Since coming to London I have realized how seriously the British
take brunch. They are willing to wait upwards of 45 minutes in the wet and cold
London weather just for the meal that comes in between breakfast and lunch. Whether
it be pancakes, eggs benedict or gourmet crab cakes. And can I just comment on the
eggs here, the poached eggs especially, are incomparable to those at home. That
moment you poke through that thin surface, the yolk slowly oozes out in all its
golden glory, most definitely a very tumblr-esque image.
Brunch, the perfect meal for the majority of people who don’t want to wake up for a breakfast out but refuse to “skip” breakfast because who can deny it, breakfast is the best meal of the day and there is no rule saying we can’t have it at any time of the day. For those of you who are like me – the morning people, and who are bothered to fix yourself a nice breakfast/brunch, you could try make your own eggs benedict at home. Although it does consist of many steps and stages, each part can be done with just a little practice. Though the process may be slightly laborious or in my case quite therapeutic, the effort is undoubtedly worth it. Back home, in Bangkok, there aren’t many great places for typical egg dishes that you find here. So I decided to make it at home myself. Yes, my hollandaise did split a couple times, but whose doesn’t? Alternative to the commonplace hollandaise made on a bain-marie there are versions just made in a blender without the risk of scrambling the eggs at all. Check out my version here.
If you aren’t the kind to cook and would rather go out for some satisfying instagram-worthy brunch, check out Tom’s Kitchen in Chelsea, Jackson and Rye in Soho, Caravan at Kings Cross or Granger and Co. in Westbourne grove, you will not be disappointed. Yes, there are the thoroughly recommended restaurants like the Breakfast club but in my opinion, it has been so overly recommended that it has begun to lose its uniqueness. There are many more independent bakeries out there with more unique desserts, brunch dishes and nibbles. Stay tuned for some more posts on how to recreate popular fine dining and brunch dishes at home along with some of my recommendations on where to find these delightful plates in London.
Granger and Co's Famous Ricotta Hotcakes - it was more eggy than I was expecting but it had a generous dollop of honeycomb butter on top and plenty of golden syrup to drench the pancakes in. Sinful - yes, regrets? none.
Jackson and Rye - starting top left (clockwise) - avocado benedict, english breakfast fry up, another avocado benedict and baked eggs. The avocado benedict is one of the more popular dishes at Jackson and Rye. Instead of the bog standard english muffin they replace it with a half of an avocado. Adds a whole 'nother creamy dimension to the dish. The baked eggs were creamy but not overly so, there were mushrooms, bacon and spinach inside and it was delivered to the table piping hot. Lovely dish to dip a hunk of sour dough in!
Caravan Kings Cross - My first visit there I ordered the Jalapeno Corn bread with beans and a fried egg. The corn bread is something else - its subtly spicy from the jalapenos dotted within the corn bread. It is toasted up to the perfection topped with flavoursome fried beans and a perfectly fried egg so that the runny yolk coats the entire dish and ties all the components together. On my second visit I ordered the granola with coconut yoghurt which was incredibly fresh and delicious. Not overly sweet like some of that storebought granola, but not lacking at all in flavor as it was loaded with tons of nuts and dried fruit. I'm not a huge fan of coconut but the co-yo as they call it, is very subtle in flavor but has the consistency and creaminess of greek yoghurt. Definitely something you should order if you visit. The other dish was Barbeque baked beans with fried eggs, mojo verde with a side of toasted sour dough. Another dish that is really good for dipping good wholesome bread in. The barbeque sauce wasn't overly sweet or overpowering. Perfect brunch I'd say.
Another rendition of my own Eggs Benedict. Find the recipe by clicking the link above!
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment