Italians are not very big on breakfast or ‘la colazione’, just an espresso and one piece of pastry will usually do the job. So what to do if you’re spending a weekend in Venice and you happen to be really into Sunday brunch like we are? After a bit of research we quickly filtered our options down to three upmarket hotel restaurants. Thank heaven that the first two places we called had already been booked out, so we ended up with a reservation at the magnificent five-star American boutique hotel Palazzina Grassi (alternatively Palazzina G) right next to the Grand Canal, very close to the Westernmost point of the San Marco neighbourhood, roughly 15 to 20 minutes’ walk from St. Mark’s Square. It took us longer, because we didn’t find the entrance in Calle Morolin/Ramo Grassi right away, there’s not much in terms of signs and not a […]
Pimlico’s Delizie D’Italia – Great Spot for Brunch
We used to live in Pimlico (near the beautiful Vincent Square, on the other side of Vauxhall Bridge Road), and we always loved Delizie d’Italia, a tiny Italian delicatessen with a small amount of indoor and outdoor seating. It isn’t located in the best part of Pimlico, right on Lupus Street, opposite the notorious Churchill Gardens estate. But the area has gone a long way and is perfectly safe during day time. A lot of great places have opened in the area during the past decade, including, for example a vintage clothes store frequented by A-listers. The famous 1930s neo-Georgian Dolphin Square apartment complex is only a stone’s throw away. A fabulous Michelin-starred restaurant is just half a mile away towards Victoria station (our review here). From Pimlico tube station Delizie is less than five minutes’ walk. The quality of the service very much depends on the mood of […]
Brunch at Brunswick House, Vauxhall – Quite Quirky
Ms B and I have started doing yoga sessions in Vauxhall on Saturday mornings at 11:45am, and last time around we had the brilliant idea to have a ‘small’ breakfast before the hard work, so we returned to Brunswick House for the first time in five years. The high-ceilinged, stately 18th Century building is beautifully decorated inside with lots of chandeliers, a toy airplane, and other items dangling from above, mirrors, paintings, maps and the like on the walls, and a large bar. The main hall is separated into the casual area where we had breakfast and the main part which is reserved for the other two meals of the day, and which is separated through a massive wooden divider. The staff immediately made us feel at home and quickly took our orders. All our good intentions of just grabbing a quick, small bite were gone by the time we […]
Brunch at Coco Momo, Kensington
We have just returned from one of the best brunches we’ve recently had. Coco Momo in Kensington is an American restaurant. (It is no relation of Coco di Mama, an Italian themed chain, but has a sibling in Marylebone and is owned by Food & Fuel who also own ten other places in town.) We were seated at the outdoor seating area on the sidewalk, which was great for people-watching and, thanks to the limited car traffic, not too noisy. After some deliberation, we opted for the matcha chia seed breakfast bowl (£5), the smoked salmon and avocado on sourdough toast, alfalfa, tomato, chilli, poached egg (£9.75), and the two free-range baked eggs, tomato, kale, sweet potato & halloumi (£9.25), one flat white (£2.75), one Americano (had to be done, right?) with milk (£2.55), one fruit & veg juice (ginger, beetroot, apple, £3.85) and one non-alcoholic Passionfruit Mojito £3.85. […]
Brunch at Aquavit Restaurant, London
We’ve just returned from our brunch at the fabulous, Michelin-starred Aquavit, which opened in late 2016 under Executive Chef Henrik Ritzén. We had had this restaurant on our list for some time, but only managed to visit them today for the first time. From Berkeley Square it is just a short walk through the southern end of Mayfair and the northern end of St James’s. As soon as we arrived, we were made to feel welcome by the friendly, relaxed staff. Despite the incredibly good value prices for their brunch dishes, we were one of only three parties that arrived when they opened at 11am. Other guests arrived soon after. After short deliberation we opted for the blood pudding, lingonberries, bacon and lardo (£6) accompanied by an OP Anderson Original 25ml aquavit (£4), a ‘Nordic Breakfast’ with smoked cod roe, boiled eggs, avocado, and crisp rye bread (£11), […]