Tag Archives: brunch

The Attendant

29 Apr

I drank coffee out of a urinal last weekend. What? I did! And it wasn’t just me. Around fifteen other people were crammed into a Victorian public toilet in London’s NOHO drinking Caravan coffee and nibbling on sweet and savoury treats. You don’t believe me? Well you’ll just have to go and see it for yourself.

It was a sunny Saturday and Jack and I arrived at The Attendant at 1pm to sample the coffee and French toast. We trundled down the steps and arrived in the small underground room full with good looking youngsters sipping on flat whites, reading papers and laughing with friends.

We took a pew at one of the original urinals, which have been converted into tables and watched the customers pour through the doors to grab a coffee and a cake. As I waited I glanced around the room and fell in love with the design of the place. Beautiful original Victorian tiles adorned the walls and the floor, the door to the kitchen was painted a distressed orange with an old fashioned ‘attendant’ sign nailed into it and a communal table sat at the back of the room, surrounded by original Victorian restored furnishings – The Attendant is a feast for the eyes are well as the stomach.

Our coffees arrived and without even sipping I could tell that it was going to be good. The milk was smooth and there wasn’t a bubble in sight on the beautiful latte art. I took a sip and my initial thoughts were confirmed. Smooth, strong and utterly delicious – in fact, one of the best flat whites I’ve had in London.

My French toast arrived and I was in for a treat. Fresh, sweet and juicy fruit was strewn across two thick slices of French toast, which was drenched in a vanilla syrup and served with a vanilla crème fraîche. I shared half with Jack and we also shared a toasted wrap, which was good but not quite as enjoyable as the magnificent toast.

I loved The Attendant and I think the guys behind it have done a superb job. They have taken a beautiful Victorian landmark and turned it into something for all to enjoy. I can’t wait to go back for another one of those flat whites.

The Attendant
27A Foley Street
London
W1W 6DY
0207 637 37 94

Tags: , , , , ,

The Premises, Kensington, Melbourne

17 Jan

I’m so glad my brother lives in Melbourne as that provided me with an excuse to visit when I was staying Perth. Hop on a flight and 4 hours later you’re in the wonderful city.

He lives in Kensington, which is not too far out from the city. I did my research this time – last year when I visited, I didn’t do any and I definitely found it more enjoyable this time – snooting out the best cafes, lunch and dinner spots around the city.

We only had 2 full days in Melbourne as we also took a trip to Mt Martha to visit my boyfriends family friends so we had a lot to cram in.

Day one, the first brunch. I wanted to go to Spinifex but it was closed over the Christmas and New Year period but luckily a new cafe has just opened a few doors down called The Premises.

The cafe is not quite on the corner of the street – it takes up a lovely shaped space that nestles on either side of the corner shop. The cafe is furnished with old school desks and what looked to be reclaimed furniture (although most of which I believe was made by the owners dad!) The colour theme is green – the tiles and lamps and chairs are all a beautiful emerald green.

First thing was first, a Flat White and a freshly squeezed Orange Juice was in order. The Coffee was absolutely amazing and sourced from Seven Seeds. I found that the best coffee in Melbourne seemed to be Seven Seeds. I know that a coffee is good when I don’t need to add sugar to it! The OJ was tangy and fresh as a daisy.

We then ordered a couple of dishes from the brunch menu – the Ras al Hanout Baked Beans, Feta, Corriander & Chilli Zhoug with toast and simple poached eggs on toast with ‘Nana Kath’s chutney’.

I love the way that ‘baked beans’ don’t mean Heinz in Australia. Moreover, the beans are homemade with Butter Beans, Canelini Beans, fresh Tomato Sauce and a Chilli kick. This dish had added spices and a subtle heat from the Chilli Zhoug. I wished there was slightly more Feta cheese on the top but maybe that’s just my greed or because I was sharing.

The Poached Eggs were cooked perfectly and I really enjoyed the chutney, which I would never had put on the side of this dish myself.

The Premises was a great start to our Melbourne foodie adventure. I am so jealous of my brother, I wish that I had this cafe on my doorstep!

202 Bellair Street
Kensington
Melbourne
Australia

The Premises on Urbanspoon

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Sayers, Leederville

28 Dec

Another day, another early beach walk followed by a delicious brunch. This time – Sayers in Leederville, my favourite suburb in Perth.

Having had one of the best brunches of my life here last year, the visit this morning was highly anticipated. Having already had French Toast and Pancakes, I decided to go for a savoury option.

