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B2B Diner | 7b Karimu Kotun street, Victoria Island | Instagram | +2348111111192 | Reisty Link

I first knew Breakfast 2 Breakfast (B2B) as the joint that hosted Onijekuje Lagos and his friends’ crazy attempt at spending 24 consecutive hours in a single restaurant — which they succeeded at btw. I wasn’t looking to do anything as crazy, but I needed a chill spot that could conveniently host me and about 10 of my friends for my ‘going away lunch’.

I searched for the diner on the Reisty app, the restaurant reservation platform that’s been easing our stress recently, and it came up so I made my reservation. The reservation process was seamless as could be. All I had to do was fill in my details and then pay a N10,000 reservation fee (N1,000 per guest) which would later be deducted from my bill at the restaurant. The reservation-commitment-phobics in the house are probably freaking out right now, but I promise you you can do it 👍🏽. I also got a free N2,000 towards my reservation just for using the app so that was pretty cool.

I got there in time for my reservation (2PM on a Sunday) and guys, I could not believe the amount of stairs I had to climb to get to the restaurant dining area. There was no warning sign of this on their social media, so I was completely taken aback. If the idea was for us to burn the calories from eating a tonne, shebi they could have given us an elevator for the journey upstairs and then have us do the fitness thing afterwards 🙏🏽. 

Anyhoo, once I got up and got the chance to catch my breath, I was pretty pleased with the space. Its decor was very much on theme; it was contemporary, not overtly fancy, comfy and diner-like. I also liked how spacious it was; there was enough space between both large and small tables so it didn’t at any point feel suffocating even as more people came. The music was set at a reasonable volume, loud enough to vibe to, but low enough for us to conveniently make conversation. Our waiter politely directed us to the table they had reserved for us and took our orders when we were ready. Btw, that readiness took a WHILE because imagine multiplying the indecisiveness of one babe by 8 😂. 

I found it odd that B2B didn’t put as much thought into designing their menu as they did with their space; it was just bare laminated sheets with the most basic text. Plus, their menu was a bit all over the place. There were standard breakfast and brunch offerings, which is their main theme, as well as offerings like noodles, Jollof rice and tacos. The drinks section had everything from a fine spread of hot beverages to lots of alcohol options. I get it cause it’s a 24-hour spot but it can also be overwhelming. Perhaps having different menus for different times of the day could help with this.

We started off with drinks: a Frappuccino for me and Virgin Passion Fruit Daiquiris for the girlies — one person got this first, then the others liked it and followed suit. I love the flavour and aroma of coffee, but I am too much of a sweet-tooth to do the straight coffee thing, so I resort to overly sweet and milky coffees and drinks like Frappuccinos. B2B’s Frappuccino sufficiently satisfied my coffee craving. It had a prominent coffee flavour, it was well blended and had just the right amount of sweetness, courtesy of the delicious caramel syrup. However, I feel like it could have done with a bit more cream. The daiquiri was equally sweet and super fruity, with a tangy aftertaste.

While the drinks got to us in under 15 minutes, the ‘hangry’ wait for the meals was so long that our drinks were almost finished by the time the meals got to us. We had a few pizzas and their Chicken Popcorn starter. The pizzas weren’t as cheesy as I would have appreciated, as they didn’t have enough of the classic cheese pull. Even the Margherita pizza didn’t have that, and that’s almost the whole point of a Margherita pizza. But at least the crust was thin — the way real pizza should be — and the sauce was abundant. Speaking of the sauce, it had quite a sharp acidic aftertaste, so perhaps it could have cooked a little more. It was still delicious though. The pepperoni slices were chewy, adequately salty and savoury. The chicken popcorn looked really crispy and I could instantly tell that they had used corn flakes for the crispy exterior, as opposed to a standard breadcrumb coating. I found that to be an interesting choice. On its own, it was a bit spicy and savoury, but that sweet chilli sauce dip took the flavour to the top—10/10 pairing.

Buttermilk Pancakes, with an omelette, bacon and sausages.

