The Hidden Gem in Havant: Ethos

• 8, North Street, Havant
• Eatery type: Brunch / Lunch / Coffee / Cake
• INSTAGRAM

Blink and you miss it. Ethos is painted white, simply fronted, with no 'A boards' or hanging signs to announce its presence. And Havant is ... well, let's be honest: I love the area I live in (I am nestled between many towns and villages, and near two cities) and Havant has its lovely spots, but while the town holds so much potential – a pretty church, some lovely old houses among some tree-lined roads – it only really has charity shops, a spattering of small gift and sweet shops, and barely a bookshop to show for it (these are all very clean and well-looked after though). The town is well preserved in many ways, but lacks the investment and updating needed to truly make it shine. Waitrose is one the best things in Havant along with the Fatface Outlet store. Karma Coffee is also a pleasant surprise. But then, today, we stumbled upon Ethos.

Open since December, 2023, we somehow missed it and it's not hard to see why: it blends in ever so modestly in North Street.

The fact that it was bustling inside is what initially caught my eye, and then we noticed the menu: brunches of the slightly more upmarket variety than you get in many places (and almost anywhere else in Havant) at a very reasonable cost. The decor inside was minimalistic, very clean, with an understated emphasis on music and films of the 1970s – very nice; right up my street.

Now, I like me an egg and avocado-style brunch, and more so, ones that promise to make me feel a bit special, so in we went and were greeted by the happiest people I've ever seen in Havant and I am not exaggerating. Helpful, friendly, and genuinely happy, the staff showed us to our table without any delay.

Because the menu isn't ginormous and everything on it looks delicious, I had it narrowed down to two options within about a minute. But before I get to the food, let's talk about the coffee ... aaaah, the coffee.

The coffee can make or break a place for me. I love my coffee as anyone close to me knows, and the coffee served at Ethos is divine. My partner had a Flat White and I had a White Americano, and each of our coffees held about four different notes: there was a beginning flavour, a quarter-way-in flavour, a half way flavour, and an after flavour, and they all melded beautifully together. Served at just the right temperature and consistency, this was the nicest damn coffee I'd had in a very long time. (I didn't get the details about the origins and roast, sorry.)

Avocados are one of my favourite things to eat. My mum used to make me avocado milkshakes as a baby (apparently I devoured them – I can't say I remember), and I've never lost my love for them. So to see smashed avocado on the menu as part of a main dish and as a side dish you can add to anything, was a bonus.

I almost chose the Smashed Avocado and Poached Eggs main, but decided to go for the Sausage, Egg, and Cheese on Muffin (with avocado on the side).

McDonalds is really not a place I encourage anyone to go to ever, but when you're at an airport and need to be quick, there is often little choice, and the Sausage and Egg McMuffin is the most delicious thing McDonalds do. It became somewhat of an "airport food staple" for me, and one I have fond memories of that include the excitement of travelling and holidays. Ethos' Sausage, Egg, and Cheese on Muffin was a hundred times better than that and I ate it as slowly as possible to make it last as long as I could.

While chewing and savouring, I reached over and forcefully suggested to my partner we should try each other’s food shortly before sticking my fork in his Smashed Avocado and Poached Eggs on Toasted Sourdough...

OMG! What is that sensation in my brain?? I'm pretty sure it was the chilli and maple syrup sauce drizzled around the entire thing, awakening all my synapses and firing off my neurons. It's ... perfect. The perfect sauce.

At this point, I realised there was no way I was leaving without trying a cake. I no longer have the sweet tooth I used to have in my youth, but it didn't matter – I needed to know if their sweets tasted as good as their savouries.

Do I need to tell you the answer? Do I need to say anything about the Lemon and White Chocolate Cake I rolled around my tongue for probably longer than I needed to? I didn't think so.

If you're local, go try this little gem out. If you're visiting, bookmark this page and go try this little gem out. I'm sorry I have no food pictures. I had long pondered the idea of starting a food blog (for decades), and the way Ethos danced on my taste buds is the reason I've finally started it today – this is my first ever write-up of anything to do with food and eating. So, I wasn't ready with my camera, but you'll see some snaps over on their Instagram page. Give them a 'like' – you'll certainly like the food.

Note: There is no menu online and I did not memorise it when there, so my apologies if I haven't got the titles of the dishes exactly right.