Leila's (Shoreditch)

Tucked away on the corner of Arnold Circus - a skip away from Columbia Road - this place is a true gem. We perched on wooden benches in the sun outside. Inside is small and bustling with an open kitchen, garlic, pots and pans hang from the roof and it's a constant hive of activity - baking, peeling, slicing, coffee making and the slow cooking of the speciality; eggs either with sage or serrano ham.

We settled on two perfectly made velvety and suitably strong flat whites (the beans roasted independently round the corner) and the eggs - mine with sage my friend with ham - which were absolutely sensational. Served in old school china frying pans, covered in olive oil and cooked to perfection.

The croissants and home made jam were delicious too.

Why Time Out did not give this place 5*s is completely beyond me - perhaps best they didn't as if everyone knew about it the queue would be even longer ...