If you've never been to the cafe, voted the best in a poll by Nottinghamshire Live readers, you might wonder where your sat-nav is taking you. Turning off a main road at Colwick, with builders merchants Jewson on the corner, you'll drive down Private Road No. 1, and through a business park before reaching your destination at a row of steel-framed industrial units.
Building contractors, commercial vehicle springs and a windscreen company are all based here but it's the Quayside Cafe I'm heading to. Now, most industrial estates have a food truck selling bacon cobs or a greasy spoon cafe, but this will take you by surprise.
Behind the stark corrugated grey facade with a big yellow number 2 awaits a cosy contemporary-style cafe. Visitors are greeted by a bright neon sign in the foyer saying 'Welcome to Quayside Cafe'.
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Inside is an array of seating. There's plush deep red studded leather chairs with coffee tables by the window, in the centre are tables with comfy spotty seats, and against the wood-panelled wall, a row of booths. It's in one of these, I take my seat only to find a plaque dedicated to popular Nottinghamshire YouTube star, The MacMaster, who sat in this very spot to try out the Full English breakfast.
I'm flabbergasted - not just by the look of the cafe which would not be out of place in the city centre, but the choice of items on the menu, particularly when it comes to breakfast. There's more than 20 different options, double what you'd normally expect.
Let's start with the bread - wraps, muffins, baguettes, cobs, sandwiches, paninis, toasties, ciabattas, bagels, and croissants come filled with everything from bacon, sausages and egg to salmon and cream cheese or bacon and brie.
Then there's the 'on toast' section with a choice of eggs, smashed avocado, cheesy bacon, beans and mushrooms. Something continental? Try the croissant, toast and fruit salad. For something a little more exotic shakshuka, a spicy sauce of tomato, peppers, onions and garlic topped with poached eggs, ticks the box.
Pancakes, fluffy American style or traditional crepes, and Eggs Benedict feature but the benchmark has to be a fry-up. Here again there's so many choices. King-size has everything you'd expect starting with three bacon, two eggs and an 8oz Cumberland sausage. Large and small versions are available too, along with veggie, vegan and a slimmer's breakfast, minus any sausage and hashbrown.
Phew, my brain is addled with this immense choice - I forgot to mention there's porridge too. As I head to the counter, it's going to be a breakfast wrap, no Eggs Benedict, no make that a croissant with scrambled egg... but then the words 'a small breakfast' just slip out, plus a pot of tea.
I'm super impressed by the variety and the fact that you can get a fry-up in three different sizes. The standard in many cafes for a cooked breakfast is two of everything which increases the price. For me, it means I'm paying more and it's a waste of food as inevitably I'll end up leaving some of it.
A big pot of tea arrives at my table - never will I complain about that. There's no such thing as too much tea. Sipping to the sounds of Harry Styles' Late Night Talking playing on the radio, I gaze around at the decor, which includes three colourful statues - an owl, a bear and a daffodil dog, each from sculpture trails in Nottingham, Sheffield and Cardiff.
The variety of customers is nearly as wide as the menu choice, a real mix including couple with a young baby, pensioners, a family and workmen from the estate.
It takes just under 10 minutes for the food to appear - a piping hot plateful with one egg (a good random shape, rather than those uniform round ones), with a runny yolk; one rasher of bacon (evenly cooked with a crispy bit at the end) and a 4oz Cumberland sausage - a well-seasoned meaty swirl with crispy bits of skin.
The hash brown is larger and has more potato content than most, the mushrooms and beans are plentiful, while the half of tomato has been nicely grilled. A slice of farmhouse-style white toast accompanies it, which I use to mop up the remainder of the bean juices. With that, my plate has been cleared - proving it's been the right size. Breakfast was £7.50 and the £2.80 for what amounted to three cups of tea represents excellent value for money.
It's not what you'd expect or where you'd expect it, but when it comes to quality, price, service from the well-mannered assistants, and the impeccably clean and cheerful surroundings - I can't fault any of them. It makes me want to return to try out the rest of the menu.
Lunches include sandwiches, burgers, jacket potatoes and pizzas and the dinner list is made up of chilli con carne, fish and chips, lasagne, pies, curry and a Sunday roast with a choice of three meats. The afternoon tea with sandwiches, quiche, sausage rolls, cake, macarons, scones and even a glass of prosecco, is already calling me back.
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