Top 5: Ways to Eat Brunch in London This WeekendBy Alicia Grimshaw
Don’t settle for hard yolks and crap coffee. Read on to discover where you should be brunchin’ in London this weekend. Have a good’un, chums:
1. For a New Brunch Menu: Mustard
What: On Saturday (12th), the vibrant British-centric brasserie Mustard will open its doors for brunch with a brand new, knock-your-socks-off menu. The restaurant in Brook Green from founders Lawrence Hartley, Tim Healey and Head Chef Jason Wild is committed to serving seasonal food and responsibly sourced ingredients from the nation’s finest purveyors for a quintessentially British brunch.
Eat and Drink: It’s out with the avo and in with the nettles at Mustard, The Full Green Mustard sees Calder Valley nettles and oats accompany grilled rainbow chard, poached free range eggs, roast tomato, woodland tomatoes, and toasted wholemeal bloomer. Its carnivorous cousin, The Full Mustard, cuts the mustard for the traditionalists, served with treacle bacon, Cumberland sausage, roast tomato, woodland mushrooms, house baked beans, poached free range eggs, and toasted wholemeal bloomer. Other classics on the breakfast menu include, smoked salmon, scrambled eggs and rainbow chard, and smoked haddock, kale and potato omelette. Later in the day, the menu will include Brixham crab and shaved fennel salad; roast chicken leg, creamed potato with onion and tarragon sauce; Scotch rump steak with herb butter and poached pear and sweet cheese for pud.
Where: 98 – 100 Shepherd’s Bush Road, Brook Green, London, W6 7PD
2. For a New Brunch Spot: Cure + Cut
What: Cure + Cut is a new meat-tastic spot which opened a few months ago on Monmouth Street, Seven Dials. Known for their pastrami and smoked meat numbers, the delicatessen delivers authentic deli favourites perfect for breakfast and lunch. Good news fellow brunchers; Cure + Cut are now selling their brunch creations at weekends.
Eat and Drink: Like savoury? There’s tons of dishes to choose from, including the house oak-smoked streaky bacon, egg and swiss cheese brioche bun, and the house oak-smoked streaky bacon brioche roll. If you’re pinning for your avvy fix, no sweat – Cut + Cure serve their avocado on toast with a fried egg. If sugar makes you weak at the knees, try the French toast, topped with house-smoked streaky bacon and maple syrup, or the Greek yoghurt, served with muesli, and honeycomb. Grab now of their muffins for the journey home – there’s great filling to chose from – fig and honey, peaches and cream or coffee, banana and hazelnut. Yum.
Where: 36 Monmouth Street, Seven Dials, London WC2H 9HB
3. For a Sunday Brunch: Shackfuyu
What: Man, we love Shackfuyu. We seriously do. Ever since we tried their kinako French toast with matcha soft serve ice cream – we’ve become avid fans. And you know what, Shackfuyu isn’t just a weeknight dinner hangout. Their Sunday brunch menu is a must for any Shackfuyu enthusiast, and well, anyone who enjoys a boozy brunch with a Japanese edge.
Eat and Drink: For £35 per person, choose 2 small dishes and 1 big dish. Also included in the price is unlimited prosecco and pineapple sake. Done deal. Highlight from the small dishes menu include; korean fried wings; edamame with sweet chilli soy; miso aubergine; seabass ceviche with pickled tomatoes; buttermilk fried chicken bun topped with kimchee; and Japanese potato salad. The salmon tataki and the fried omelette with cornish crab and oyster sauce, both come highly recommended by us. Moving onto the large plates menu, if you like fish – order the grilled sea trout fillet with yuzu miso, and meat fans can tuck into the USDA beef short rib, cooked bo ssam style. If you like none of the above, there’s mixed mushroom and chilli hot stone rice, or the veggie chilled chilli ramen. The best bit is yet to come; the kinako French toast with soft serve ice-cream is served to share for dessert (insert hands up emoji here).
Where: 14a Old Compton St, London W1D 4TJ
4. For a New Brunch: Caravan Bankside
What: Caravan have spread their brunch wings – with their new restaurant now open on London Bankside. The new restaurant is housed on the ground floor of the old Metal Box Factory on Great Guildford Street, and features Caravan’s all-day food menus, along with innovative new dishes, and the much-loved Caravan brunch classics.
Eat and Drink: The weekend brunch menu features many of the signature dishes that Caravan has become known for such as baked eggs with tomato pepper ragout; Greek yoghurt and Aleppo chilli; and jalapeno corn bread French toast. Other dishes on the menu include, kimchi pancake, with slow roast pork belly and gochujang ketchup, and sunny duck egg, and salt beef brisket hash with pickled cucumber, poached eggs and hollandaise. Their red quinoa and organic oat porridge, topped with stewed pear and blackberries is not to be missed. In addition, new creations from Miles and his kitchen team draw on unusual flavour combinations, with dishes including lardo biscuits with wild soy wild mushrooms; chicken and rice brunch banquet, and potsticker dumplings.
Where: The Old Metal Box Factory, 30 Great Guildford Street, Bankside, London SE1 0HS
5. For a New Autumn Brunch Menu: Friends of Ours
What: Haven’t ever tried brunch at Friends of Ours? We’re not friends. Sorry. These guys are all about the brunch life, and their coffee game is strong. If you hanker after a killer latte and a perfectly poached egg on a Saturday morning – get yourself down to Friends of Ours, stat.
Eat and Drink: Friends of Our’s new autumn brunch menu is a treasure trove of savoury options. We’re talking about sweetcorn and beetroot fritters, served with kasundi, feta, baby mint, poached egg, smashed avocado and coriander, and the almighty brunch muffin with a big Asian twist – indian spiced sausage patty, onion bhaji, black pudding, fried egg, raita, coriander, on a toasted english muffin. Still hungry? The smoked corn and pancetta hash is served alongside crushed new potatoes, watercress tartare, poached egg and spring onion (it’s also gluten-free, fyi). Like sweet? Order the brioche French toast topped with caramelised banana, honeycomb pieces, creme fraiche, butterscotch sauce and candied pecans. If you’re on the health wagon, the apple and elderflower bircher with raspberry labneh, chia seeds, toasted nuts, elderflower poached fruit, baby mint and tagette flowers is fantastic.
Where: 61 Pitfield Street, Hoxton, N1 6BU