THE TABLE

London, UK

In an otherwise not very lively street, The Table in Southwark is always bustling with a queue outside around weekend brunch time. It is designed and developed by the architects next door, Allies & Morrison, and draws a creative crowd probably because of this fact. I went with a group of five people on a rainy Sunday, and we waited for about 10 minutes outside before being seated in the simple, bright space. The menu shows that the restaurant is committed to sustainable sourcing and to the use of quality, British ingredients. We started off with some delicious smoothies, and went on to order quite a lot of food. I had the Sweetcorn Fritters with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. This was an interesting and filling alternative to my usual order of Eggs Benedict. The tomato compote and spinach were quite bland additions to this dish, but the sweetcorn fritters made up for it. I received an unpleasant surprise when I broke through to the yolk of the second poached egg, as there was some strange brown stuff in there. This was quite off-putting, and I avoided eating the eggs after that. The highlight of the meal was the waffles. I tried both the delicious blueberry version, and the even better coconut, maple syrup and marshmallows. These aren't big enough to form a full meal (even though the price isn't far from the other main brunch dishes) but they are definitely a must to share or eat on the side.The staff was nice enough to gives us a portion of Eggs Royale wrapped as take-away for someone who didn't make it out of bed on time, a service that they do not usually provide. All in all The Table serves up a decent brunch, where you can tell that the ingredients are fresh, but some of the flavours are lacking a bit of punch. I apologise for going into detail about this; but the weird stuff inside the egg yolk was enough for me to not want to return to this restaurant, even though the waffles might be worth reconsidering for. 

www.thetablecafe.com

AUTOMAT

London, UK

A long-standing fixture on the Mayfair scene, Automat continually draws Londoners and visitors alike through its doors under bright yellow canopies on the ultra-chic Dover Street. Long considered as one of London’s original gourmet diners, Automat still manages to set itself apart from its competitors by offering delicious food in a comfortable and uniquely London ambience. The restaurant is laid out in three sections, where the front section facing Dover Street is a casual brasserie style section. Past the brasserie is the old school ‘American glamour’-style diner space, reminiscent of New York in the 1930’s with velvet booths and dark wood panelled walls and dim lighting; perfect for dinner on a gloomy London day. On the rare sunny days, the section towards the very end is my favorite dining spot, as it sits under a glass roof flooded with natural light and bustling with energy, making it the perfect getaway for a weekend brunch.  Typically the cheeseburger is my go-to order at Automat, as it serves an excellent burger, but on my latest visit with a friend I ordered the Eggs Florentine, whereas my friend ordered the Waffles, and we both opted to share a Truffle Mac n Cheese. The food arrived swiftly and with no fuss, and in moments we were devouring our entrees and side dish. The Eggs Florentine were very good, the brioche bun was well toasted, both the spinach and eggs were perfectly cooked and the hollandaise was made to a very good and expected standard; though it did not blow me away. However to be fair it can be hard to be blown away by Eggs Florentine, nevertheless I was very pleased with my choice. The Waffles were also very good; some of the best in London actually, and came served with cream, strawberries and blueberries. The Truffle Mac n Cheese on the other hand stole the show. I am usually very picky with mac n cheese as it can be hard to get it right with the accurate amount of cheese and correct texture. This small side dish was exploding with flavours and deliciousness and had just the ideal hints of truffle; it wasn’t overwhelming as truffles can be. Be warned though it is small but it’s very heavy and I do not recommend ordering it as a main dish as it can get a bit too much. Our meal left us happy, stuffed and satisfied, and as always unsurprised (in a good way) as Automat consistently delivers excellent food and great service.

www.automat-london.com

ROCHELLE CANTEEN

London, UK

Rochelle Canteen is a small and elusive restaurant by Melanie Arnold and Margot Henderson (the wife of Fergus Henderson of St John Restaurant). Located on Arnold Circus in East London, it is only open on weekdays during daytime. As a result, this restaurant is reserved for the unemployed, the self-employed, students or people working near Shoreditch. I finally had a morning off, so I took the opportunity to have breakfast at Rochelle Canteen. It is within the old Rochelle School, and you enter by ringing the doorbell of the ‘Boys’ entrance. You then walk across the lawned courtyard and into the converted bike shed. This is a light and airy space, with an open kitchen and simple, school-like furniture.  The menu is very short, with only three items to choose from. I had a flower tea to start with, then scrambled eggs on toast. This very simple dish was executed to perfection. The bread was grilled and full of oil. The eggs were cooked to the perfect stage where they are runny, but not undercooked, which can be gross. The portion size was ideal for me; filling without being too much, whereas my sister couldn’t finish her plate. We were the only people eating at 10 in the morning, but there was still a lively buzz from people working in the building coming in and out. Based on the quality of the breakfast, I am now considering taking time off work to be able to try their  lunch menu.