Three of us decided to share two savoury dishes and then get the Crepes with Hot Chocolate dipping sauce and Peanut Brittle for pudding. The breakfast menu is pretty large and Sayers pride themselves on providing the best quality ingredients including locally baked Barrett’s Bread, fresh free range eggs from Pioneer Farms, Perth Pura Milk and 5 Senses Coffee.

We shared the Claypot of Sayers Coriander and Cumin Beans, Baba Ganoush, Poached Egg & Toasted Rosemary Oiled Turkish Bread and the Potato Rosti, Poached Eggs, Bacon, Onion Jam, Lemon and Scented Wilted Spinach.

My boyfriend ordered the beans last year and they stuck in his memory – we have recreated this dish a few times over the last year when we’ve had time for a lazy Sunday brunch. The Chickpeas and Butterbeans are slow cooked in a tomato sauce and topped with a perfectly runny Poached Egg. I didn’t try and of the Baba Ganoush as I’m not a fan of Aubergines but the Coriander sauce was fantastic – almost like Pesto.

The Potato Rosti came as a fat wedge, accompanied by two slices of Bacon with the Onion Jam slathered on top of the Rosti. I didn’t notice at the time but they had substituted the Spinach for Rocket – I do prefer Rocket so in retrospect it was probably better! There were also two Poached Eggs on the top, again cooked perfectly and with a sprinkling of delicious fresh Parmesan.

We finished the two savoury dishes and moved onto the Crepes. I have to say that they were slightly disappointing. They came in a fancy bowl with rounds of Orange, which was not on the menu and not to any of our liking! The hot Chocolate Sauce that came in a small bowl was faultless but the Crepes themselves were doughy and not cooked properly. This however is no reflection on the cafe and when I told the waitress, she gladly took them away and promptly replaced them with a fresh batch. We realised that the batter might be too floury because apart from being slightly browner and crispier on the outside, the middle was still quite doughy.

My boyfriends sister had her own dish – the Nutty Muesli with Poached Pear, Yoghurt and Honey. I was slightly jealous as this was what I had my mind on before we arrived at the Cafe due to seeing it last year and liking the look of it. The only reason that I didn’t order it is because I think I could have that anywhere and make it just as good myself.

Sayers also have a wide range of freshly baked cakes (amazing flourless chocolate cake) although it’s expensive even for one slice. At $7, it’s worth getting the breakfast.

The coffee is also exceptional. Aussies often complain about the Brits coffee when they come over to the UK and I can see why. I tasted (or should I say stole about 1/3) of my boyfriends Latte and it was beautifully creamy and not too strong.

I only have another 8 days in Perth and I’m praying that I’m going to find a moment to go back to order the Muesli for myself.

224 Carr Pl Shop 1
Leederville, 6007
(08) 9227 0429
http://www.sayersfood.com.au

Sayers on Urbanspoon

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Beaches Cafe, Cottesloe

27 Dec

When it’s 40 degrees in the midday sun, it’s better to wake up early and have a walk along the beach or around the river.

So on Boxing Day, we did just that. 9am and the beach was mobbed with people walking and playing with their dogs – it was great to see. We worked up a breakfast hunger and after our walk headed to Cottesloe to get some brunch.

The place we went last year for an amazing brunch was unfortunately closed so we wandered down the front and reached Beaches Cafe. It was very busy – probably because it was one of the only places open for breakfast.

You order your food at the counter and pay – cash only. As there were 9 of us, we had to pay a deposit and run to the bank. They serve a wide range of juices and smoothies plus hot and cold breakfasts. They also have around three specials each day.

One of our party asked for one of the smoothies to be made with Soya Milk instead of Apple Juice, to which the girl that was serving replied ‘I don’t make it with Apple Juice’. Slightly shocked, our party member asked if they were ready made. Her reply was no but that she just doesn’t make it like that. Eventually she budged.

I ordered the Pancakes with Banana, Maple Syrup and Whipped Cream, my boyfriend ordered the Eggs Benedict and there were a few other dishes ordered, along with Chocolate Milkshake and three smoothies.

IMG_4348

The Pancakes arrived and I was shocked at the size of them – four massive Pancakes drenched in Maple Syrup with a mound of Banana and Whipped Cream. Yum. Not delicious but good. My boyfriends Eggs Benedict was again good, but not great. The Hollandaise sauce looked slightly orange, rather than an enticing creamy colour and the Ham tasted slightly plastic like. The egg was cooked perfectly and the yolk burst out all over the Muffin.

IMG_4351

The smoothies arrived and one of them was wrong and one of them was warm – not a good start. They were sent back and took so long to come back out that we eventually cancelled them. My boyfriends dad ordered a Raspberry Pastry tart, which also never turned up so a refund was in order for the smoothies and the tart. As soon as they brought the money out, they brought with it another Chocolate Milkshake and the illusive Raspberry tart to say sorry. Why they could not have brought this out as quickly after we ordered it I do not know.

