Darts prodigy Luke Littler chose Millennium Café in Chapel Market as his destination for omelettes while in London for the world championships. And runner-up, aged 16. Those ham-flecked eggs must have something about them.
I assume Littler was staying nearby. Why else would he have chosen the place? It is nondescript; it isn’t one of the famous greasy spoons like E. Pellicci or Norman’s. That’s not to say the place doesn’t exude charm.
It’s quite rare I visit this part of Islington. I found myself softening to the area while walking past the fishmongers and market stalls. It's a shame the pie and mash shop, M. Manze, closed in 2017. The butcher, the Meat Market, suffered the same fate soon after. I saw something about the pie shop being turned into a low-intervention wine bar recently but it appears both are gathering dust.
There were press shots of Luke strolling down Chapel Market with his family during the competition. When asked about how he prepares for darts matches, he told reporters: "I'll keep doing what I have been doing. I don't wake up until 12, in the morning go for my ham and cheese omelette, come here and have my pizza, and then go on the practice board."
I followed suit: a ham and cheese omelette for a respectable £8.40. Bullseye? It’s an accomplished one, generous with ham, not too much cheddar so that it’s gluey — I despite those American-style dishes that use so much cheese it’s like eating thick fondue — but enough to ensure softness.
For the money, fries are included. I think Millennium serves ones from the catering brand Maxi Fries or similar — 10mm, my favourite size, and excellent as far as bought-in goes: that crispy outside coating but tender within. I paid extra for salad and appreciated the lettuce because it was shredded, the cucumber because it was chopped into thin batons, and the tomatoes because they were juicy and small. This style of salad might be because the owners (of ten years; the café has been there 25) are Turkish. Kebabs are on the menu alongside the fry ups, jacket potatoes and £3.50 sandwiches. Phenomenal price for a sandwich in 2024, by the way.
Anyway, there wasn’t any talk of Luke in the café. No photos on the wall of this teenage darts sensation. I doubt any of the other lunchtime diners were visiting the place because of him. Though there was a good crowd: a group of young, Next-suited lads; a very old couple, presumably Islington born-and-bred, dining slowly by the window; painters — the decorating variety; a family grabbing a happy lunch. I liked how busy it was.
So, yes, Luke chose a good spot for his omelettes. For under a tenner — he had yet to win his £200,000 — comes an enormous lunch. The coffee is sweet and frothy and the food is served quickly, which leaves plenty of time for darts practice.
Maybe Luke will return next year, win the tournament, and then finding a table at Millennium will become impossible. Sort of hope so. It mustn’t suffer the same fate as the other old timers on the street.