www.arnoldandhenderson.com

DAMSON & CO

London, UK

It seems like London restaurateurs have become obsessed with the no reservation policy and merely accommodate a first come first serve basis, which usually turns out to be an hour long queue. The auteur and godfather of all queues belongs to the highly popular Burger and Lobster, and unwilling to wait for three hours to get a table at their Soho outpost, we went onto Brewer street and came across a cute, charming and rustic looking delicatessen Damson & Co. It was midweek around 6:30 in the evening and it wasn’t very busy, and as such we managed to get a table fairly quickly. The best way to describe Damson and Co is to compare it to a country cottage, it's very cozy, warm and small, and the wait staff is extremely friendly and attentive.  The interiors are pastoral with timber flooring, white painted wood paneled walls and leather padded seats with studded trims that make the place feel all too charismatic. The dining and drinking options are clearly displayed on chalkboards all through the restaurant, and advertised as a café / deli it surprisingly has an extensive drinks list. In truth even though we wanted to dine at Burger and Lobster we were not that hungry but wanted to nibble. We ordered the house salad, a salmon tartare, the steak tartare and the sea bass ceviche. To drink we each ordered a bottle of their homemade iced tea; yes, bottle, as all their drinks come in mini bottles branded with the restaurants name, a nice touch. The food came quite quickly; it was all raw after all. The salmon and steak tartare surprisingly came unprepared, in that we were presented with a piece of salmon, and a piece of steak where the waiter would show us what we were about to enjoy prior to slicing it down to its expected presentation. They both came served with garnishes and relishes to add on the side; an unusual albeit nice surprise. Both tasted fresh and exquisite, although the portions could have been a bit bigger; each dish was finished after four bites. The sea bass ceviche was as equally tasty and refreshing, and the house salad that is a traditional salad of mixed greens and radish was very crisp and delightful. At a price tag of 25 pounds a head for four dishes (tapas portions I may add) and three iced teas, Damson and Co is definitely not cheap, as such won’t rank high on the hanger meter as for that price I’d expect more generous portions; it’s a deli in Soho after all, not a restaurant!

21 Brewer St, London W1F 0RL

www.damsonandco.co.uk

FOODLAB

Los Angeles, USA

When I last visited LA I stayed in the Silverlake area. I went online for a quick browse of nearby brunch spots, and found FoodLab, an organic and environmentally minded restaurant. With two locations in LA, they serve continental food made with ingredients from local farms. I went to the counter to place our order, and saw a small black and white picture of a beautiful woman with a baby. Turns out these are the owners of FoodLab; Esther Linsmayer, a former model and student at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and her son Nino. The blackboard was full of deliciousness, and I went for the Belgian Waffle with berries and maple syrup. My friend ordered the California Omelette filled with avocado. We sat outside in the shade, and had to wait for quite some time for the food to arrive. We tried a bit of each other’s dishes, so it became a perfect savoury/sweet brunch combination. The creamy avocado inside the eggs was a great blend, and the waffles with lots of syrup and cream were super sweet without being 'too much'. The freshly squeezed orange juice was perfect for the hot weather. The service was average, but the food was straight forward, filling and fresh. Next door to the restaurant is Hemingway and Pickett, a really cute shop selling all sorts of stuff you don’t need, and it’s definitely worth a visit.   

Silverlake, 3206 Sunset Bouldervard, Los Angeles, CA 90026, USA

www.foodlab-la.com

BERNERS TAVERN

London, UK

Living in a city like London, one is spoilt for choice from available brunch spots, and having been here for eight years, I can safely say a lot of the places opening tend to conform to a prototypical, prescribed vibe. The trend has succumbed to being all about the rustic and home cooked, which was fine at first but after the surplus in their emergence it's been quite some time since something new and energising has graced London. Enter Berners Tavern; a triple threat of an establishment, designed by the famous hotelier Ian Schrager, housed in London’s new and ultra hip Edition hotel, as well being led by the Michelin starred chef Jason Atherton (who’s restaurants Pollen Street Social and Little Social have been reviewed on the Food Grid). With such impressive credentials and a highly publicised opening, expectations were very high. I visited Berners Tavern for Sunday brunch, and with whatever preconceived notions of what a tavern should look like, this place puts all those ideas to rest; if only all Taverns were this beautiful.

The restaurant is housed in one huge and majestic open space. Upon entering the restaurant my eyes twinkled looking straight at the chandelier suspended from the adorned high ceilings, while the walls are covered in paintings and photographs from the Renaissance to the post modern. Despite the grandiose features of the space, it does not make you uncomfortable, in fact the warm tones and palettes lend it to feel like what a tavern would indeed feel like: relaxed and actually cozy. This reminds me of Fitzgerald quote from the Great Gatsby: “I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy”. This was very true to what we were experiencing in this place, where despite the largeness of the space and how busy it was it felt very intimate and not at all loud, which can usually expected in such a setting. 

When it came to the food, it was nothing short of extraordinary. Prior to the arrival of our orders we were served with the customary bread and butter, and the bread was so fresh and delicious that we knew we were in for a treat; the bread is usually a sign into the quality of the food. To start we sampled the poached eggs with avocado on toast, which was sublime. The eggs were perfectly cooked, the avocado was zesty and refreshing and the toast provided that ideal crispiness to accommodate the eruption of flavours in my mouth. For my main dish, I could not resist ordering the cheeseburger (call me crazy but I am always compelled to order one when I go to a new place), and my friend ordered the Sunday roast. Both orders were complimented with a side of duck fat chips and steamed broccoli with roasted almonds. Both the burger and the roast were to die for, and the portions were very generous, which left us both giddy with joy and satisfaction. The steamed broccoli is a must, its lemony flavours matched with the roasted almonds made it the ideal side dish. Accompanying our meal was the Dill or no Dill cocktail that was so good we each had two. For dessert we sampled the chocolate filled doughnut and the caramel apple éclair with cream and salted caramel ice cream. Both were very good and were a sweet conclusion to our very successful meal at my now new favourite dining spot: Berners Tavern.

10 Berners Street, London, W1T 3NP

www.bernerstavern.com