Top 5: Ways to Eat Brunch in London This WeekendBy Alicia Grimshaw
The brunch klaxon has sounded and that can only mean one thing: it’s about time we started planning this weekend’s brunch. From an Italian themed brunch to a waffle inspired brunch menu, here’s our 5 top picks.
Wherever you’re heading for Bloody Marys and bacon this weekend, have a good’un:
1. For a New Brunch: Plum + Spilt Milk
What: Plum + Spilt Milk is launching an all new Saturday brunch menu this Saturday (3rd September). The new menu, created by Chef Director Mark Sargeant, is a celebration of modern British cuisine using high quality, seasonal produce. Quaff a selection of boozy breakfast favourites, such as Bucks Fizz, Bellinis and, of course, Bloody Marys.
Eat: Available every Saturday between 11.00am and 3.00pm, the brunch menu includes a varied selection of breakfast and brunch dishes alongside all-day dining choices. Eggs appear in a number of guises such as; Dorset lobster benedict, brioche eggy bread with banana, pecans and salted caramel, and Macsween’s haggis with fried duck egg. Fuelling London’s love affair with avocado on toast, the brunch favourite will be offered two variations; with tomato and chilli on granary, or with Portland crab on sourdough. Heartier highlights include Plum + Spilt Milk’s full English, smoked haddock kedgeree with soft poached egg, chill and coriander, and Mey Selection sirloin steak with two fried eggs and paprika potatoes.
Where: Great Northern Hotel, Kings Cross St Pancras Station, Pancras Rd, London N1C 4TB
2. For an Italian Brunch: Theo’s Simple Italian
What: Theo’s Simple Italian at Hotel Indigo Kensington is throwing open the restaurant doors this weekend to celebrate their new Italian four course brunch menu, available for the first time from Saturday (3rd September). This brunch concept has been designed by Chef Director Theo Randall with a focus on Italian style sharing, ideal for families and friends looking to celebrate the weekend together.
Eat: In true Italian style, the new menu begins with an assortment of starters designed to share for the whole table, before individual Primi and Secondi courses are served. The Piatto di Antipasti will feature a variety of Italian classics such as: buffalo mozzarella, marinated artichoke, and prosciutto di Parma. Choose between fresh pasta and risotto from the Primi section, such as pappardelle con ragù di manzo – fresh pasta with slow cooked beef in Chianti and San Marzano tomatoes, and risotto di mare, a bowlful of risotto with vongole, prawns, squid, mussels, tomatoes, chilli and parsley. For Secondi, choices will include arrosto di faraona, wood roasted guinea fowl stuffed with prosciutto di Parma and mascarpone on pagnotta bruschetta, and a more traditional Italian brunch dish of frittata with zucchini, caprino fresco, marjoram and mixed Italian leaves. To finish, sharing dishes are once more embraced with a feast of Piatto di dolci, featuring Theo’s famous Amalfi lemon tart and ricotta cheesecake with pears marinated in marsala and vanilla.
Where: 34-44 Barkston Gardens, London SW5 0EW
What: Oslo restaurant, bar and live music venue in Hackney has just launched some new hearty, savoury waffles as part of their rejuvenated weekend brunch menu, available from 10am throughout the day until 5pm. Come and bathe in all the waffles this weekend.
Eat: The two new waffles that appear on the menu are: the Nordic Cure, two Clarence Court eggs any style with chorizo, smoked bacon, haloumi, avocado, grilled peppers and homemade chilli beans on their signature waffle, and the Veg Cure – two Clarence Court eggs and style with avocado, halloumi, grilled pepper, Portobello mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and homemade chilli beans on waffles. And of course, their prized sweet waffles are also available. We’re talking about their breakfast of champions waffle topped with yogurt, strawberries, blueberries and granola, drizzled in honey, and the Nutella spilt with banana, butterscotch sauce, candied walnuts and Nutella.
Where: 1a Amhurst Rd, London E8 1LL
4. For a New Brunch Dish: The Riding House Cafe
What: Just a stone’s throw from Oxford Street, The Riding House Café is perfectly situated to welcome sore-footed shoppers and hungry brunchers with open arms. The modern all-day brasserie is open on both Saturday and Sunday to cure your brunch needs. They’ve upgraded their weekend brunch menu with a new dish, and it’s a corker.
Eat: The new venison Benedict is available throughout September and features an English muffin, topped with wild mushrooms, venison, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. If you’re a sweet lass, order their famous buttermilk pancakes topped with berries, vanilla clotted cream and maple syrup, or the strawberries and poached pears with granola and yogurt. Egg lovers won’t be disappointed with the choice – get your knife and fork stuck into the slow roasted pork shoulder with barbecue baked beans and fried eggs, scrambled eggs on toast with bacon and mushroom, or the smoked haddock kedgeree with soft boiled egg and pea shoots. Best washed down with one of their home-made juices.
Where: 43-51 Great Titchfield St, London W1W 7PQ
5. For an All Day Brunch: VQ Notting Hill
What: VQ, the 24 Hour Café and Diner that has been feeding and watering customers round the clock for 20 years in Chelsea and more recently on Great Russell Street WC1, has just opened its first non-24 hour site in Notting Hill. It’s still open till 3am on Saturdays, so there’s plenty of time to chow down on their pancakes.
Eat: It’s a traditional brunch affair at VQ. Like a savoury brunch? Try the poached eggs, avocado and chilli jam on toasted sourdough, or the equally excellent bubble ‘n’ squeak topped with poached eggs, crispy bacon and hollandaise. Other dishes on the menu include; bacon baps, a full English and Eggs Benedict. Veggies have not been forgotten – feast on scrambled eggs on toast, the veggie breakfast featuring fried egg, toasted english muffin, wilted spinach, hash browns, grilled tomato, mushroom, baked beans, and the Eggs Florentine with spinach. VQ are all about the sweet life, too. There’s pancakes with mixed fruit and maple syrup, and you can also throw on crispy bacon, ice cream or nutella, or all three if you wish.
Where: 24 Pembridge Road, Notting Hill, W11 3HL
