Breakfast at Sugardough

Breakfast at Sugardough, Market Street

Sugardough is a well-loved bakery and cafe based near the seafront in Hove. Despite its out-the-door-queue popularity, few know of its unique breakfast and all-day menus the Brighton cafe has to offer. Not just your run of the mill avo on toast either, dishes have a distinctly European and North African influence.

Having originally trained as a pastry chef, owner Kane McDowell spent several years working in restaurants across Australia, before settling in Hove to open Sugardough. An advocate for high-quality food made by hand, with original baking techniques, everything on offer is made fresh, daily, at the Hove bakery.

The best grilled cheese in Brighton

Now, there are a few things that I really struggle to find around Brighton. One is a good Mac and cheese (RIP Little Blue Smokehouse💔) and the other is a proper, decent grilled cheese. Thankfully, my search for the latter is over.

I visited Sugardough in Market Street on a lovely, sunny weekend morning and took a table outside. Perusing the menu, it was a tough choice; with so many interesting dishes, I felt I should go for something different. This was quickly scuppered when I saw the French toast was, in fact, made with a croissant. Kind of different to my usual, right? I ordered it with a side of bacon, obviously, and a flat white. Brandon opted for the grilled cheese toastie, also adding bacon, with a local Wobblegate apple juice.

The French ‘toast’ came with a lovely, chunky fruit compote and a dusting of icing sugar. Not too sweet, it struck a good balance between eggy and syrupy, contrasting well with the smoked, streaky bacon that was cooked exactly right. I was also pretty impressed with the coffee, served at the perfect temperature with a creamy mouthfeel and sweet notes.

Brandon’s face after his first bite of the grilled cheese was an immediate signal that I had to try it before it was too late. The grilled sourdough had that delicious outer crunch whilst retaining its renowned chewy texture, filled with a gorgeous oozing of cheese and subtle onion flavours. Kane told us its a special mix he put together, using a soft curd to bring a creamy mildness to the richer, and sometimes sickly, hard cheese. With a little salad and homemade chutney on the side, it really was a surprisingly delightful dish (so much so, we both went back the next weekend!).

Third place?

Sugardough has the independent bakery vibe nailed, with its quirky pastel stripes, handwritten menus and slightly overwhelming display of fresh bread, cakes and pastries. I couldn’t believe how many team members were zooming around the small space, but each had a smile on their face and seemed to genuinely enjoy interacting with customers.

Even more of a testament to Sugardough’s dedication to real baking techniques, it only just recently announced an apprenticeship scheme in partnership with Plumpton College. It’s fantastic to see that young people are able to learn traditional, artisan bakery methods and that will keep the craft, and independent businesses, going strong.

If you want to know a bit more about what you can expect at Sugardough, have a look at its Instagram feed. For more breakfast and brunch inspiration, have a look at some of my previous posts.

Let me know if you’ve been to try out their breakfast menu! Additionally – any hints on great mac and cheese or grilled cheese are greatly appreciated, so hit me up in the comments.

I was invited to try the breakfast menu at Sugardough in exchange for a review.