I wanted to like it so badly

Penny went to KOPAPA 14/2/2015

Specs: 👓

Overall Rating:         ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Average Cost pp:     (coffee, main, alcoholic cocktail)  £30

Nearest Tube:          Covent Garden

Home

Since Will had abandoned me for India I invited a fellow lonely heart for valentine’s, or what I cleverly coined ‘palentine’s’, brunch at Kopapa. Translated from Maori the name means to be full or crowded and that it certainly was. With queues out the door I was glad I pre-booked. Past the line of eager brunch enthusiasts the place was a tricky manoeuvring exercise of bodies and bags as we squeezed into a table awkwardly close to star-crossed lovers on either side. Content in one another’s company we were seated by a cheery waitress who was the perfect mix of efficient, attentive and just generally nice throughout the course of our meal. Just off the vibrant Seven Dials the place is a buzzing with young trendy types and the venue itself is very pleasant. With a brasserie styled bar, pretty patterned tiling and brass furnishings it was all pleasing to the eye.

Presented with menus we ummed and ahhed over splashing out on expensive breakfast cocktails. Agreed that it was a “special occasion after all”, two ‘Orchard Fizz’ (Apple, Poire William, Vodka, vanilla and Prosecco) were ordered at the pricey sum of £11.50 each. Realising we were in fact missing out on some much needed morning coffee we abandoned cost-concerned thoughts and added to that two flat whites. Quickly following suit was an order of the famed ‘Turkish eggs’ – poached eggs, yoghurt, hot chilli butter and a side of toast – and spiced banana French toast with bacon, orange blossom labne and a tamarind raisin relish & orange vanilla syrup. As we eyed and envied the very tasty looking dishes of our uncomfortably close neighbours’, our food was hotly anticipated. The cocktails arrived and were fine but perhaps not worth the price tag, the taste of vodka undermining any apple flavours – but the coffee was good.

Service was prompt and our meals arrived with the utmost enthusiasm. This quickly dissipated. Befitting for romance we decided to share both plates of food between us (much to my imminent delight). I began with the Turkish eggs. Not sure whether to dunk my toast into the bowl of what looked like principally chilli oil, or attempt to remove an egg from its swamp and dissemble it on the toast; I hesitantly went for the dunk. To my dismay I lost the runny yolk to a pool of oil and disappointingly my first bite was little more than dry toast and oil. Defiant and determined I tried again this time capturing the yoghurt at the base, some egg, but again mostly oil. The mixture of oily spiced melted butter, natural yoghurt and egg, to me was just incomprehensible. I’d go as far to say I hated it. And I do not hate food. Imaginably, this came as a shock so I persisted. I wanted to like it so badly especially since reviews raved that it was “a must try”, “a Kopapa favourite”, but increasingly I grew jealous of Alice as I watched her fawning over her half of the French toast. The exchange couldn’t have come sooner. And it was, thankfully, quite tasty. The crispy bacon, creamy labne and sweet orange syrup worked well together and it was overall enjoyable, a welcome break from the eggs at the very least. Alice, to my surprise enjoyed the eggs I could no longer stand and led me to question my own palette.

By all means give the Turkish eggs a go. That many glowing reviews indicate it was a matter of personal taste. There were of course more classical, risk-free options on the menu that maybe I was safer sampling. The chorizo hash with fried eggs, rocket, sriracha & crispy shallots sounds delicious. But the meal was expensive at £30 a head (including service) for coffee, cocktail and brunch. Ultimately, once I took such a fervent dislike towards the eggs, the atmosphere I had initially enjoyed began to wear thin – the hustle and noise soon became irritating and led me to conclude that Kopapa, unfortunately, was not for me.

Always check with your guests which branch you are meeting in!

Phoebe went to DISHOOM 15/3/2015

Specs: 👓

Overall Rating:         ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Average Cost pp:     (coffee, selection of mains to share)  £15

Nearest Tube:          Covent Garden

http://www.dishoom.com/

As a mothers day endeavour, my sisters and I arranged to treat the lady of the day to brunch, at the restaurant of the moment. Fusion food London is rhapsodizing over Bombay/British Dishoom – voted best restaurant by yelp! and clinching prime haunt for brunch by trustworthy foodie Clerkenwellboy, I had been chomping at the bit to go.  Our booking was a blessing, and liberated us from the 45-minute wait (I overheard this was mandatory for walk-ins).

Inside was stylish and smart, not too glitzy or garish. It is charmingly au courant and an artistic harmony of both Indian and English cultures. It feels like how I imagine an Indian designer would envisage English cafés in the 1930’s. Plenty of dark wood with a polished finish, abstract patterning and stylish art deco mirrors. The mood was dynamic and vibrantly excited, wall-to-wall with young couples, trendy youths and mothers with doting daughters (such as I). Staff were particularly attentive and cheery, despite the conspicuous bustle and organised chaos.

