The shock news that The Galleries was being demolished was the main talking point at Boswells cafe. One regular even put down his bacon sandwich mid-mouthful to go off on a rant about it.
And that was before he turned his attention to the general state of Broadmead, what with the still-empty M&S and Debenhams stores and the growing number of people sleeping in doorways.
“It’s like a third world country outside there,” he told his mate. “And if you eat upstairs in the food hall, you still get beggars coming in and asking for money when you’re eating - it’s no wonder nobody comes down here.”
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Not that staff working in this ground-floor all-day cafe had been told anything about their own prospects. “I only know what I read on Bristol Live,” said the woman handing me my mug of tea and table number.
The closure of the Galleries probably isn’t a surprise to most people. It has been on a steady decline for years and it looks like a ghost town most of the time.
But at least business is brisk at Boswells on the morning I pop in for breakfast. It’s mostly a mix of shop workers having a quick coffee before they start work and early morning shoppers presumably heading to the post office at the back of WH Smith as it’s one of the few places open at 9.30am.
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Open throughout the day for morning coffee, lunch and cakes in the afternoon, Boswells is part of a long-established chain of cafes. But it’s the breakfast that many people make a beeline for.
These range from porridge or croissants to sausage and egg baps or the Full English. Served until 11.30am (an hour later on Sundays), the breakfast choices include vegetarian and vegan options, too.
First impressions matter at places like Boswells and they pass with flying colours. I really didn’t expect it but there was somebody cooking the breakfasts to order behind the counter in full view of customers.
Nothing quite beats the sound and smell of bacon sizzling on a hot griddle. And it was equally impressive to see the cutlery spotless and gleaming rather than covered with greasy thumbprints or worse.
Boswells clearly pays attention to the small details which make a difference. The sachets of tomato ketchup were Heinz rather than a cheap imitation and the mug of tea (£2.25) was decent quality - English Breakfast from Birchall, which proudly displays a ‘Great Taste winner’ logo on its teabag tag.
I went for the all-day breakfast, which costs £8.50. It comprises two rashers of bacon, two ‘premium’ sausages, two fried free-range eggs, chips and beans.
Of course, there will be fry-up purists who will be spluttering into their builder’s tea at the mere suggestion of chips with their Full English. I get it, but I have to say these were piping hot, golden and crisp on the edges - perfect for dipping into the golden, runny yolks of the perfectly cooked fried eggs.
Those same fry-up aficionados might also raise an eyebrow at the lack of tomatoes - tinned or griddled fresh ones - but the generous pile of glossy baked beans made up for it. There must have been a whole tin of them per person.
Although the ‘premium’ sausages probably wouldn’t get past the preliminary rounds of a ‘best banger’ competition in a county show, they weren’t a disaster. They were a bit pappy but there was clearly some sort of herb in the mix, and the bacon was good quality stuff and cooked with care.
If plans are approved, there are still two years to go until the Galleries closes after 30 years and the bulldozers move in. Still, at least the old boy in the corner has two more years of Boswells bacon sandwiches to look forward to - and I’d happily go back for a cooked breakfast if I was passing through the Galleries.
Boswells, The Galleries, Broadmead, Bristol BS1 3XB.
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