The staff were extremely rude and the service was terrible. Maybe it was the fact that they seemed overrun with customers and there were hardly enough staff to deal with it.

The food was ok but I’ve come to expect more from brunch in Australia because I’ve had so many good experiences and at $16.50 for Pancakes, they could do better. But having said that, this cafe was the equivalent of a greasy spoon in the UK and I really know which one I would prefer. I’d love to be able to go to the beach in the UK and order a huge portion of fat Pancakes from a beach cafe! There’s hope yet.

Beaches Cafe
122 Marine Pde
Cottesloe, 6011
(08) 9384 4412

Beaches Cafe on Urbanspoon

Tags: , , , , ,

The first Brunch. Toast, East Perth

24 Dec

I’m probably one of the luckiest people that passed through Heathrow last weekend. Normally I would be so happy that snow had stuck to the ground but not then. Two days before we were due to fly to Australia, the snow came thick and fast and temperatures dropped to their lowest for 20 years. There was carnage at Heathrow airport, which was the worst affected airport in the country. Great. 

We weren’t able to get much information as our airlines phone lines were engaged for two days – finally we got through to Heathrow on the morning who said that our flight was scheduled. We arrived to queues to even get into the airport – they weren’t letting you in unless your flight was going. Struggling to hear the Heathrow workers, we stood behind a mass of people eagerly awaiting an announcement. Then it came, our plane had just landed from Singapore – and we were in. Straight to the check in, straight through security and a short wait before we boarded the plane. We were sat on the runway for 2 hours but as soon as we took off were thanking our lucky stars. I felt awful for the people who were spending a third night sleeping on the floor.

I had done my research before I arrived this time and to my delight one of the best places for brunch in Perth is called Toast and it is right below the apartment. Annoyingly, most cafes in East Perth close over Christmas and don’t open again until 6th Jan so we went on our second day for lunch.

IMG_4260

I had my eye on the French Toast with Ricotta and Blueberries before I even left London so I had that and my boyfriend shared the Roasted Tomato with Basil, Avacado and Feta on Toast with his mum. The portions were pretty large and more than enough for two people sharing – in this heat anyway!

IMG_4264

I became obsessed with brunch after my Australia visit last year. The Auzzies have it right – not a fry up in sight and I love it!

Toast cafe view

Toast is situated on the River, which provides a beautiful setting and next to a bustling restaurant, which provides a fantastic atmosphere. They sell a wide range of foods, amazing hot drinks and milkshakes plus home baked cakes, which looked delicious. It’s such a shame that they’re not open again until the day before I go back to England.

I will be visiting my brother in Melbourne in a couple of weeks so expect more delicious brunch posts!

Toast
21/60 Royal Street
East Perth WA 6004
(08) 9221 0771

Toast on Urbanspoon

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lantana – the best brunch in London?

24 Oct

The Greedy Diva recommended Lantana when we met up shortly after I had visited her hometown of Melbourne. I told her how impressed I was with the breakfasts, brunches and cafe culture in Australia and how frustrating it is to come back to London and not have great food like that widely available. Put it this way, there isn’t a Starbucks on every corner over there.

I was in Australia for a month and in that time visited Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. Most of the places that I ate served delicious food and I didn’t have a bad meal (apart from the Vietnamese that some of you may have read about). I was excited by the fact that most places, even little convenience stores sold what appeared to be delicious, delectable homemade banana bread and (I am told) great coffee.

Two places that really stood out for me were Fringe in St Kilda, Melbourne and The Food Pharmacy in Dunsborough. Above is French toast with fruit compote and creme fraiche at Fringe.

Being a food lover and not being able to find decent fresh and delicious food so easily made coming back to London almost depressing.

I came back with a mission, which of course I’m not going to fulfil (yet anyway). I want to bring good homely fresh food to the UK – I want people to realise that buying an 80p cookie from a ‘fresh’ bakery in a Tesco Metro is not the best option. I want more independent coffee shops to serve homemade cakes, fresh salads and sandwiches, not that tasteless cardboard rubbish you get in the supermarket.

I don’t want to go into a Starbucks and buy an overpriced tasteless muffin. I want to walk into newsagents and be able to buy blueberry teacake that is not 4 days old or stuffed full of trans fats. I want to own my own cafe – but that is a dream and may well be achieved in time. It has spurred me on to bake more and bring my own tasty treats to work with me so I’m not tempted by average baked goods.