The food is affordable and interesting, synthesising breakfast staples with Indian vivacity. We set off to a good start with bottomless chai latte’s, spiced rich warm milk in delightful glass tumblers. Anything ‘bottomless’ gets my seal of approval, and there certainly did not appear to be a bottom in sight. Our chipper waiter was particularly accomplished in replenishment, an issue that I had been on tenterhooks about prior to ordering. Whilst waiting for the eldest of the brood, we ordered fruit and yoghurt. Not your usual characterless and unremarkable ‘diet food’, however, but fresh mango, blueberries, melon and strawberries smothered in creamy vanilla infused yoghurt. The no frills British gem ‘bacon sarnie’ has been spruced up – and dare I say it – improved.  Ginger pig bacon, cream cheese, chilli tomato jam wrapped in freshly baked naan. Same goes for the egg naan. Even the extra side of masala beans has the upper hand over your greasy-spoon Heinz (of which I am usually a devotee). The Keema per eedu – spicy chicken and chicken liver with runny eggs and their famous pau is incredible. A must! And finally, the highlight, cheesey herby chilli toast with two runny eggs by the name of Kerijwal. All this interspersed with rhythmic chai refills; comfort in a cup! We in hindsight wrongly ordered before my eldest sister’s arrival, which unfortunately never transpired. For reasons unknown to us all, she had mistakenly gone to the Dishoom in Shoreditch! One man down meant a slight oversight in ordering, but this was not a problem as the waiter voluntarily prepped a doggy bag.

Ultimately, its gingered up comfort food, hearty, satiating and finger licking good. All presented on pretty and quirky china printed plates. Great food, great place and great location. My one gripe was that we were seated downstairs, with seemingly less character and away from the compelling essence that makes Dishoom so distinctive. The unavoidable clamour, darkness and noise wasn’t opportune for tranquil Sunday brunch chitchatting with friends or family. Despite this subsidiary observation, the food is reasonably priced and exquisitely unique. Notwithstanding, book a table upstairs and always check with your guests, which branch you are meeting in!

A place for mates rather than dates

Penny went to NO.32 OLD TOWN 8/3/2015

Specs: 👓

Overall Rating:         ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Average Cost pp:     (coffee, main, alcoholic bev)  £20

Nearest Tube:          Clapham Common

http://www.no32theoldtown.co.uk/#intro

What they called the first weekend of Spring was upon us. With temperatures hitting an almighty 14 degrees Celsius, mild enough (just about) to withstand no coat for the first time in 2015, I whacked out the sunnies, pulled on a flimsy summers dress in true Brit fashion, and located a brunch venue with an outdoor area where we could ‘bask’ in the sun. My enthusiasm and sweaty warmth, amassed during a brisk walk across Clapham Common, had blindsided me…sitting on the terrace at No.32 Old Town gusts of pretty chilly wind mocked my beguiled eagerness for summer. Not wanting to lose face in front of Will (who had worn ‘there’s no need!’ winter jacket) I proclaimed again how beautifully sunny and warm it was but cleverly steered us towards a table under heaters. I also spied some rather cosy looking blankets which I cunningly grabbed seemingly allured by their quaintness… top marks for aiding feigned warmth, but bottom line is (she ashamedly admits) it was too cold to be sitting out.

Nonetheless the terrace was nice and had an attractive modern country feel to it, what I’m told is described as ‘New England’. Muted grey and white tartans adorned the setting, matched with pretty olive trees stood in grey wooden plant boxes, decking and long rustic, shared wooden tables. It was a pleasing terrace for sure. The shared tables gave some indication that this was certainly a social place for mates rather than dates. This inkling was only confirmed as hoards of hung-over hunnies descended upon the terrace prattling about their previous night’s endeavours at Dogstar and ordering jugs of Bloody Mary and ‘Elderflower fizz’ to soothe their states. It was one of those places that can only be expected from Clapham, clearly a haunt for the twenty-something public schooled it lacked edge but provided amenities and comfort for this enclave to gather by the dozen.

Will and I ordered a Bloody Mary and Mimosa respectively, alongside two coffees. Feeling unadventurous and hankering for pancakes since dozing off the night before, we both settled on two lots of blueberry pancakes with maple syrup and crème fraiche. Everything arrived together and very promptly. At the time I commented on how sometimes food can be served too quickly since it’s always nice to stagger a meal and chat prior to eating, builds up an appetite and all. But upon reflection I feel this is a minor quibble that cannot count for fault at a reasonably priced casual eatery. Coffee – nice, mimosa – check, pancakes – v. good. And it was all very fairly priced. The pancakes were a real treat at £7.50. Soaked in maple syrup, accompanied by crème fraiche and with juicy plump blueberries their only let down was that there weren’t more of them…moreover I felt they were on the snack size rather than filling brunch material. But perhaps this accounts for my insatiable appetite. Not an avid Bloody Mary drinker myself I can’t equitably comment on the drink but Will was disappointed by the low alcohol content and tasted some suspect flavouring not to his taste. Nonetheless it was overall pleasant grub and drinks.

It’s worth noting that we had aimlessly strolled through the main pub/eating area downstairs towards guessed staircase to the terrace, with no direction from staff or offer to be seated. But the staff were friendly if not a little hap handed with service. We overheard conversations apologising for delayed service but offering compensation, and the waiter informed us on paying that it was their first run of service on the terrace (whether that was this year or ever we weren’t sure) but he excused that perhaps things were not as smoothly running as should be. Unorganised perhaps, but polite and friendly they were, and as stressed previously, prompt. Overall No. 32 was fine – a nice place to brunch with good pancakes, a pretty terrace and lively atmosphere.