Breakfast Week: London’s Best Coconut CreationsBy Alicia Grimshaw
If you haven’t heard it’s National Breakfast Week. As much as we love eggs Benedict, we’re spreading the coco-love this week with our pals over at The Coconut Collaborative. We’re celebrating them both by tucking into London’s best coconut breakfasts. Go nuts:
What: Caravan is simply the best place for brunch in London. I’m sorry, but it’s true. If you can’t handle an hour-long waiting time on weekends, try the Exmouth Market branch which tends to be a little calmer than its Kings Cross sibling. They do fantastic cornbread, avocado on toast and sensational porridge with date syrup, dates and banana.
Order: Coconut bread with lemon curd cream cheese and rhubarb (£7.50)
Why: Honestly, everything on the Caravan brunch menu is worth trying; their baked eggs with a rich tomato sauce, stirred with thick Greek yogurt, is simply divine. Don’t leave without trying the barbeque baked beans with fried eggs, mojo verde, coriander and toast too. Also, the their avocado on toast is heavenly – the combination of avocado and chilli on home-baked sourdough is simply wonderful.
Where: 11-13 Exmouth Market, London EC1R 4QD
What: Farm Girl in Notting Hill is the hip hangout for the yummy mummy and healthy crowd alike. This Aussie Cafe serve up smoothies, salads and all the brekkie dishes – you’ll be hard pressed to find something you don’t like.
Order: Benoit’s homemade buckwheat pancake mix, with amber maple syrup, fresh berries and coconut shavings.
Why: Come here for homemade granola, porridge and excellent coffee – prepare to queue on the weekends, the secret is out about Farm Girl. You can add avocado onto your porridge. We’re not sure if that’s something you want to do, but give it a go.
Where: 59A Portobello Rd, London W11 3DB
Photo Credit: Jaime Lee Carter
What: Greenberry is an independent, laid-back, casual cafe in Primose Hill. They’re big fans of using seasonal and sustainable produce to create global dishes that are flavoursome, and good for your too. Greenberry is open for breakfast right through until dinner with a menu of international fare.
Order: Homemade granola, coconut yoghurt, mixed berries and honey (£6.75)
Why: For perfect park-side brunch. Greenberry lends itself to being the ultimate weekend brunch spot with its location – you can’t go wrong with a big bowl of granola after a meander around Regent’s Park. For dinner, the guys at Greenberry have combined their love of food with their love of wine. Their wine list focuses on individual, eclectic and finely crafted wines from small producers with some stunning English sparkling wines on offer.
Where: 101 Regent’s Park Rd, London NW1 8UR
What: The Table Cafe is an gem of a place in Southwark. On weekdays they bash out incredible British dishes using the finest seasonal produce around, and come the weekends they’re a popular spot for their waffles, pancakes and coffee.
Order: The Elvis Flat Iron Waffles – roast marshmallows, toasted coconut, peanut butter and chocolate-hazelnut sauce served with double cream (£8)
Why: The Table’s brunch menu is epic, and we don’t use that word lightly. The full English Borough is a brunch dish fit for a king, containing all the usual fry up items including their homemade slow-cooked Borough baked beans which are pretty special. If you’re a gluten-free queen, their gluten-free pumpkin and pecan pancakes are little circles of heaven.
Where: 83 Southwark St, London SE1 0HX
Photo Credit: Janie Juliet
What: Voted Europe’s best independent coffee shop, Timberyard’s a friendly and welcoming space open to all to kick back with a brew or to work from pressure free. They do great food – from open sandwiches, healthy soups to the best white chocolate blondies, there’s something for every day.
Order: Coconut porridge with honey and berries (£4.50)
Why: Crowd pleasing coffee and tasty food is the reason why Timberyard is a firm favourite amongst coffee fans. They also do pinhead porridge by Shipton Mill – which is totally delicious. They strive to provide a simple but high quality menu, working with local artisan producers for emphasis on quality and variety.
Where: 61-67 Old St, London EC1V 9HW
6. For a Chia Pot: The Modern Pantry
What: Anna Hansen is the driving force behind The Modern pantry, a New Zealand-born chef who’s behind gems such as The Providores and PUBLIC in New York, certainly knows how to create a buzz. Since opening in 2008, the restaurant’s globally-inspired modern cuisine has earned Hansen a cookbook, an MBE and an epic reputation.
Order: The Modern Pantry chia seed pudding, blackberries, quinoa caraway toasted buckwheat, served with honey and coconut yoghurt (£6.20)
Why: The restaurant is truly beautiful. You can’t help but fall in love with the place; light, airy, clean-feeling, it’s what you’d imagine Martha Stewart’s house to look like at Thanksgiving, minus the tribunal papers. Dig in to expertly cooked brunch dishes including raspberry and ricotta pancakes, berry and liquorice compote with crème fraiche and wild garlic, pea, leek & pecorino fritters served with preserved lemon yoghurt and pickled mustard seeds. Come here for brunch and stay for their matcha latte.
Where: 47-48 St John’s Square, Clerkenwell, London, EC1V 4JJ
Photo Credit: Craving Goodness
7. For a Crepe: Plum + Spilt Milk
What: Plum + Spilt Milk at the Great Northern Hotel at King’s Cross is for the swanky brunchers. Using wholesome alternative grains and milks, natural sweeteners and superfoods, they cook up classic brunch dishes with their healthy twists.
Order: Buckwheat Crepe – Coconut yoghurt, mango and agave (£9.75)
Why: The grand setting of the dining room is ideal for an upmarket breakfast. From avocado on toast with tomato and poached eggs to the morning sundae with low-fat natural yoghurt, strawberries, passion fruit and muesli – the menu is hearty, fresh and utterly delicious. Total breakfast win.
Where: St Pancras Station, St Pancras International, Pancras Rd, Kings Cross, London N1C 4TB
Sponsored post in association The Coconut Collaborative – follow them on Twitter here, Facebook here and see the website here.
