Brunch at the Jet Black Jewel, Whitby - celebrating the weird and wonderful in Whitby

The Jet Black Jewel is on Skinner Street, at the top of Whitby’s West Side. It’s open for breakfast, brunch and lunch and the whole place – the menu, the interior, the drinks – is inspired by tales of folklore and legend that run rampant through Whitby’s history.

The menu is more than just a list of dishes served with their ingredients – it’s accompanied by a story book of mystical and mythical tales and characters, and each dish is dedicated to a local hero, villain, sinner or saint. If you happened to have an hour or two to yourself, the Jet Black Jewel would be great to visit as you could properly take all this in – as it was I was with my family and they kept badgering me to stop reading the menu!

The menu is decorated with detailed black and white illustrations, which also appear framed on the walls and echo the huge hand-drawn map on the wall by the bar. The floor to ceiling windows with stained glass details and warm green tiles make for an enticing welcome, and you can either pull up a bar stool for a seat in the window, or pull up a chair at the mismatched antique tables.

But enough scene-setting – the food deserves plenty of attention too. I ordered Robin Hood’s Tasty Tacos with chipotle chicken, which were wonderfully light and zingy, and my husband had the Hand of Glory Breakfast Hash – fried diced potatoes with smoked bacon, sausage and black sausage. Both were served with the Jet Black Jewel’s signature Bloody Mary sauce, a secret recipe that gives everything a spicy kick. My daughter had Penny Hedge Pancakes with Nutella, which went down a storm.