Imagine then, if there was a restaurant that was entirely dedicated to the often overlooked fine art of breakfast dining. Now stop imagining. Because it’s a real thing, and there’s a branch in Oxford. Situated on the rooftop terrace of the swanky revamped Westgate Centre - the Breakfast Club is a full on riot of competing textures and pastel colours that shout WAKE UP! to any prospective diners. It’s a bit like accidentally stumbling onto the set of Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast in the early 90s. I confess I was half expecting to be put into a hugely irritating ‘banter-tastic’ headlock by a fresh faced and flame haired Chris Evans at any moment. The menu is stacked with every possible permutation of egg, cheese, sourdough waffles and pancakes. And there are a few frankly weird options as well. Ponder with me for a moment ‘The Elvis Waffle’ - Buttermilk waffle, caramelised banana, Greek yoghurt, peanut butter and maple syrup… enough said. 
I went for the Philly Burger with sweet potato fries and Caesar salad and was not disappointed - everything was off the scale on the indulgence-o-meter - who wouldn’t enjoy a big lean burger in a bun slathered with blue cheese and gerkins and salad? Anyone who says they wouldn’t is a liar or a vegan… or both. My glamorous dining companion, editor Jamie Hill, opted for the Night Monty - essentially a massive oval platter of breakfast based faves - you know, bacon, beans, spam, eggs, black pudding, spam, more eggs, toast, hash brown, tomatoes, probably some sausages and spam. There was no spam actually, but I can vouch for everything else although I had to be quick because it disappeared rapidly, with Jamie (somehow able to chat and eat simultaneously) only pausing to accentuate a point with a jab of sausage on the end of his fork - not unlike the opening sequence of Grange Hill. Look it up if you don’t know what a C-60 is! 
I want to go back… immediately, and spend all day eating breakfasts before falling out of the door in a carbohydrate and protein haze. The only thing that would improve this place is the ready availability of newspapers on sticks, other than that it’s the perfect place to start, finish or err.. do the middle bit of the day. The Breakfast Club - Oxford’s Westgate Centre, OX1 1TR westgate.oxford@landsec.com 01865 263600 (Mon-Fri: 8am-5pm)
