As a big fan of Dishoom, I felt lucky to be invited to the launch of its sister restaurant, The Permit Room, last summer. It was a great night with some amazing food inspired by the Iranian cafes of Bombay (Mumbai). The restaurant adds a truly exciting experience to the already diverse Cambridge food scene.

Miraculously, I hadn’t been back to The Permit Room since but for our anniversary breakfast, my wife and I decided to visit as part of my mission to find the best breakfast in Cambridge. I knew we were in for a treat because of the numerous recommendations from the Cambridge Foodies community. So, we headed for the mustard-yellow doors on the historic Trinity Street for a long-overdue visit.

It was a humid morning but unfortunately the outdoor courtyard was closed. This was not a huge problem as it was not overly hot or sticky indoors but it would have been nice to have breakfast outdoors and make the most of the summer while we have it.

Chai Time

My first order was a chai which is made from oat milk. At £4.50 a glass, it initially seemed a bit pricey but I put that down to its prime location in the tourist centre of Cambridge. It was beautifully creamy and had a spicier flavour than other chai I have had before – it was the perfect morning pick-me-up and a refreshing change from a standard cup of coffee, while still also managing to stand out from other chai options throughout the city.

After finishing, we fancied another hot drink and ordered a flat white made with coffee from Wood St Coffee Roasters. It was a very nice coffee but I definitely prefer Hot Numbers or The Brew Project. Frustratingly, when the waitress brought it over, she mentioned that the chai was actually bottomless! The menu hadn’t said a word about this (which explains the price) but it would have been nice to have been told this before ordering an extra drink.

The Menu

The menu was full of interesting and intriguing dishes, with great options for vegans and vegetarians. I was particularly tempted by the “Wrestlers Naan Roll” but in the end, I couldn’t resist The Full Permit, their unique take on the classic English breakfast.

The Full Permit

While the service for our drinks was prompt, the service suddenly fell off a cliff for our food. Both our table and the one next to us were trying to catch the eye of a member of staff for some time with no success. In the end, I lost patience and went to the bar to order, where I found the team casually chatting amongst themselves.

Despite this, the food came out in great time and my reward was an attractive visual feast for my breakfast.

The akuri, a lightly spiced Indian scrambled egg dish, was a beautiful golden colour, made with free-range eggs from the award-winning St Ewe farm in Cornwall. The streaky bacon, from Ramsay’s of Carluke, a Scottish family butcher running for over 160 years, was perfectly cooked. The Shropshire pork sausages from Maynard Farm were soft, flavourful, and light – ideal for a breakfast meal. The homemade masala beans were lovely and the buttered buns gave you the freedom to make the breakfast your own, whether you want to use the buns for mopping up or turning it into a butty with the other ingredients.

I couldn’t recommend The Full Permit enough. It was such an interesting take on the classic English breakfast with nothing but the best sourcing – all for a reasonable price of £15. Incredible!

The Wrestlers Roll

Luckily for me, my wife ordered the Wrestlers Roll (so I still got to try it!) and, boy, it didn’t disappoint! As someone who began the Cambridge Foodies blog with a focus on Indian and Bangladeshi food, dishes like this are close to my heart and I was excited to see such a unique take on a classic naan.

Make no mistake, the Wrestlers Roll is an absolute behemoth. Filled with the same smoked streaky bacon and peppery pork sausages as The Full Permit, along with a runny-yolked egg. It is an unapologetically messy and fun dish, with the menu even challenging you to “grapple” with it. The chilli jam added a vibrant, slightly spicy flavour, and the naan itself was light and not even remotely stodgy, holding everything together perfectly.

A Top Breakfast Spot

While the food was phenomenal, the service was a bit chaotic. Our drinks arrived promptly, but after that, it was a challenge to get the staff’s attention, with poor communication leading us to spend more than we should have. A rather presumptuous and incredibly high 12.5% service charge was added to the bill. I normally ask this to be removed unless the service was exceptional but the receipt was presented folded in a book and I paid without noticing.

Despite these small frustrations, I cannot argue with the food. At the end of the day, that’s what we were there for, and The Permit Room delivers a wonderful and exciting breakfast experience where every ingredient has a story. This is one of the best breakfasts in the city 😍

Thanks for reading!