5 Ways to Eat Brunch in London This WeekendBy Angelica Malin
The weather has turned, and now we have strong cravings for tea and porridge. Can’t beat the Great British weather, eh? Shelter from the elements this weekend and switch on your internal heating with Brigadiers’ spiced-filled BBQ menu or Greyhound Cafe’s Thai-style brunch. Happy feasting, folks:
1. For a Peruvian Brunch: Lima Floral
What: Fancy a brunch with a Peruvian twist? It’s about time you visited Lima Floral this weekend. The recently relaunched menu, by new Head Chef Patricia Roig, focuses on traditional flavours in a relaxed and informal environment with dishes designed to share.
Eat and Drink: The brunch menu highlights the different flavour combinations and textures that Peruvian gastronomy has to offer. Dishes include sea bream ceviche with ginger tiger’s milk, cassava and Andean corn; beef saltadito served with turnips, soy sauce and creamed corn; and chaufa rice with fried banana and spring onions. If you’re feeling boozy, upgrade your brunch to enjoy bottomless prosecco, beer or Pisco Marys.
Where: 14 Garrick St, London WC2E 9BJ
2. For a Sunday Lunch: Brigadiers
What: Free-Flowing Sundays at Brigadiers offers the ultimate Sunday social, with all the sporting action screened, alongside a three course BBQ Roast menu, and a dedicated Campari spritz bar on the outside terrace – all for £30 per person.
Eat and Drink: Highlights from the menu include wood roasted Goan pork with smoked mackerel sambol; dry tandoori masala steak with sappers egg; original butter masala rotisserie baby chicken; and wood roasted baby gobhi biryani. For dessert, choose either banana and yoghurt kulfi topped with fennel seed butterscotch and sweet pickled bananas, or chocolate and coconut kulfi with coconut mousse and crunchy coconut.
Where: 1-5 Bloomberg Arcade, London EC4N 8AR
3. For a New Brunch Menu: Smoke & Salt
What: Pop Brixton’s critically acclaimed Smoke & Salt are now doing brunch, and in true Smoke & Salt style, it’s different from any brunch menu you’ve seen before.
Eat and Drink: Experience dishes from the lighter section of the menu like the Guacaleeky Toast – sourdough, topped with homemade avocado-free leek guac and coriander. Indulge and go richer with the steak and eggs – bavette, crispy new potatoes, two eggs and sriracha cheese sauce, or balance it with something sweet such as the spiced plantain cake with seasonal fruit compote and whipped yoghurt.
Where: Pop Brixton, 49 Brixton Station Rd, London SW9 8PQ
4. For a Bangkok-Style Brunch: Greyhound Cafe
What: Greyhound Café is the first UK outpost of the cult Thai lifestyle café, founded by fashion mogul Bhanu Inkawat, fusing Thai tradition with tongue-in-cheek global influences in its food and design. And they’ve recently launched a new Bangkok-style weekend brunch menu, combining traditional Thai dishes with Greyhound’s signature fun twists on brunch favourites.
Eat and Drink: Try the likes of Thai-style egg and soldiers – Bangkok’s old-fashioned poached eggs in a cup with seasoning sauce Maggi, pepper and thickly cut soldiers, or for a spin on a British fry up, opt for the Spicy Kai Krata. Translated as ‘eggs baked in pan’, this is Greyhound Cafe’s Bangkok-meet-Esarn take, featuring minced chicken holy basil chilli bomb, sweet Chinese sausage, baked beans, tomatoes and Moo Yor lollipop, served with toast.
Where: 37 Berners St, Fitzrovia, London W1T 3LZ
5. For a New Brunch Opening: Abuelo
What: Launched by mother and daughter team Lynette and Cloe de la Vega with Argentinian and Australian heritage, Abuelo takes its name from the Spanish word for grandfather, and family is at the heart of the venue’s ethos. Their brunch menu is filled with organic, simple plates that are beautifully presented (their Insta game is strong).
Eat and Drink: The kitchen serves a number of exciting dishes including Huevos Divorciados de Turco: poached eggs ‘divorced’ by salsa roja and chimichurri, on a bed of labneh, with avocado cream and smoked paprika, and honey whipped mascarpone served with fresh figs, crushed salted pistachios and edible flowers on toast. With an ingredient-led and seasonal approach, there are plenty of plant-based options, such as the vegetarian Abuelo Bibi’Bowl, featuring sticky black rice with a poached egg, spicy tomato salsa, noodled carrot and courgette, crunchy kale and micro-cress.
Where: 26 Southampton St, London WC2E 7RS
Photo Credit: Covent Garden
