As part of Ballymena Youth Team, I have been doing a bit more exploring around Ballymena for good places to chill and have coffee; and this time I chose Corner Bakery, Ballymena!
Corner Bakery has been around for over a year now, so I am surprised that the first time I set foot in the place was only last Friday! It is conveniently located on the corner of Greenvale Street and Ballymoney Street, which means that it is perfectly positioned between both the Tower Centre and the Fairhill Shopping centre! It is also amidst many other shops and cafés in the centre of Ballymena.
The bakery is in a small room which can probably seat about 20 – 30 people, yet there is something about the place which makes it seem both cosy and comfortable!
Both sit-in and takeaway is available all day with many options to choose from…
On a typical day at Corner Bakery, you can enjoy many different things: ranging from pastries such as sausage rolls, vol-au-vents and Cornish pasties, to breakfasts such as porridge, toast etc., to lunches where you can have a delicious bowl of soup, stew, or even a pizza baguette for something completely different! They also have mouth-watering desserts, such as fondant fancies, cream puff squares and fresh Danish pastries!
Don’t forget the traybakes? You name it! Caramel squares, brownies, mint squares… The list goes on and on…
However, whatever you decide to enjoy, you can wash it down with a cup of coffee, tea, mocha or latte (other choices are available)!
I was in at lunchtime so I got a bowl of vegetable soup, to sit-in. One of the staff told me that they would bring it over to me, so I went and took a seat on a comfy chair opposite the counter. Soon after, they brought over a delicious-looking bowl of hot vegetable soup along with two slices of wheaten bread, some butter and salt and pepper! I then tried the soup, and it was one of the nicest vegetable soups I had ever tried! The taste and texture was unbelievable – you could so tell that it was home-made, with fresh vegetables! And the wheaten bread was just the cherry on the cake. After I had finished it, I had to stop myself from getting another bowl!
As well as the food in the display cabinet, there are also some packaged breads behind the counter such as burger baps, soda breads, loaves and scones too! At the door there is also another shelf, full of typical bakery treats such as apple pies, chocolate cakes and carrot cakes!
Overall, I think that Corner Bakery is such a lovely place, so conveniently located and I cannot describe how comfortable I felt. As I drank my soup, I read a book and was totally relaxed. It was busy, but not too busy; there was some background music, but not too loud; the food was just simply perfect.
Go on give it a go? Have you tried one of their mouth-watering pastries yet? Next time I go, I am going to try one of their chicken or bacon swirls‼