It's time for another Double Tap That Place, where I review those places made famous on Instagram to see if they are worth the hype. A piece which was actually inspired by the Farm Girl Cafe in West London.

The Farm Girl Cafe is a popular health-based cafe ran by an Australian couple hidden in a inconspicuous corner just off Nottinghill high street. Beloved by influencers and Chelsea based foodies alike, this place has flooded my social media and, I admit it, I was desperate to give it ago.




When Joah and I headed out to Nottinghill for a cheeky spot of brunch, we were met with a 30 minute wait and a very friendly waiter. From the off you can see why the Farm Girl Cafe is so popular with snappy-happy millennials. The matcha lattes are artistically beautiful, and the distressed white-wash walls make for the perfect Instagram backdrop.

 When Joah and I finally managed to grab a seat, he ordered the famously photogenic avocado on toast (£8) whilst I had the 'pink salad' (£9) with a portion of sweet potato wedges to share (£4.50). As you can see (and what should have been made clear by the fact that it is beloved by social influencers and based in Nottinghill), this place is not cheap. Which can be okay if your experience matches the price tag. 

 Unfortunately in this case, I do not believe it did. The avocado was thickly spread, well mixed, and wonderfully fresh. Topped with pomegranate seeds and coriander; it was a good avocado on toast. But it was still only avocado on toast, that breakfast dish you can make for under £3 a pop at home. To be worth the almost £10 price, I wanted an almost religious experience. In the end, it was merely overpriced.

 The Pink Salad was again, a bit of a disappointment. When reading the description, I believed it would mainly consist of kale, seaweed and, well, salad, topped with watermelon. Instead, I received an admittedly juicy fruit salad with a few leaves thrown in. The portions were good for the price, but it tasted like a standard, bizarrely bland store-bought fruit salad (weirdly). 





  The most upsetting however, was the vegan doughnuts. For a health-based cafe there was a surprisingly low amount of vegan food available, so when I saw a vegan doughnut available (a rare species), I was very excited. Until I got it. The icing was melting off and was somehow both sickeningly sweet,  yet simultaneously tart. The dough was dense, close-textured, dry...
Disappointing. 

I have heard the other cakes; some of which are dairy, gluten, and sugar free, are much better, but I'm not sure if they could ever be good enough to convince me to go back for a second attempt. 




In short, although the portion sizes were a good size, this place is the definition of over-priced and over-hyped. Either those influencers are lying to us, or perhaps they too were swayed by the saturation on social media.


Insta-judgement: Scroll Past



Address:
59A Portobello Road
London
W11 3DB

Contact:
+44 (0)2072 264 678
hello@thefarmgirl.co.uk
events@thefarmgirl.co.uk
They do not take bookings!

Price:
££££

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday - 08h30 to 16h30
Saturday - 09h00 to 17h00
Sunday - 09h00 to 16h00