Cereal only

They have only been opened a few weeks but they have already split the public opinion in half: on one side, those who criticise them for having extortionate prices and basic fare, on the other those who praise them for their bravery and creativity. We’re talking about twins Gary and Alan Keery who opened up Cereal Killer Café , the first ‘cereal café’ in the UK. As location, they picked the northern end of Brick Lane, closer to cool Shoreditch; both sport the typical hipster beard and matching tattoos, which depict a cereal bowl (what else?).

On a late December morning Brick Lane is deserted, and inside the Cereal Killer Cafe we even manage to find a place to sit; it seems that before Christmas the queues were around the block. I am meeting a friend who actually hates cereal: will she find anything edible? The place is small, with red brick walls and a huge amount of 80s and 90s memorabilia: furniture, TV, skateboards, vintage toys and dolls and a couple of movie stars’ portraits made out of cheerios. Cheesy pop tunes playing in the background are perfect for those who, like me, lived the 80s as teenagers: a blast from the past.

Orders are placed at the counter and the choice is pretty wide: over 120 types of cereals divided into country of origin, with USA and UK making up the majority of the menu. Cow’s milk is included in the price (which starts form £2.50 for a small bowl) but for those wanting something special, for a 40p extra there’s a choice of various milks from almond to lactose free. There are more extras, such as toppings (from crunchy nuts to fresh fruit), and there are some odd things like Pop Tarts (did anyone actually eat those?), toast and jam and even cereal cocktails, which are nothing more than combinations of various ingredients and flavours with quirky names.

[[ima3]The place’s hype is obvious from the number of people that instead of eating, hang about with smartphones in their hands taking pictures of the decor and the cereal boxes. We even cross path at the entrance with a group of Italians, travel guide and cameras in hand, sign that the hype has reached well beyond London’s boundaries. The experience is a little surreal: a local family with little kids having toast; a bunch of smart looking twenty something lads enthusiastically discussing which cereal flavour to choose; passers by dropping in to have a look and walking out without buying anything.

After all, apart from a decent cup of coffee, it’s really just cereal and mostly, from big brand, industrial names. For those wishing for a healthy or low calories breakfast, there is not much to choose from and the feeling is that of, well, eating something pre-packaged, as enjoyable as it might be. What the Keerys have created is exactly what it says on the label: a place for cereal aficionados like themselves, that’s it. It keeps its promises as long as one does not expect a gourmet experience. Will it last? Only time will tell. But even my friend managed to eat breakfast.