EDitorial ± 9-Nov-2007

Light Lunches: Brightwell Bus Cafe

Like a younger Tony Slattery, sometimes you have to improvise. It's Friday, it's 12:15pm, it's the chauffeur's day off. No four wheels, no Felixstowe, no fussing. Where can we go that's within walking distance of CampusTown, aka Adastral Park?

Stroll out past the gatehouse (check you've got your pass else you're not getting back in) and, like cars don't, turn left. That's right, left. Best foot forward on the cyclepath past the nettles and within three minutes you've arrived at the Brightwell Bus Cafe. Clue's in the name:

  • we're nearish to Brightwell, a placelet south of Martlesham
  • yes, it's an MOT-ed bus that's not always there
  • this coach is home to a proper working caff

Walk round the rear, past the generator and up the steps. Whoosh, you're transported back to that school trip to the local zoo. Take a recently refurbed seat -- it's under new management, apparently having been a fixture for nearly 30 years -- and peruse the printed menu. Order from the bloke in the kitchen towards the back, sit down and flick through the EADT. Oh yes, they have newspapers. For that same day. Though not a kids' menu. Not that sort of place.

Got the impression that it's a favourite stop-off for passing van drivers and the odd trucker, ideal given the adjacent A12 layby. Our fry-ups were spot-on, included a cuppa in the price, and the service was fast and friendly. Best of luck to the new owners.

If it was a car -- Peugeot 504.
If they were passing by -- Ricky Hatton.