Don’t get me wrong, London has a fantastic food offering but I do feel that the focus is more on restaurants and not good cafes. The amount of times that I have gone into Central London wanting to go and sit in a coffee shop at 10pm and not a pub are countless. The closest thing that we have to the cafe culture in Melbourne is Old Compton Street and Soho – that is why it is one of my favourite areas in London.

I also do love a good old lazy weekend brunch. So, Lantana was the name and a fantastic Auzzie style brunch is their game. Seeing that they are open for brunch from 9am – 3pm, we took a trip down today. We arrived to a long queue out of the door and literally not a single English accent was in earshot. I knew I was in for a treat.

This was my second time at Lantana for weekend brunch, the first time I opted for toasted banana bread with date and pecan butter.

My boyfriend opted for the Spanish style baked eggs with chorizo sausage, mushrooms, spinach and spicy tomato sauce.

Today, having noticed they had changed the menu, I went for the French toast with chai poached pears and caramel ricotta.
IMG_3757

My boyfriend had the sweetcorn fritters with roast tomatoes, rocket, chilli jam and crème fraiche.
IMG_3759

We had a side of their spicy baked beans with feta cheese, which was delicious.
IMG_3760

A lot of our cooking at home is similar to food on the menu – we eat a lot of poached eggs, have copied their baked beans side, we’ll cook sweetcorn fritters for brunch every so often and chorizo often makes its way into our dishes. One thing that we don’t have often is French toast or banana bread because my boyfriend is so against fruit, it’s scary. So I treat myself when I go to Lantana, knowing full well that it’s going to satisfy me completely. And that’s just what it did. We were in there for an hour and a half. When we walked out, I felt completely and utterly relaxed and as happy as Larry, whoever he is!

I even tried the silky smooth flat white that my boyfriend ordered… and I liked it!

IMG_3763

Lantana without a doubt serves the best brunch I’ve eaten since Australia. I hope more cafe owners take note and start to take a leaf out of Lantana’s magical book.

13 Charlotte Place
Fitzrovia LondonW1T 1SN
+44 (0) 20 7637 3347

Lantana on Urbanspoon

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Ginger and White, Hampstead

13 Sep

Australians are taking over London, yaaaaaaaay! Well, I’d actually like to think so purely based on the fact that they are bringing their incredible cafe culture to London. Please sirs, we want some more!

I’m talking about Ginger and White in leafy Hampstead. I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better day last Sunday. I woke up at 9, hopped in the car and drove to Hampstead. Nestled down a quiet countryesque lane next to houses built for our shorter predecessors, Ginger and White boasts a cute range of breakfast, brunch, teas and coffee. I’m not a coffee drinker myself but I adore looking at a silky smooth flat White.

GInger and White

The first thing you notice as you walk through the door is the vast amount (or maybe it looks vast as the counter is teeny) of home baked cakes, breakfast muffins and pastries. All housed in front of shelves stocked with kilner jars full of pulses and spices and delightful pastel tea sets.

Ginger and White cakes

Venture further inside and you’ll find a large communal table (above which a large picture of the British flag resides – ironic as every waiter/waitress is Australian), window seats and sofas toward back of the room, which offer a more secluded newspaper reading setting.

The menus hang from the wall on wooden clipboards and you can’t help but notice the chalk board wall reading ‘Keep cups £8.50 – first coffee free’ nice idea, especially if you are a resident nearby (I WISH!)

So what did we order? The sausage sarnie (substituted brown sauce for red) and the ham and cheese croissant. My boyfriend did proclaim that ‘it’s only a sausage sandwich’ when I started snapping away and I agreed but a bloody good looking one at that.

GInger and White Bacon sarnie

My mouth waters now thinking of the buttery ham and cheese croissant – afraid there’s no pic of this as my boyfriend devoured most of it before I’d even finished the photo of the sausage sarnie.

To finish (yes, you can have dessert at breakfast time too) I had a slab of banana cake with a dollop of buttercream and a banana chip on top. I thought that the banana chip was a nice touch.

Ginger and White banana bread

The condiments that come with the toast on offer were all laid out on the tables along with the obligatory jar of Marmite. It was pointed out that maybe this should have been Vegemite!

There are also gluten free options and kiddie options (mini cupcakes) – they know it’s yummy mummy ville.

Finish with a pot of tea and a walk around Hampstead Heath and there you have the recipe for the perfect ‘lazy’ Sunday.

GInger and White tea set

4 Perrins Court
London NW3 1QS
020 7431 9098

Ginger and White on Urbanspoon

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 3,580 other followers

%d bloggers like this: