Having been a fan of Daily Grind Coffee Co. in Dundee for many years now, I couldn’t resist a visit when I heard they’d launched a new menu.
Known for their coffee, dirty food like loaded fries and incredible shakes, the business on Exchange Street is a modern cake and coffee bar from the team behind Hard Grind barbershop and Jamie Scott of The Newport Bakery.
Taking a rockstar approach to their interior, the café is like nothing Dundee has seen before, and the food they serve up is pretty unique, too.
I’ve enjoyed their food sitting in before, but I wanted to see how well it would fare on-the-go, as well as try something different. Previously I have tried their mac and cheese loaded fries and poached egg croissant.
This time, however, I ordered two dishes, a bake and a milkshake to try out.
The order at Daily Grind Coffee Co.
Verdict: Cookie monster milkshake
First up was the cookie monster milkshake which had chocolate sauce layered down the side of the cup and was topped with whipped cream.
Before I get into the flavour, the presentation of the milkshake had me salivating. I watched the team make the milkshake from scratch and loved that the they crumbled cookies on top.
I think presentation makes all the difference and the flavour certainly met my expectation. There was a rich chocolate flavour to it and combined with the sweetness of the chocolate chip cookie made it very enjoyable. The whipped cream didn’t melt away and lasted the whole drink.
There weren’t any cookie pieces in it, which I would have loved, other than the crumb on top of the cream.
Although I like my milkshake just a tad thicker, I do this this drink was delicious and will certainly be ordering it again.
Presentation: 5/5
Taste: 4/5
Verdict: Shakshuka loaded fries
Next I tried the shakshuka loaded fries which is French fries topped with roasted vegetables including aubergine and pepper cooked in a tomato-based sauce with spices.
The chips themselves were very thin and crispy, and perfectly balanced the softer vegetable shakshuka.
Personally, I felt the shakshuka needed a little more salt, and so although I enjoyed it I would say it does need that extra seasoning. It was topped with sour cream, which I dipped my fried into, and cress.
While I liked them, I think I would opt for the mac and cheese loaded fries instead next time as they are something I would certainly return for.
Presentation: 4.5/5
Taste: 3.5/5
Verdict: Banoffee stack brioche French toast
The one dish that blew me away though was the brioche French toast that I ordered with a banoffee stack.
This was the thickest slice of brioche bread I have ever had in my life and it was dripping with a sweet toffee sauce and topped with a perfectly caramelised banana. Plus a sprinkling of icing sugar for good measure.
The brioche bread with the toffee sauce was soft and sweet, and topped with the banana, it tasted like a breakfast dessert.
My only concern was that after some time the dish became a bit too sweet, so I would add some whipped cream on top next time.
Presentation: 5/5
Taste: 4.5/5
Verdict: Granola cruffin
Last but certainly not least was the granola cruffin supplied by The Newport Bakery which was one of the venue’s many daily bakes they have on sale.
I thought it would be good to try something that is served on the counter that is really easy to grab on-the-go.
I have never tried a cruffin but it instantly caught my eye. I was intrigued by the granola addition as I wasn’t exactly sure how it would be incorporated into the bake.
After biting into it I realised that the muffin shaped croissant was filled with a blackcurrant jam and topped with a vanilla cream sprinkled with granola.
The crispiness of the pastry and the crunchy granola worked well together and with all that jam inside, it kept every bite moist and as tasty as the last.
Although this wouldn’t have typically been my first choice, it was delicious and felt like a whole meal in itself.
Presentation: 5/5
Taste: 4/5
Let me know in the comment section below what you would order from Daily Grind Coffee Co. and what you thought of my choices.
Information
Daily grind is open from 8:30am to 5pm Monday to Saturday, and from 10am to 4pm on Sundays.
Address: Daily Grind Coffee Co., 18a Exchange Street, Dundee DD1 3DL
T: 01382 782658
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