Top 5: Ways to Eat Brunch in London This WeekendBy Alicia Grimshaw
You know the drill by now – if it’s covered in Hollandaise, we’re in. Up your brunch game this weekend with these top picks. Happy brunching, London:
1. For a New Brunch Spot: Arlo’s
What: Arlo’s in Balham have just introduced their new brunch menu, available every Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 3pm. If you’re not familiar with Arlo’s, here’s what you need to know: they’re big fans of beef, they source the highest quality steak and to serve it quickly and simply, and all of their milkshakes are mixed to order with fresh whole milk. Dreamy.
Eat and Drink: Meat. Lots of lovely meat. The Croque Moo’sieur is a beefy spin on the French classic – the ham has been ditched in favour of more cheese and more steak, or you can double the protein and order the Moo’dame with a free-range egg. The Full Arlo’s is everything we want from a brunch dish – bavette steak, roasted vine tomatoes, farmhouse trencher and two free-range fried eggs. And in keeping with the meat theme, opt for the toasted bavette trencher filled with chargrilled padron peppers on their signature garlic and herb trencher. As with many steak restaurants, there’s a token veggie dish – the roasted wild mushrooms are served on toasted farmhouse bread with aged feta, red chilli and rocket. There may be only one veggie choice, but it still tastes ruddy good.
Where: 1 Ramsden Rd, Balham SW12 8QX
Photo Credit: Ben Phillips Photography Ltd
2. For a New Bottomless Brunch: Tootoomoo
What: Turn your weekend up a notch with endless Asian tapas and free-flowing booze – Tootoomoo’s weekend brunch has landed! Running every Saturday and Sunday at Tootoomoo Islington and Tootoomoo Crouch End, kick start your Saturday or indulge in much-needed Sunday hair-of-the-dog with unlimited drinks and food for 1.5 hours (£35 per person with alcohol, £25 per person without).
Eat and Drink: Kick off your brunch with any drink on the menu. Choose from an exotic collection of cocktails including sweet Lychee Martinis, fiery Chilli Caipirinhas, and heady Tootoomojitos, made with rum, fresh lime, fresh mint, sugar and crushed ice. Combining Malaysian, Chinese, Japanese Thai and Vietnamese influences, the eclectic menu is filled with unique sharing dishes. Dive fork first into tender BBQ pork ribs, slathered in char shiu sauce and sesame, spicy shichimi squid with Japanese pepper and sweet chilli sauce, or moreish popcorn shrimp with nori dust and yuzu mayo. Get your fill of Asian classics and tuck into zesty Thai green curry or aromatic duck with pancakes.
Gimme More: Top off your bottomless brunch soiree with Fro-Yo topped with mango, passionfruit, or Oreos and chocolate pieces.
Where: Tootoomoo Islington: 278 St Paul’s Road, London, N1 2LH T: 020 7704 6687 and Tootoomoo Crouch End: 12 Crouch End Hill, London, N8 8AA T: 020 8340 2633
3. For a New South London Brunch: Nutbourne
What: The team behind the acclaimed restaurants, The Shed and Rabbit have been working on a new project in the heart of Battersea. Brought to London by talented brothers, Richard, Oliver and Gregory Gladwin, newly opened Nutbourne is an all-day brasserie and grill serving one of the best weekend brunches south of the river.
Eat and Drink: The brunch menu features classics, such as 2 eggs on sourdough toast, the full fry up featuring sausages, sweet cured bacon and black pudding all made from Nutbourne livestock and served with homemade sourdough brioche, and summer fruits compotes with natural yogurt and granola. Need your savoury fix? Order the sweet cured bacon bap (which comes served with a fried egg if you wish), soft boiled guinea fowl egg with mushroom Marmite soldiers, or the sweet corn fritters topped with chorizo and creme fraiche. And if you’re feeling virtuous, there’s Suffolk quinoa, chia porridge and maple syrup.
Gimme More: Wear trousers with a lot of give, and devour the BBQ Nutbourne beef burger. This beauty is topped with cheddar, pickled cucumber and aioli.
Where: 29 Ransomes Dock, 35-37 Parkgate Rd, London SW11 4NP
4. For a New Recovery Brunch: The Clapham North
What: You’ve had a mad Friday night (or Saturday, or both), and you’re feeling pretty peaky. There’s only one thing for it: eggs. Let the team at Clapham North get you back on fighting form and ready to go all over again with their new Recovery Brunch. One main dish and a cocktail costs £15 (with first aid kit included).
Eat and Drink: Their new recovery brunch menu will banish away any sore heads and tired eyes. To start, neck back either a Berocca cocktail (good grief), or a Bloody Mary before tucking into the main event. There’s muffins, topped with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce served with your choice of smoked bacon, spinach and mushrooms, or smoked salmon. And if eggs aren’t your bag, try the Boston beans with pulled bbq pork, smoked bacon, jumbo beans, cheddar cheese and toast. There’s a full English for all the meat fiends out there, and a killer veggie fry up for all the plant powered queens. Let’s not forget the wild mushrooms, spinach and potato hash, topped with melted taleggio cheese and crispy shallots.
Gimme More: For those ready to get back in the game simply add bottomless Prosecco for 1.5 hours for only £15.
Where: 409 Clapham Rd, London, SW9 9BT
5. For a Classic Brunch: Meat People
What: Meat People have been serving their tasty steaks for a good few years, and while their dinner menu draws in the crowds, let’s not forget about their brunch offering. Don’t be deterred by the word ‘meat’ in the name, there’s plenty of veggie dishes to go round.
Eat and Drink: For the brunch traditionalists, stick to what you know and order the egg Benedict, Florentine or Royale, or the smashed avocado on sourdough with poached eggs and crispy kale. There’s also omelettes filled with cheese, onion, mushrooms, bell peppers and spinach, or with ham, bacon and chorizo. It’ll be rude not to order a steak at Meat People, and their 180g rib-eye with fried eggs and chips is a certified winner. Their sausage platter is a proper meat feast – black pudding, wild boar sausage, chorizo, piccalli, gherkins, sauerkraut and grilled bread. And, there’s a great meat-less selection too; veggie fry up with 2 fried eggs, house beans, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach and potato rosti, and organic mushrooms on sourdough toast.
Gimme More: Don’t think the nice guys and gals have forgotten about sweet dishes, because they haven’t. Try the pancakes with fresh blueberries and maple syrup, or order a freshly baked pastry (or three).
Where: 4-6 Essex Road, London, N1 8LN
