny, rather than rich and creamy.  Cook your scrambled in melted butter over a low heat, stirring gently in one direction. When it looks like thick, lumpy custard (yum!) remove from the heat and stir a little more.

When customers come in, particularly on a Monday morning or after a late night, and they are desperate for the caffeine hit to kick start their day some will ask for a large coffee. Sometimes there is an assumption that this means a stronger coffee but this is not necessarily correct.  On our takeaway service we offer regular (8oz.) or large (12 oz), however we offer a double shot standard. This means when someone comes in desperate for a caffeine hit and they ask for a large cappuccino for example really they are getting more milk not more coffee. So if you want a hit to maximum effect and flavour and you’re not keen on espresso, you are better off with the regular size rather than diluting the large cup with milk or water (of course if the priority is a longer lasting drink then 12 oz. makes sense). Some customers have decided that our large size takeaway cup (12 oz.) is not big enough for them and will resort back to the chains for those huge buckets of milk. However unless there is a minimum of 3 shots of coffee in the larger American style takeaway cups there will be very little flavour of coffee at all. I wonder if this is why people sometimes find the  Monmouth Espresso blend with a double shot too strong, because they have not been drinking coffee at all, rather milk or hot water.

At the Black Dog we love our music! Our Top 10 Cafe’ tunes are below. Let us know your favourite cafe tune, it may well play while your here!

1. Let it be me – Ray LaMontagne

2. Sitting, waiting, wishing – Jack Johnson

3. The heart of life – John Mayer

4. Harlem – Bill Withers

5. If I fell – The Beatles

6. So beautiful – Pete Murray

7. La Vie En Rose – Edith Piaf

8. Message to my girl – Split Enz

9. Every time we say goodbye – Ella Fitzgerald

10. Songbird – Bernard Fanning

People keep asking us what a Flat White is;

Originating from New Zealand, a Flat White (or Flattie)  is a coffee served with a strong shot of espresso in a small cup with textured milk.

Smooth, velvety & delicious.

If you find lattes and cappucinos a touch too milky then this is the coffee for you.

We now offer an order service on Monmouth’s exceptional coffee. 

Order whole beans or ground.

Come in to check out the blends on offer and price list.