I've always loved brunch. In Australia I used to love getting together with friends at cafes or at each others homes or in a park for a weekend brunch - the meal that combines breakfast and lunch. And yes, one that generally includes Bloody Marys and/or Champagne. Yet in the decade I've been in London it has been a rare occurrence - mainly because so few places do it (or say they do yet don't open to lunch-time!).
So it was with great delight when I discovered via
Twitter that
Hawksmoor, reknowned for its steaks, was going to open for Brunch, and from 11am! Having managed to wangle a table for their soft opening, it is with many apologies to Will & co that it has taken me so long to blog it - for the reason why, see my
3-star disappointment that occurred a few days before my visit - but it did give me the opportunity to return again, so this blog post will take in both those experiences, my very first BOGOF-post if you like.
Part 1:
My first surprise came within seconds of sitting down, when our lovely bubbly red-haired waitress asked if she could get me a drink, and when I asked for the requisite Bloody Mary she responded with "which one"... there are three to choose from! I went for the Bottomless Bloody Mary (Mix No. 7) which was delicious (pictured above). And not only that, there is a huge range of breakfast cocktails, of which my friends and I managed to consume most of, only saving two of the Bloody Marys and the four Champagne Cocktails for a later date. There are Eye Openers, Anti-Fogmatics, Invigorators*, enormous Punches to share and Gloom Lifters!
We couldn't go past the Hawksmoor Breakfast and while £30 for two people to share, it is great value for the quality. There's a smoked bacon chop, sausages, black pudding, bubble & squeak, grilled bone marrow, trotter baked beans, fried eggs, grilled mushrooms, roast tomatoes, and unlimited dripping toast. The meat is all from The Ginger Pig and you really can taste the difference in the quality. Our friendly, but not overbearing, waitress explained to us the traditional way to eat black pudding was to scoop out the middle of the sausage and mix it with English mustard and vinegar - and OMG, it was delicious. And for someone who rarely finishes a thin slice, I ate a lot of it. I'm also one to generally believe that Beanz Meanz... but wow, did the trotter beans blow that theory out of the water. Bone Marrow is a highly under utilised ingredient, and it shone in its usage here. There are desserts too - the cornflake ice-cream is delicious and it's also made into milkshakes!
And while our plates were scraped clean, confirming how much we all enjoyed the meal, we experienced food envy spying other plates around the restaurant. The HkMuffin (more on that later) and the Sunday Roasts in particular. We were already trying to schedule our return before we'd left.
* Oh, and the warning under The Zombie cocktail of a maximum of one per person should be strictly adhered to - while the four of us were sharing all the cocktails, BoyWonder had the lions share of our second Zombie... and fell asleep on the journey home and went MIA for a few hours!
Part 2:
Shaky Pete, our bar tender extraordinaire from our first visit wasn't around on our second trip, but his understudies didn't let him down with the two Bloody Marys we tried this time around. One was a special one developed for the Ketel One promotion, and was made with a peaty whisky, but the highlight for me was the pork scratching it was served with! I also had the No. 10 which is served with a wedge of cucumber instead of the traditional celery, and while punchy with horseradish root, the No. 7 remains my favourite so far... I will have to go back for the No. 16 when I'm in need of a serious hangover cure in the winter - it's made with beef broth instead of tomato juice and is served warm and spicy.
But the real reason for being here was the food. I was tempted to go for the Hawksmoor Breakfast again, but couldn't persuade BoyWonder to join me... he was determined to have the HkMuffin. The Sausage & Egg delight which trounces over it's more well known, and very distant, cousin. It consists of a pork, beef & mutton ‘flat sausage’ topped with Ogleshield or Colston Basset Stilton and two fried eggs. All piled up inside a toasted muffin. BoyWonder went for the Colston Basset Stilton and added some Ginger Pig Bacon as well...
I think he's still having dreams about it!
I really wanted to try the Ginger Pig Bacon, so I went for bacon & eggs with unlimited dripping toast. I couldn't resist getting some more of the trotter beans and the bone marrow which I split with BoyWonder - yes he spared some time during the HkMuffin eating frenzy!
The only problem is leaving enough room for dessert. I have to go back, and soon as I really want to try the Chocolate Brownie with Salted Caramel Ice-Cream. Oh, and perhaps I'll get past the breakfast to try the roast beef with all the trimmings - the Yorkshire Puddings look amazing!
Cheers, KangaRue
"Traditionally, large joints of meat were roasted on a spit over an open fire. To achieve a similar flavour we start ours on real charcoal and finish them in the oven"... then they add potatoes roasted in dripping, a Yorkshire Pudding, carrots, spinach, whole roasted shallots, and lashings of bone marrow and onion gravy. Now my Mum makes the best roast. Well, so I thought. Sorry Mum! This was absolutely kick-ass amazing. The beef was so flavoursome - the quality is obvious - but it was also cooked perfectly, I couldn't have asked for any better. The potatoes were fluffy on the inside, but nicely crisp and crunchy on the outside, and the Yorkshire Pudding was perfect with enough crunch at the top, but enough density and chewiness on the bottom... and the gravy is brilliant!
Our plan to have the set menu of mussels, salad, chips and dessert was unsuccessful - after gorging on at least 8 oysters each, the last thing we wanted was more shellfish! I insisted Aussie Foodie try the delicious Parmesan Custard with Anchovy Toast, which I raved about in a previous blog post from my visit last year - and it didn't disappoint, with the savory creaminess being perfectly balanced by the salty soldiers.
