Mocka — Restaurant in Folkestone and Hythe District

Today I visited this establishment purely because it had been so highly recommended and now I can see why.

The food was incredibly tasty with rich, flavourful fluffy pancakes that are made the old fashioned American way to the hearty sausages with a peppered tang. The food is Instagram worthy with every plate looking like it had come straight from an Instagram profile. However, I do feel it is fair to point out something that I had never seen in an eatery before and that is that they refuse to let you order from the child's menu. I'm not a very big eater when it comes to breakfast so I had originally asked for 2 children's breakfasts so that I could sample all that I wanted too and not be overly full so I could enjoy my day without an enlarged stomach but I was told "the children's menu is cheaper so adults cannot order from it". Now I appreciate the thought that was put into making it financially better for families to eat here however this is a big deal for myself to be told that I cannot order what I like. I did question this to the waitress and the amount of waste that could be generated from the venue with this rule in place and was given a general reply. It's fairly shocking to see a cafe that is very modern not to be bothered by waste in these economic climates and if I am completely honest it would deter me from returning.

Anyway, back to the food! The scrambled egg looked flavorsome with its seasoning visually displayed but it was actually fairly bland. The hash brown however was perfect, not too greasy and not underdone so that was nice. The fruit around the plate was not only great for your body but a treat for the eyes, ranges of beautiful fresh colours and carefully placed powdered sugar to accentuate the finished product.

The drinks were also a lavish treat with each one being freshly made and matching the overall style/inspiration of the establishment.

The service was fine, the girl was polite and softly spoken. Nothing to rave over but she did lay out the table nice and tried to hide her frustration when some members of our party kept changing their order due to the rule of not being able to order from the children's menu.

Overall, the food is great but the atmosphere was pretty dull from the horrendous elevator music constantly playing in the background to the restaurant policies/service. I may return but having that rule in place has left a bad taste in my mouth, knowing the amount of waste they probably produce on a weekly basis or even the idea that customers feel obligated to eat everything to avoid such waste despite my original order having actually been more expensive than my actual order did. There's just no rhyme or reason for the strictness and inability of freedom to choose what you like, I wouldn't count on a return visit I'm afraid.

But good luck in your...

We found this place by accident and having quickly scanned and seen 'gluten free bread' on the menu, I thought I was onto a winner for my gluten free needs.

Now I completely understand why places now ask that no substitutes or alternatives are made to menu items but when you are catering for a dietary requirement, I think you need to either be flexible or put on a separate gluten free option that lists the items available for that meal.

I asked if their full English equivalent was gluten free (because it advertised adding, for £1.50, gluten free bread to it) and was told that the sausage would need to be removed. I said OK, but could I have something else because I'm having to remove the most expensive component and was told no if I wanted extra I would have to pay. I was a bit miffed but asked for extra bacon.

When it was served it looked great, except the gluten free bread which was only one small slice cut in half. Those of us who are gluten free know how small gluten free bread is so that was a bit disappointing. The food was nice, mushroom a bit undercooked but generally it tasted OK and it was clear I did have 2 extra bacon rashers.

When it came to the bill, we were in a rush and it was very busy so went up to the till to pay. It was only after I left that I realised it was quite a lot and when I added up everything I realised that I had just paid over £4 for 2 bits of extra bacon having already been told I had to remove the most expensive item from the meal and paid £1.50 to add 1 slice of gf bread to it.

This was very disappointing and has put me off returning. I think they need to rethink their gluten free option, make it a separate menu item to choose with the listed ingredients for an appropriate price. As I had now paid £18 for a full English with 1 key ingredient (the sausage) missing. Alternatively good gluten free sausages are really easy to find so maybe think about making your fry up fully gluten free so that no swaps...

Popped in today for a breakfast and wanted a larger breakfast then I normally get I dont overly enjoy a few items on there set breakfast so asked the waitress is I could create my own and was told no swaps ….. I said I don’t want to swap anything i simply want a larger breakfast with items that you serve anyway happy to pay the extra money I just don’t like a few things on the breakfast it seems silly to cook them for them only to be left . Her response was we don’t offer swaps and were to busy to cook like that now I’ve owned food establishments in Folkestone for the last 27 years and worked in catering all my life I was honestly left without words I wasn’t asking for swaps or anything that wasn’t already being served just 4 pieces of bacon and 2 sausage with toasts . To be told they are to busy to cook that honestly it was a joke as I was leaving the owner asked if everything was okay I said no I can’t get a breakfast we had a quick chat and told you can’t modify a set breakfast. Honestly I wish you well in business but you will never get my trade again. If your chef is to busy to only cook 3 items on a breakfast instead of the normal 7 you need to look at...