Jones at Mandarin Gallery is one of the few places that i would make a trip to just to drink their coffee. I think about their coffee during the week, wishing it were local and i could pop in there every day just for a cup. Like i said, i’m more than likely to drink coffee anywhere so long as the setting was attractive. But the first Jones coffee i had was perfect to me. I always get the regular size because the larger size doesn’t seem to be as strong or perfect. And hey, i might as well have 2 perfect cups of coffee while i’m there, right?
When i do go to Jones, i usually am there for breakfast which they do really well. Creamy scrambled egg, perfect toast, with two slabs of butter which is a bit too much but very nice of them to give. Their banana cake is really yummy so if i’ve already had breakfast, i’ll usually get a coffee and their banana cake. While i’m there something beautiful usually comes out of the oven and you can smell it wafting through the shop, tempting me with whatever it is. I also like to sit and watch the bread bake. Getting all puffy and golden before they pull it out and i just want to go home with the whole batch of freshly baked sourdough or whatever loaf they have made. They do breakfast til noon on weekdays, longer on the weekends.
This day, though, we were there for lunch. I ordered the wagyu beef pie which was nice but maybe a tad too sweet for my liking. The pastry was lovely and crumbly. Dunno if i would get it again but it sure was satisfying. I thought the salad in the cone shaped bowl was awkward to eat cause it kept tilting while i was trying to spear the leaves, but it’s all in the presentation and the slab looked lovely so i got over the bowl thing quickly.
I love the service at Jones, everyone seems to know their stuff. Over Christmas, i had them put together some cheese and bread for me and their suggestions for pairings was so helpful. They even put it all into a beautiful box with ribbon for me. If their things weren’t so pricey, i would probably leave with a a bag of goodies every time i went because their jars of truffle and olive oils, snacks and take away meats and cheeses sit there so beautifully begging me to take them with me.
They have another branch at Dempsey but as a girlfriend rightly said, it has a different vibe. So much more warehousey and loud. I am much more drawn to the cosy atmosphere at Mandarin Gallery where you can have a nice quiet breakfast just yourself or with a friend or two.
About Jones at Mandarin Gallery: