Brick Lane’s popular Momlette cafe opens a new branch in Mile End
A Bengali-English cafe opened its doors last Thursday, 21 March, offering a fusion of Bengali street food and good ol’ English brunch.
Positioned between Costa and Nando’s underneath the bridge on Mile End Road, Momlette is poised to become a go-to for those seeking a twist on brunch classics. It is an all-day breakfast stop with a Bengali street food theme and the local community at its heart.
The definition of Momlette is a street food of Bengal consisting of beaten eggs cooked with regional spices, stirred until set, and served rolled in paratha flatbread.
Camran Akanjee, one of their staff members, explained where Momlette came from and what inspired the new location.
‘This is our second branch in London; our first is on Brick Lane, which opened in August 2022, but is much smaller. This is such a great new location, we love it. With Queen Mary University across the road, we really wanted to take the feel of our vibrant Brick Lane store, bring it to Mile End and then create a real hub and community feel for the students and locals,’ he said.
The community feel of Momlette was apparent as Akanjee described wanting to create a similar feel to their sister store, knowing all of the regulars by name and making it a real hang-out spot for locals.
Opening during Ramadan, Akanjee explained that they have been quieter than usual because a large percentage of their regular customers are Muslim, so many people are fasting. He assured us that in 13 days, they expect Momlette to be back to bursting.
The ambience at Momlette is as inviting as its menu. Step inside, and a plentiful seating area greets you, perfect for catching up with friends over a leisurely brunch, with lots of space to perch by the huge windows that look onto Mile End Road, great for people-watching.
The café’s décor strikes a balance between modern chic and rustic charm. With its lightbulb chandelier, green and yellow furniture, and exposed brickwork, it creates a space that feels both contemporary and comfortable. Not to mention the bright yellow and green auto-rickshaw by the stairs, which you can hop into.
Momlette specialises in Asian street food style breakfast and brunch, with signature dishes, such as the ‘Momlette’; a street food inspired omelette stuffed with mozzarella cheese, shredded turkey ham, wrapped in sweet chilli and mustard paratha served with fresh spinach and grilled mushroom and tomatoes.
Staff told us that customers’ favourite runner-up is their half-English breakfast, a twist on the traditional English: spicy beef sausages, bacon, fried deshi eggs, masala beans, paratha, and hash browns.
If you prefer a traditional English spread, they also cook up Eggs Benedict and have a tantalising selection of fresh fluffy pastries, including almond croissants and Pain au chocolat piled on the counter.
Akanjee explained to us why they chose the dishes, ‘the Bengali-English fusion was because we really wanted everyone to be able to experience Bengali food,
‘We knew that in East London, there is a curry house on almost every corner, so we are doing something different to encourage people who may not have encountered Bengali food before to try it’.
All of the dishes on their menu are creative collaborations invented by the cafe’s two owners and their chef, who has been with them from the very beginning.
We couldn’t leave without trying something.
For a vegetarian, we were recommended the Vegan Momlette: a chickpea omelette stuffed with vegan feta, spinach, and mushrooms, wrapped in vegan paratha, garnished with oil, and served with fresh spinach, grilled mushrooms, and tomato.
It was washed down with their sweet signature brewed molasses chai. The Vegan Momlette was fresh and delicate and did not disappoint.
They offer all of their food menus as take-away options so you can experience their fusion delicacies on the go.
As word spreads about Momlette’s opening in Mile End, we recommend getting in first before it gets crowded.
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