We sipped away on an amazing cocktail - a vodka martini that had been infused with Earl Grey tea, added depth was provided by an orange liqueur... and it was absolutely knock-your-socks off brilliant. Possibly the best ever martini I've ever tasted... and I'll be trying to recreate this at home.
Rowley Leigh, head chef and proprietor, had suggested we try the Pike Boudin with Fines Herbes for our starter. I'm so glad he did, as this was my favourite dish of the day. (We shared courses in deference to both our wallets and our waist-lines). A mousse-like sausage in a hollondaise-esq sauce that had a subtle bite. I incorrectly thought the piquancy was from mustard, but it turned out to be from Tabasco. The crumbed top added a crunchy contrast to the texture of the sausage, which really finished it off nicely. And there was not a drop of sauce left on the plate when we finished!
I've not been blown away by the mains at Le Cafe Anglais - possibly from poor choice on my behalf. But perhaps when I next return, and I will, I'll stick to the hors d'oeuvres, starters and desserts - there's certainly enough deliciousness and choice amongst them to keep me well fed.
I've always loved brunch. In Australia I used to love getting together with friends at cafes or at each others homes or in a park for a weekend brunch - the meal that combines breakfast and lunch. And yes, one that generally includes Bloody Marys and/or Champagne. Yet in the decade I've been in London it has been a rare occurrence - mainly because so few places do it (or say they do yet don't open to lunch-time!).
We couldn't go past the Hawksmoor Breakfast and while £30 for two people to share, it is great value for the quality. There's a smoked bacon chop, sausages, black pudding, bubble & squeak, grilled bone marrow, trotter baked beans, fried eggs, grilled mushrooms, roast tomatoes, and unlimited dripping toast. The meat is all from The Ginger Pig and you really can taste the difference in the quality. Our friendly, but not overbearing, waitress explained to us the traditional way to eat black pudding was to scoop out the middle of the sausage and mix it with English mustard and vinegar - and OMG, it was delicious. And for someone who rarely finishes a thin slice, I ate a lot of it. I'm also one to generally believe that Beanz Meanz... but wow, did the trotter beans blow that theory out of the water. Bone Marrow is a highly under utilised ingredient, and it shone in its usage here. There are desserts too - the cornflake ice-cream is delicious and it's also made into milkshakes! 
Shaky Pete, our bar tender extraordinaire from our first visit wasn't around on our second trip, but his understudies didn't let him down with the two Bloody Marys we tried this time around. One was a special one developed for the Ketel One promotion, and was made with a peaty whisky, but the highlight for me was the pork scratching it was served with! I also had the No. 10 which is served with a wedge of cucumber instead of the traditional celery, and while punchy with horseradish root, the No. 7 remains my favourite so far... I will have to go back for the No. 16 when I'm in need of a serious hangover cure in the winter - it's made with beef broth instead of tomato juice and is served warm and spicy.
But the real reason for being here was the food. I was tempted to go for the Hawksmoor Breakfast again, but couldn't persuade BoyWonder to join me... he was determined to have the HkMuffin. The Sausage & Egg delight which trounces over it's more well known, and very distant, cousin. It consists of a pork, beef & mutton ‘flat sausage’ topped with Ogleshield or Colston Basset Stilton and two fried eggs. All piled up inside a toasted muffin. BoyWonder went for the Colston Basset Stilton and added some Ginger Pig Bacon as well... 
I've had a fun Christmas season this year. Whilst not as manic as previous years, there have been good friends and fun nights for which I'm very thankful.
Our Christmas Day started with Skype calls to our families in Australia - it was lovely to see them all and we even got to "show" them around our house! We then kick-started the meal with smoked salmon, philly-cheese, rye bread, drizzled with lemon and cracked pepper, accompanied by the first of three bottles of Champagne for the day! Our next course consisted of pigs in blankets accompanied by a very spicy Bloody Mary. BoyWonder then did his amazing Champagne Prawns (accomanied by more Champagne of course!)... Time for a nanna-nap before the "main" of saddle of venison, this stood for 12-hours in olive oil and a white peppercorn crust.
We have yet to tackle the Christmas Pudding with a choice of Brandy Cream or Cointreau Butter nor the cheeses and pates, let alone the mince pies and shortbread... there's always tomorrow!
To be honest, the first thing that caught my eye was the name Chat-en-Oeuf (Cat on Egg) a great play on words with Châteauneuf depicted brilliantly on their logo... the wine is actually made just outside the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region and is aged in Châteauneuf-du-Pape barrels. While it won't be an award winner, it was a nice wine that we'll happily quaff at home. And I'm still giggling over the logo!
Taste of Christmas also offered a great opportunity to do some BookCrossing. Having done one wild release at a bus-stop on the way to my Osteo on Friday, I took a couple of books along with me, releasing one outside a cooking theatre and another at the dining tables. I did this last one after enjoying a delightful pie from Roast, a great texture and taste to the meat encased in a fantastic pastry. I was sorely tempted by the food at L'Anima but really want to go to the restaurant for the whole experience.
Singderella. The singing was absolutely superb - well done guys! Not sure about the panto and dancing that went along with it - it just didn't compare to the standard of singing. Having checked my diary, I'm disappointed that I can't see the carol concert the Chorus is singing in a couple of weeks, so will have to wait to the 2010 season to see the LGMC perform again. And how pretty does Sloane Square look with the Christmas lights up...
Bugs Bunny that is...
Bagging up rabbit offal surprisingly didn't turn me off cooking dinner! I'll spare you photos of that. ;)