I ordered Buttermilk pancakes, because I wanted to be more spontaneous and step out of my typical waffles-for-brunch thing. Yeah, it was against my better judgement because these pancakes were deeply regrettable. They tasted like they were made with Hungry Jack pancake mix, which if they did use instead of making their own mix would be a huge insult to the N14k I spent on the meal. It also wasn’t fully done; I could taste the flour in it. I couldn’t go past a couple bites, so I quickly shifted my attention to the omelette, bacon and sausages that came with it. The sausages were very juicy, with a good amount of salt, while the bacon was overly fried; I may as well have been eating bacon-flavoured crackers. Oh and Lot’s wife helped them cure that bacon because it was wayy too salty. The omelette was decent, honestly no notes there.

French Toast, with scrambled eggs, bacon and sausages.

My friend’s French Toast meal also came with bacon, sausages and eggs—though she opted for hers to be scrambled. The french toast was infinitely better than the pancakes, as it was made with delicious melt-in-your mouth brioche bread. It wasn’t really sweet on its own, but with the maple syrup, it was an immaculate combo. Her bacon also wasn’t as crunchy or salty as mine. At this point, I could have actually gone to the kitchen to scream, ‘Why do you hate me?!’. At least, the scrambled eggs and sausages were equally decent.

We also had their Stir Fry Chicken Rice Noodles, which my friend had requested to be spicy but not make-me-shed-tears-level spicy, lol. They definitely delivered on her request, but the meal was not as flavourful as I would have liked. I liked the chicken bits though, they were smoky, with a prominent garlic flavour. They had a kebab-style texture which checks out since the owner of the restaurant is Lebanese.

The chicken in another friend’s Grilled Chicken and Chips was very similar in taste and texture. But in this case, I would have preferred if it was actually more juicy than dry, so it wouldn’t be as tiring. The chips were as fantastic as could be; well-salted, crispy, not soggy even when cold. It came with a pepper sauce, as opposed to ketchup. My friend wasn’t a fan, but I thought the sauce would have paired excellently with Dundun (yam fries) or sweet potato fries. 

The cheese that was missing in the pizzas found its way into the Shredded Beef Pesto Melt, which also came with fries. The sandwich was literally oozing with cheese when my friend split it into two. The crispy, firm exterior of the toasted bread balanced nicely with the sandwich’s gooey interior. The veggies packed a crunch and the meat strips were very tender. All in all, the sandwich was really juicy with a mix of flavours that all blended into a yummy medley. 

Their croissant was another pleasant surprise. It was a tad sweet, pillowy, soft, and clearly made with high quality butter. The ice cream was all good, delectable and super creamy, until I got to the chocolate flavoured scoop. That bit tasted like a random person mixed Oluji Pure Cocoa with sugar, water and milk and stuck it in the freezer, the type of ‘ice cream’ I’m sure I could replicated as a kid. 

Before I end this review, I should also note that I really liked B2B’s customer service, particularly that of its owner who was very involved. He was a friendly face who was keen on making sure my friends and I were having a good experience. Oh and also, since they’re a 24-hour diner, I was surprised that there weren’t that many charging points. I have a friend who visits B2B quite often to get work done at odd hours, as I imagine others do too.

POSTSCRIPT

I honestly see myself going back to B2B, despite feeling insulted by the low-quality the pancakes and ice cream. It’s a really chill place.

VERDICT

PARKING

Should take about 5 cars, so you’ll likely have to rely on street parking.

DAMAGE

Pepperoni Pizza - N14,000

Margherita Pizza - N11,000

Chicken Popcorn - N6,000

Virgin Passion Fruit Daiquiri - N6,000

Frappuccino - N5,500

Buttermilk Pancakes - N14,000

Stir Fry Chicken Rice Noodles- N10,000

French Toast - N14,000

Grilled Chicken and Chips- N16,000

Shredded Beef Pesto Melt - N13,500

Croissant - N4,000

Small Water - N1,500