In this series of reviews, Alfie Mulligan and Harry Warner will be delving into a world of cooked breakfasts and scrutinising Salford’s kaleidoscope of cafés and diners from Blackfriars to Boothstown, from Kersal to Cadishead all in the name of public service (and definitely not for their own personal enjoyment) to ultimately crown one of them Salford’s best full English.
Today’s review takes us out of the comfort zone of central Salford and into its true beating heart, Eccles. The target in our sights this late grey morning for a cooked breaky criticism? Sunny Side Up, a café made quaint by its cross hatched blue bay window and wooden fittings.
To reach our destination we trekked down Eccles’ golden mile; 12 pubs, mostly conformed to Joseph Holt branding, which spurred the thought that there might just be more Joseph Holt pubs in Salford than people named Joseph Holt.
Unfortunately, to the disappointment of our groaning stomachs and our absolute surprise, it turns out you should not believe everything you see on Google as Sunny Side Up was rather Sunny Side Down, shut down that is. Or at least it appeared that way from the closed cold metal shutter over its door and half torn down sign.
Galvanised and consumed by our duty to bring the people of Salford what they want, reviews of cooked breakfasts, we continued like the troopers we are ten minutes further down the road to where we eventually reached our final place of rest-aurant, Porky Pigs.
@likwid_media Porky Pigs 4/5 – A quality and reliable diner thats took a bit of my own heart. A definite recommendation if you are looking for cheap and quality breakfast, with a speedy service. Honestly haven’t anything bad to point out, and when we finished our brekkie all I wanted was another. A deffo Bosh. Video Filmed by Harry Warner and Narrated by Alfie Mulligan #Salford #Scran #breakfast #foodreview #salfordcity #fryup #english #englishbreakfast #Food #foodreview #england #foodie #brekkie ♬ original sound – Likwid Media
On first impressions the café greeted us with a strange allure, placed in the middle of the road and gated like a prison, however on entry inside, HMP Porky Pigs became a warm and amical diner.
The seats were upholstered red with black bands, while a quirky matte black metal stove sat against the back wall under the large TV.
After deciding on our breakfast choices, we proceeded to order our food, and no sooner had I ordered my traditional breakfast a cup of tea arrived at my seat at such a velocity I was convinced it was the server’s own brew.
In keeping with speedy service, in only a matter of minutes we were served, simultaneously, three cooked breakfasts, piping hot and mouth-watering.
In spite of this speed, without quality compromised, the food was fantastic. The beans rich and thick, the hash browns gold and crispy, but the most impressive of all was the bacon. Thick, not charred or crispy, but not chewy in the slightest. A true delight.
The chopped tomatoes and sausages were average; the day we find a café that does a good sausage will be the day we dish out a five.
Unfortunately, Porky Pigs loses a few marks for rather dehydrated fried mushrooms and a legless egg with a yolk that just wouldn’t run.
Finally, as the crucial components to an endless selection of butties, two slices of buttered bread were not to be sniffed at, something Scrantastic and Brunch Munch Café failed to capitalise on in previous reviews.
At £5.80 this breakfast costs more than the average prices we’ve encountered around Salford so far, so loses the edge slightly, however this said, this full English is still fully worth its price.
As we polished off our plates, the Christmas music in the background was a pleasant addition creating a warm and cosy atmosphere even if we were the only ones left inside.
We left fulfilled and content safe in the knowledge that Porky Pigs had earned themselves a 4/5 from Salford’s most notorious Breakfast reviewers.
We aren’t the only ones to enjoy this café-diner as one reviewer wrote on google: “Beautiful Café, Friendly staff. They welcomed me and treated me very nicely. I would recommend the food because it’s cooked to perfection!”
Another wrote: “Friendly service, food fast made, excellent quality, 10 out of 10, would highly recommend.”
With an average 4.6/5 stars on Google and only four sub 3/5 star reviews, Porky Pigs are sure to be welcoming plenty more happy customers in the future and has rightly earned its high rating from us.
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