Brasserie Zedel - The ONLY French restaurant in London

This is rather late in the writing but better late than never!  Whilst there are many French restaurants in London – some heavy on the butter, some service-poor, some vastly overpriced – none except Brasserie Zedel will actually make you feel as if you’re dining on the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in the heart of Paris.  I lived in the City of Light for six glorious months and I often have periods of craving the food, the booze and the je ne sais quoi - it was the most wonderful thing to find it right here in London, without the cost of a Eurostar ticket. 

Brasserie Zedel’s main restaurant is reached down several flights of stairs.  Walk through the little café at the entrance, a secret nod to the woman behind the bar  - as if you’re in on some kind of clandestine code, the key to the party – and then walk into the maroon and gold covered corridor, down the stairs, past the cabaret room and the coat check into the high ceilinged restaurant of what to all intents and purposes is a buzzy Parisian brasserie circa 1950.  I took my dad along for this one as he had real life experience of a buzzy Parisian brasserie circa 1950 and could confirm authenticity – which he duly did.

We arrived on a Thursday lunchtime to find the place busy – very busy – but we were seated straight away at a white clothed table, complete sparkling glassware and good, heavy cutlery.  Immediately two glasses of champagne arrived ‘from the chef’ – a great start.  The menu here is a single, unwieldy card -  simple and oh so French.  The quality of the food is such that if you pick the cheapest option on the menu – the two course pre fix – what you have will still be tastier and more satisfying than you would get in most ‘above average’ chains. 

We started with the Carottes Râpées (£2.95) – a perfect French carrot salad, tart, crispy and dressed to perfection - and Filets de Hareng, Pommes à l’Huile (£3.75) (herring) which lasted around three minutes.  Next, the most picture perfect plate of Bœuf Bourguignon (£9.75), with achingly tender beef, smoky bacon flavour and gorgeous curved scoop of mash, whilst on the other side of the table there was Choucroute Alsacienne (£11.95), a wonderfully rustic dish of potatoes, onions, smoked belly of pork and a big, comedy frankenfurter.  At this point we were wavering a little on the pudding front, but our wills were strong.  So to finish, we had Crème Brûlée (£3.50) (the crack was there, the creaminess was there, the vanilla was there – it was all there) and Pêche Melba (£4.25) with fresh peaches and clotted cream.  After that we had to go for a long walk.

What you might not be expecting from the flowery and over the top way I have raved about Brasserie Zedel is that it is cheap.  I mean, it’s not 99p or anything like that but you can get a two course meal for £8.75 and feel like it should have cost you £20 – and that doesn’t often happen.  Despite the fact that it’s a French restaurant in London, it’s unpretentious, straightforward and honest in its cooking and pricing.  They don’t try and recoup the lower cost by charging for the bread or doubling the price of the puddings and even something like champagne is within reach, without settling for something sparkling but sickly.  In the middle of a recession, when all you really want is to not feel like you’re not watching every penny, when you do want to treat yourself occasionally and you don’t want to pay over the top for the privilege, Brasserie Zedel has really hit the nail on the head.  They’ll feed you like a king, treat you like a queen and best of all they’ll bill you like a pauper.

The Booking Office Bar at The Renaissance Hotel St Pancras

If you haven't yet visited the new St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in what was formerly part of the St Pancras station building then I would suggest you get down there quick smart before the secret gets out.  Whilst Londoners might write this place off as a transient location for those coming through, to and from the city, thanks to the unique site and distinctive internal structure, the 207 rooms and three restaurants/lounges here have a lot more going for them than your average journey hotel. My specific experience was with the Booking Office Bar, a loftily ceilinged room lined on one side with a smart 29m long marble bar top and on the other with enormous windows looking out into the station.  This was the station's former booking office for trains to the north but the atmosphere in here is of a grandiose New York hotel, with bucket deep leather chairs that could have come straight from a gentleman's club, dark walnut wood and the original 19th century brickwork.  No too shabby at all.

I went to the Booking Office for Sunday brunch with a friend and to be honest it was not a great start when I arrived for the table I had specially booked for brunch at 11 and was told that breakfast finished at 11. However, my friend has a bona fide gift of the gab and we managed to get them to accept our order despite the fact that it was 11.07. For me, it was corned beef hash with a specifically requested non-runny egg (I know it's not the done thing but sometimes I can't stomach a liquid yolk) and for him eggs Florentine.

