People Watching

I’ve been tagged by Life of Sand to list my top 5 restaurants which I sort of did a couple of weeks ago, but was side tracked by a memory of Christmas last. And the fact that I don’t often go out to eat. If I do it’s with a girlfriend and we meet for a bowl of soup somewhere.

One of the greatest joys in eating out, for me, is people watching (and luckily I have likeminded friends), so these eateries are marked on the standard of their clientele, as well as their food.

The Clipper is a tiny café in Falmouth with only three tables. The coffee is excellent, their food is locally sourced and very cheap and includes a range of home made salads, ditto cakes and a good line in toasted sarnies. Unfortunately one of the owners is the most miserable girl I’ve ever encountered. She booted us off our table recently as we’d been there for a while and there were people waiting. Huh. I still go back, though.

Star rating: 7/10. Attracts a lot of art students but also families. Given its tiny size, eavesdropping tends to be noticed. Copies of local papers provided.

Mali Thai
Also in Falmouth though we’ve never eaten there – we get takeaways. Their vegetarian red curry is spicy but not too hot and in fact everything I’ve had there is excellent. You get free crackers too if you like that sort of thing. Conveniently placed for nearby pubs.

We've never sat in so unfortunately can’t allocate star rating.

Miss Peapods
A bohemian type café in Penryn next door to Jumbles Nursery so this place attracts a lot of bohemian type breastfeeding mothers. I would hasten to add I have absolutely nothing against breastfeeding in public. Quite the opposite. It’s just that these women are a certain Type. But I digress.

Food here is again locally sourced, organic and mostly vegetarian which suits me as I’m mostly vegetarian. I’ve only had soup and flapjack so far, both homemade and both excellent. Soup is always imaginative though the bread’s a bit hard, but the flapjack is chewy with lots of apricots. Yum. Most of the staff are a bit dozy so don’t go there if you’re in a hurry.

There’s a large decked area out the back where you can sit and watch the river and boats go by. Or you could if it ever stopped raining.

9/10 This is a wonderful place for people watching so go with someone who doesn’t mind sitting quietly or go by yourself. Newspapers provided.

De Wynns
Another café in Falmouth, used by my mother in the war. It was her great treat with two of her friends to get the train to Falmouth and have tea there. Nowadays the scones are homemade and melt in the mouth, their soup is always very good but only served in winter, and they do very garlicky mushrooms served with toast which is perfect for a winter warmup. Or a summer one given this weather.

6/10 Not so good – mostly middle aged/retired people but rather conventional.

Home
This is the most reliable café as Himself is a very good cook. Much better than me as he is interested whereas I’m not, very. He does very good Thai, cottage pie, fish pie and stir fries. He can be a bit heavy handed, but that seems to be a male trait. And it doesn’t stop people coming back here to eat. Does it Nik?!

People watching: 8/10 if you sit in our front room and watch the world go by. Lots to see, and if people bore you, there’s a great view of Flushing, the docks and out to sea.

Oh - five people to tag if they feel like doing likewise.
Cornish Dreamer
Miss Understood
Mopsa
MotheratLarge
Jayne