Q: in 2018 how excited was I to hear that Pret intended to open in Ipswich?
A: very excited.
Q: in 2019 how exasperated was I to hear that Pret pulled out?
A: very exasperated.
Q: in 2022 how amused was I to see a Pret logo in Ipswich and then again?
A: very amused.

So, no Pret, not yet. But at least that familiar Pret deep red branding has finally gone from the Cornhill with the most welcome arrival of rival chain Jamaica Blue in the old Grimwades shop. They offer "classics with a twist" according to their site. And I should say I'd already had a couple of commendable coffee 'n' cakes in there before meeting the boy Andy for a late light lunch. Which works well for him, car-wise, since there's flat rate parking at Franciscan Way after 14:00.

Somewhat sunny stroll up past Cafe Myra and Central Canteen and Honey & Harvey and into a buzzin' super central Jamaica Blue: opened July 2025, BTW. Needing the loo, Andy spends nineteen nanoseconds deciding on his order, the £14 bang-bang burger with chips, and a berry smoothie, please. Lucky that one of us is still earning, eh? Might as well treat myself to the gyros in Yorkshire pudding, that traditional Greek/Leeds combo, and a key lime smoothie, please. Half an hour later, at our decent table with the decent view of the downtown 'Swich, I was digesting and helping him to finish his chips since he's meant to be cutting down the carbs. All good, never mind.

There's some very positive talk of outcomes from his stem cell treatment, another reason for indulging in some shared raspberry matcha cake and cream. This despite Andy drowning in home-grown raspberries. We're absently staring at the Cornhill water spouts when an August downpour kicks in: summer's nearly over, kids. Jamaica Blue will more than do.

If it was a car -- Island Cruiser.
If they were passing by -- Don Letts.

Like Broadway in the 2010s, Hamilton remains the big name in Felixstowe. Second, like Southwold in the 1930s, is possibly Orwell. We're talking roads, of course, specifically the A1021 that joins Garrison Lane in the west to Ranelagh Road in the east. Should you need evidence of time passing, try finding previously visited eateries along Orwell Road such as Comptons or Lillie's or Sangha or Silks.

Yet they keep coming, the latest being the floral Little Dreams which replaced the veritable Polish Hut mid 2024. Andy's nabbed a nice spot on Inspector Brownlow Road: that free hour will easily be enough, right? We're all set to sit outside on their solitary table-for-two when spots become free inside, a nifty window seat with a full frontal view of the Greenhouse Cafe.

Chocka in here with sketches of sweet treats on the wall. Time to order drinks at the counter first, so that'll be a medicinal cherry Dr Pepper for Andy and a fruity Tango Mango (a play on the 1971 album by Can?) for me. Yes, we're that sophisticated. There's more than one unfortunate apostrophe on view -- "jacket potato's" / "panini's" -- but we'll let that go. Half-hour wait on food, says the slightly harassed woman, if that's OK? That'll be fine, I say, and return to a seated position.

Great to have a catch-up after a few weeks. We've mostly caught up by the time the drinks arrive, and scratching around a bit when the same woman approaches our table to say she's now preparing our lunch. The girl who'd taken my order had to leave at 2pm for another job leaving only one poor person to do the lot. Into that second hour when food thankfully appears, and it's decent: chunky coronation chicken sandwich for YT and, unsurprisingly, the all-day breakfast bap (item number one on the menu) including hash brown for The Yorkshire Lad.

Now into our second hour and, with one of us due back in the office, there ain't no time to use their ice cream factory. Splending cake selection, though: takeaway flat white finished on the return journey before I very much enjoyed my white choc brownie in my ergonomic swivel chair.

If it was a car -- 2016 DS from Dreams Car, Slough.
If they were passing by -- Gabrielle.