Brick House Bread announced they aren't reopening

[colb2015]

Any recommendations for a decent alternative in the locality?

[brightfield]

https://kei-studios.com/projects/gails-lordship-lane-east-dulwich

does the building look familiar?

[prit]

ugh..Gails is crap

[fishbiscuits]

Indeed. Perhaps Gails gave the landlord an offer that brick house couldn't hope to match. It's a shame as it seems like they're riding on their coattails, cynically muscling in on something they're worked so hard to achieve. (maybe that's not quite the reality, but it's how the situation reads to an outsider).

Gail's have a very different business model, with all baking done in a dedicated facility on a much larger scale. So not only will their margins be greater, they'll be able to fit in a lot more seating without the large on-site bakery.

As others have said... Gail's is OK but it's certainly a lower quality offering.

[fishbiscuits]

Gail's would have been a good fit for the Aneto site... Brick and Gail's could have co-existed... oh well.

[Seabag]

I think the Aneto site is or has been part of the issue, the landlord is notoriously difficult to deal with.

On the bread side, the Snappery bread is good.

[alice]

?They say all records sound the same then they go buy them.?

[fishbiscuits]

Bloody landlords!!

[spark67]

Gails .... mass produced bread in a production bakery in I think perivale or Acton, can't think which one, someone who used to work in the bakery I work in was a floor manager there.

Nothing wrong with that sort of produce if well made, but trying to pass it off as some sort of artisan hand crafted one, no.

[worldwiser]

Gail's isn't crap, that's a weightless insult. But it is quantifiably inferior to the outgoing product by some considerable margin and given that the price-point is similar to Brick House, it's Gail's that's insulting us.

I hope there are some very red faces when they start shovelling their average bread at people who will know full well that just a short time ago there were real artisans in their stead.

But I don't blame them for simply taking a commercial opportunity. The shame rests very definitely with Park Hill.

[NewWave]

worldwiser Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Gail's isn't crap, that's a weightless insult. But

> it is quantifiably inferior to the outgoing

> product by some considerable margin and given that

> the price-point is similar to Brick House, it's

> Gail's that's insulting us.

>

> I hope there are some very red faces when they

> start shovelling their average bread at people who

> will know full well that just a short time ago

> there were real artisans in their stead.

>

> But I don't blame them for simply taking a

> commercial opportunity. The shame rests very

> definitely with Park Hill.

Agree wholeheartedly with the above comment.

I won't pay Gails prices for Gails very mediocre coffee offering and I dont recall any salad or soup options in their stores tho in fairness I went for the 1st time in a Gails recently (on Portobello road) and that was only because I was starving and in a rush and they had seats available.

I remember feeling 'ripped off' in a way I never felt at Brickhouse-For about ?7 I got a large Cappuccino (weak and not very pleasant)and a very dry salmon bagel affair which had barely any filling-I was so underwhelmed I made a mental note never to bother going there again.

The greed of Parkhill astounds me they are killing the goose that laid the golden egg.

We like this area because of its CHARACTER and the fine quality of independent eateries-I work full time and am not on a high wage (shop assistant if you must know) Eating out or having a coffee out is a treat and I choose to spend my hard earned pennies in places like Brickhouse on my days off..rather than a generic chain fodder I get in my lunch hour at work.

I fear that in 5 years time our local high st will be a run of empty shops and chains or franchises.

May as well live in Croydon...

[chris_i]

kerry2015 Wrote:

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> Any recommendations for a decent alternative in

> the locality?

I think that Mons (the cheese shop on Lordship Lane) is a good bet. I've not bought loaves from there but the baguettes are almost as good as Brick House.

[LJC04]

Love Brickhouse, couldn't agree more with the posts above, so disappointing they have been forced out of both sites. Depending where you live, Browns in Brockley is fantastic for bread and coffee (the coffee on par if not slightly better-though both use Square Mile, and bread second only to Brickhouse) and the guys who run it are lovely, I'd give my money to them any day over Gail's, even if further to travel.

[fishbiscuits]

Gail's - it's not "crap". It's mid-market. As a cafe it's a definite step up from a Starbucks etc, and as a bakery it's the kind of thing that only 10 years ago would have seemed rather good. But nevertheless, not a patch on Brick House. But as I said, economies of scale probably mean they can pay much more for the site.

For bread - Mons cheesemonger and General Store (Bellenden Rd) both sell bread from Little Bread Pedlar... which is good stuff. I dare say there are other local stockists also.

For coffee and pastries/cake - I still like Boulangerie Jade, and One & All (Peckham Rye). (Not actually been in Kanella & Co, but it always looks nice!)

[username]

Thanks to posters on this thread with the interesting info that Gail's are taking over the ED site. Depressing but makes sense.

Anyone got any insider info re. the Peckham site? They say the landlord 'decided not to re-new our lease when it expires'. What's that all about?

Redevelopment? If so does that mean Levan, Honest Burgers and the other units in that building are on borrowed time too?

[mikeb]

http://theparkhillgroup.com/portfolio/8-esph.html

Parkhill appear not to know what they own

[worldwiser]

Hilarious. Although I've always been curious about why they have a website at all. They invest their own money in property and exploit it for their own gain. What's the point in promoting that? A perverse vanity?

[mrwb]

Wondering if we've hit peak cafe and Bakery in the area.

I was amazed by how many opened up all over the place in the last 5 years or so.

[Rosetta]

Seabag Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I think the Aneto site is or has been part of the

> issue, the landlord is notoriously difficult to

> deal with.

>

> On the bread side, the Snappery bread is good.

What and where is Snappery bread?

[fishbiscuits]

username Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Redevelopment? If so does that mean Levan, Honest

> Burgers and the other units in that building are

> on borrowed time too?

It may be a good opportunity for Levan to catch a slice of the "coffee and breakfast" commuter pie. One might even describe it as convenient. Maybe there are dots to be joined, but maybe there are not...

[bob]

All ways found Black Bird Bakery good for a loaf of bread coffee good but so small as sit in Bob S

[Stradello]

@brightfield - nice find!

[kei-studios.com]

Plenty of space down the back of the shop for tables when they don't need to do any of the bread making on site.

[JohnL]

Rosetta Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Seabag Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > I think the Aneto site is or has been part of

> the

> > issue, the landlord is notoriously difficult to

> > deal with.

> >

> > On the bread side, the Snappery bread is good.

>

> What and where is Snappery bread?

Apparently a Bakery in SE16

http://www.thesnaperybakery.com/home

[ColinN]

I have to say I really really like most of Gail's breads, even though my regular is Blackbird. They have good variety but my favourite is their "Waste Bread" created from unsold sourdough. Great idea and great sourdough taste. I should say I have no interest in any bakery except as a customer, so this is just my 100% honest opinion.

[username]

Black Bird bread is only slightly better than supermarket. Absolutely no comparison to Brick House.