Eating Out Review: We tried lunch at Darlington's Influence Café

Walking down Skinnergate, we decided to try out Influence Café for a bite to eat, and I was pleasantly surprised.

We walked in around 3pm last Saturday (May 13). The Market Square was packed with crowds Eurovision and the town centre had a good atmosphere that day.

We sat down and both ordered a glass of fresh orange juice to start with (£3 each). Then my mum, Sheila, ordered poached eggs with avocado on sour dough toast (£7), and I ordered the bacon, avocado, pecan and walnut salad which came with mixed leaves and honey and mustard dressing (£8.50).

Influence Café on Skinnergate in Darlington. Picture: Aja Dodd, Newsquest (Image: Aja Dodd, Newsquest)

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My salad was delicious. I did think immediately after ordering that pecan and walnut was perhaps overkill but it worked well. They weren’t stingy on the bacon, there was loads, meaning my mum ended up pinching some.

I did think that potentially streaky bacon would have worked better in that kind of salad, but nevertheless it was tasty and a good post-workout protein hit.

The honey and mustard dressing wasn’t overpowering, and sometimes I find it can be.

My mum’s poached eggs were cooked well and had runny yolks, and she polished her lunch off within five minutes.

Poached eggs and avocado on toast from Influence Café. Picture: Aja Dodd, Newsquest (Image: Aja Dodd, Newsquest)

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The avocado on both dishes was lightly mashed which worked well when it came to spreading it on sour dough.

Personally, I think maybe the avocado should have just been sliced for my salad to add a bit of texture.

The cakes in the counter looked delicious and I was very tempted to buy one, but alas, I was satisfied with my enormous salad. The Spanish cheesecake and chocolate brownies definitely caught my eye though.

The cafe has a nice relaxed atmosphere and if you have ever walked down Skinnergate, you probably will have noticed people sitting outside drinking a coffee while music played over the speakers.

Bacon, avocado, walnut and pecan salad from Influence Café. Picture: Aja Dodd, Newsquest (Image: Aja Dodd, Newsquest)

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Influence Café also has an alcohol licence, should the moment take your fancy.

Overall, Influence is a lovely little café and if, like me, you enjoy a spot of people-watching, there are window seats so you can sit back, enjoy your food, or drink, and watch the world go by.

Our bill came to £21.50 which, considering it was good quality food, I thought was a fair price.

Ratings (out of ten) Food quality: 7.5, Surroundings: 7.5, Value: 7.5, Service 7.5.

The café and bistro is open Monday - Friday 9am - 4pm, and Saturdays 9am - 5pm, and is located at 74 Skinnergate, Darlington, DL3 7LX.