About Time: You Had Brunch in the Sunshine This WeekendBy Angelica Malin
It’s very important to remember that brunch in the sunshine tastes much, much better. Hurry London, before someone eats all the Eggs Benedict:
1. For Relaxed Brunch: Eelbrook
What: A hidden gem of a restaurant with an airy space and heated terrace that offers Modern British cuisine and great cocktails, Eelbrook is a great option if you want a countryside feel without leaving the city. Eelbrook sits on New Kings Road, and its outside dining area spills out seamlessly onto the vast Eel Brook Common – it’s a popular haunt for the Made in Chelsea crowd, but don’t let that put you off – a dynamic menu by head chef Brett Barnes and great location, this makes for the perfect spot for a delicious al fresco brunch at the weekend.
Eat: Seasonal, delicious fresh food from the British Isles. Think: avocado and chilli on Sourdough bread with a poached egg, ricotta pancakes with blueberries and creme fraiche, and a great Full English with chorizo baked beans.
Why: Located in the south east corner of Eel Brook Common in the heart of Fulham, the restaurant boasts a stylish interior by Hakkasan Las Vegas designer Haruo Morishima and a unique heated terrace allowing for year-round al fresco dining. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it’s a great spot for getting away from the hustle and bustle of Central London.
Where: Eel Brook Common, New King’s Road, Fulham, London SW6 4SE
2. For Spring Brunch: Tom’s Kitchen
What: Spring has sprung at Tom’s Kitchen – Tom’s Kitchen Canary Wharf, Chelsea and St Katherine’s Docks are offering guests new a la carte spring menu, and a spring-inspired weekend brunch. Everything created by Tom Aikens’ fair hand is good news, I’ll tell you that for free. The brunch menus feature seasonal delights, as well as some literally incredible brunch cocktails. For al fresco dining, try Tom’s Kitchen at Somerset House with its new outdoor terrace – perfect for the summer months.
Eat: For the healthy brunchers, try the superfood granola with honey, Greek yoghurt, milk. For the indulgent ones, you can’t miss the brioche French toast with caramelised apples, cinnamon cream, berry pancakes and Eggs Benedict. If you like avocado on toast, you’ll their twist on the classic – it comes with chilli, cashew nuts, mixed seeds, farmhouse toast. Tom’s Kitchen eggs are from Clarence Court in Liskeard, Cornwall, which makes them super creamy and delicious.
Why: They also serve up amazing drinks – try the Breakfast Martini with gin, cointreau, marmalade if you’re feeling wild or a beetroot, apple and celery juice f you’re feeling fragile. Brunch perfection.
Where: Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA
3. For Market Brunch: Rosewood London
What: Rosewood London has recently launched a weekly Slow Food & Living Market in the serenity of the hotel’s grand inner courtyard. The weekly market, open every Sunday, is endorsed by Slow Food UK and is the only dedicated Slow Food & Living Market in London with 30 different merchants. It’s got a lovely buzz about it – come to celebrate bountiful and wholesome produce with rural farmers, and pick up ingredients for your own picnic brunch.
Eat: All the eggs. Eggs Benedict, Eggs Florentine, Eggs Royale – they are all simply amazing here.
Why: Rosewood London’s culinary offerings, Holborn Dining Room, Scarfes Bar and the Mirror Room, are offering special dishes and wines incorporating Slow ingredients. You’ve got to try Holborn Dining Room – a grand brasserie with serves up seasonal, locally sourced British cuisine, it’s absolutely amazing. Saturday and Sunday brunch is served 12-5 in the Holborn Dining Room. Slow Food Market is open 10-3 every Sunday.
Where: 252 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EN
4. For a Boozy Brunch: Heddon Street Kitchen
What: Heddon Street Kitchen does a cracking breakfast. Nestled within the Regent Street Food Quarter and mere moments from the pavement-pounding of Oxford Street, Heddon Street Kitchen is great for an al fresco pit stop. It’s great for a quick bite – the restaurant has an ideal piazza for grabbing a quick sunshine bite washed down with one of its signature cocktails from the bar.
Eat: Blueberry buttermilk pancakes with banana and maple syrup, and avocado on pumpernickel with a poached egg and mustard mayo. If you’re feeling super indulgent, try the English Lobster Roll with Thousand Island dressing, lettuce, tomato with house-made paprika chips. Brunch perfection.
Why: Anyone that has a dedicated Brunch Cocktails menu gets my vote. Try their Red Snapper (£10) with Bombay Sapphire gin, tomato juice, HSK Bloody Mary spice mix, raspberry syrup, fresh basil, Crofts pink port, Tio Pepe sherry. It’s almost too easy to drink.
Where: 3–9 Heddon Street, London W1B 4BE
5. For Trendy Brunch: Sea Containers
What: After the launch of their incredible weekend brunch (which you can read about here), Sea Containers at Mondrian London have added a Bloody Mary cart and more terrace seating to their brunchoffering. Come for the blueberry pancakes, they are the best we’ve ever tried in London.
Eat: Brunch-goers can design bespoke Bloody Marys by selecting their preferred ingredients from a tick box menu. The personalised cocktail will then be mixed at the new Bloody Mary cart – the tick box menu offers a choice of spirits and tomato juices as well a range of additional ingredients, hot sauces, garnishes, and salt rims. Garnishes range from classic celery through to oysters and bacon while choices of hot sauces range from Tabasco to Cholula and Sriracha.
Why: With additional seats on the Sea Containers terrace, you can now choose to brunch alfresco this summer. The restaurant will also be throwing open their floor to celling windows for brunch to give a summery, alfresco feel to their dining room. Sunshine brunch, can’t get much better than that, can you?
Where: 20 Upper Ground, London, SE1 9PD
