Factory Girl

Rain and storms can’t break my bones, and I’m still gonna end up on a terrace for my brunch fix. This time, it was at Factory Girl in De Pijp.

I don’t exactly remember who told me about this spot (about 2 years ago), but I remember the intro was something like “You have to check it out, it’s something else”. So…I finally made it.

The most important thing to know about Factory Girl is that if you’re looking for a bacon-y or sausage-y brunch…this isn’t your place. The restaurant is 100% vegetarian and vegan, promising to not let you wonder “where’s the meat” with decent portions and delicious food. I grabbed my carnivore and vegan friends and off we went to test the theory, on a lovely (read: rainy) Sunday.

The menu recommends to start your day with dessert, cause life’s too short I guess? We’ve ordered their signature Coco Anjela with banana and chocolate. This is a delicious vegan dessert, creamy, but light. As we shared this one with the table…I’ve got no pics to share with you I’m afraid. But here’s a link. We’ve also had some cocktails. The offer is not large when it comes to drinks, nor impressive. My Bloody Mary was pretty watery and no spice in sight. Not their strongest suit.

Next up, the mains! For a food blogger, my ideal situation happened, where everyone at the table ordered something different. Score! I went for the Benny beans like it dirty, which consists of beans & rice, a poached egg, sourdough bread and 3 super delicious sauces. One in the style of hollandaise, one like a spicy-ish salsa, and one like…cream? Every bite of this made me happy. By the end of it, I was so full it took me 2 hours to recover, but I have no regrets. The dish was full of flavor and I surely didn’t miss the meat. 10/10.

Hayden chose the Healthy Shakshuka, and our server said it’s one of his favorites! He was also happy with it and there were definitely no leftovers. I’ve heard an “mmm”, too. His only complaint was that it could’ve been warmer. Considering we’re all eating outside at the moment and the temperatures are…not summery at all…it’s something for restaurants to keep in mind.

My vegan friend had the only truly vegan dish (checks out, checks out) and chose what was gonna be my second choice. Big in Japan: rice noodles, tofu, spinach, avocado, mistery noodle sauce (?), ginger and carrot sauce. Talk about healthy. While this isn’t the most brunchy meal you’ve ever heard of, it looked delicious and she was happy too. Most of all, she was happy to have a place that makes good stuff for vegan people. In other words, she didn’t have to go through the whole menu to find her 3 mediocre options. Her only complaint was the same as Hayden’s: a bit on the cold side.

P.S.: one day I’ll learn how to make my tofu that crispy…one day.

Finally, we’ve got the Potatoes & egg Catalan, to which melted cheese and spices were added. It tasted good, but in terms of feeling full and satisfied, it seems to be at the bottom of our choices. Safe to say the guy who ordered it was pretty hungry a couple of hours later, so maybe a couple more things could be added to this? Or maybe he just eats a lot. We’ll never know.

All in all, a lovely experience at Factory Girl. The service was lovely, with the guy taking care of our table making multiple attempts at protecting us from the rain and making sure we’re having a good day. I’d definitely return here, the food is amazing and it’s a spot I’ll recommend further, especially to vegan and vegetarians fellows. Oh, and if ever in Berlin…you can find Factory Girl there too!

It’s close to perfect, but for a brunch spot, drinks need some work – today, it’s a well deserved 9/10!

Value for money: 9

Food Quality: 9

Location: 8 (Saenredamstraat 32)

Service: 10

Website: https://www.factorygirl.net/