(Top: Corned beef hash Bottom: Eggs Florentine)

We chatted our way through quickly served coffees and a watermelon smoothie, watching the Eurostar hustle and bustle through the enormous Booking Office windows and feeling pleasantly secluded. When the food came, my hash was minuscule - served on an enormous plate! - but when I tasted it I could see why it was dished up small, as it was very rich. It was also utterly delicious, with a punchy hollandaise and meaty hash (complete with that specifically requested hard yolk) and some iron rich spinach that was well drained. My only criticism would be that the hash lacked the crunch that I was expecting. I wonder if this was the bowl nature of the plate (see above), which would have encouraged moistness…

(Top: Apple and rhubarb crumble  Bottom:  Sticky toffee pudding)

This brunch took place with the friend of mine who always has to do desert with brunch, and so despite feeling pretty full we perused the puddings. I allowed myself to be steamrollered into a sticky toffee pudding, rich with an unctuous sugary sauce and spongy, moist cakey consistency and an enormous bowl of clotted cream.  For my friend, an apple and rhubarb crumble. It was all delicious but too much - but that was our own fault.

The Booking Office is a good spot for brunch – not amazing as it’s more of a hotel breakfast feel place than a real brunch spot – but good food, unhurried service and a fantastic setting.  At £25 ish each for the food it did fall on the expensive side, but it wasn’t ludicrous for what we had and I didn't feel stung.  Having also spent a few very pleasurable hours drinking cocktails there a few weeks before – the kind that make you flush up and giggle lots and are served with a napkin and a little ornate tin of snacks – I’d say that if you want to be bowled over by the Booking Office then go at a time you can work your way through the cocktail list.  And then maybe do breakfast the next morning.

Made In Camden

Having lived north of Camden for many, many years, I’ve often trundled past the Roundhouse in Chalk Farm on the bus, or strolled by on foot, but it took me a while to notice Made In Camden after it opened in October 2010. When I finally ventured there for brunch last Sunday I walked into a modern, open space with the kind of laidback weekend morning vibe that is sometimes lost in buzzy brasserie type spots. The décor here is ‘contemporary yet comfy’ and thanks to an enormous window, the table we sat on was bathed in light and perfect for people watching.

Made In Camden’s Head Chef, Josh Katz, comes fresh from the Ottolenghi dynasty and that is very much evident in the food, which has the kind of non-traditional brunch components that would make a fry up purist blush.  However, amongst all the sweet spiced chickpeas and shakshuka, those with a less adventurous disposition will also find a couple of plates of relatively recognizable fare, such as the Made In Camden fry-up (bacon, eggs, tomato, mushrooms £9) and the mushrooms on toast (£6.50).  With a menu like this though it’s really a shame not go beyond bacon, so I chose the Swiss rosti, with mozzarella, fried egg, roasted tomatoes, bacon and leaves.  At first, it looked a little heavy on the grease, but when I tucked in, it turned out that there was more juice than grease.  The rosti was a little on the soggy side (I think thanks to the juice), but the flavours in that dish were outstanding in every single bite – possibly thanks to that juice - and I could easily have eaten it twice.  The bacon was crispy, the mozzarella melty and even my request for “a not too runny egg” had been met.  I washed the rosti down with a strong – slightly bitter – latte (£2.40) with just enough creamy froth to carry it off, followed by lovely peppermint tea (£2), with a warm and spicy edge.  To be honest, I could have stuck a pin in that menu and enjoyed anything on it - the stuffed crispy brik pastry, spinach, lemon thyme ricotta, egg, date syrup (£8) or the Brioche French toast, berry compote, mascarpone (£8) would have been just as thrilling and on the next table to ours the baked eggs clearly went down a storm.

The service at Made In Camden was very relaxed and it had a real Sunday morning vibe.  They did that annoying thing where they seat someone right next to you when there are spaces elsewhere (I hate that) but other than that I really couldn’t fault it.  We weren’t hassled to leave the table, despite the face that we sat there right through two hours of premium brunch time and the staff were attentive at every turn, from the ordering through to paying the bill. In fact the whole experience made me want to return and sample their lunch menu, or have an evening drink - next time I’m in the vicinity of Made In Camden, I certainly won’t be walking straight past.

Made in Camden

Roundhouse

Chalk Farm Road

London

NW1 8EH

www.madeincamden.com

St John Bread & Wine - possibly the best bacon sandwich in the world

There are bacon sandwiches and then there's the St John Bread & Wine bacon sandwich. I’ll preface this by stating that I’m aware that it’s just a bacon sandwich; that it’s not going to bring the country out of recession or win us a gold medal in the heptathlon.  However, if you are a human being with working tastebuds it may well change your life nevertheless. 

If you have so far lived life in a world of soggy bread, stringy bacon and greasy meat at breakfast time then The St John Bread & Wine bacon sandwich is going to blow your mind.  You can leave all your preconceptions about this humble piece of breakfast fare at the doorstep because this creation achieves the perfect balance of meaty, saucy and bready – and that’s no mean feat.

Two thick fresh doorsteps of white bloomer toasted on a chargrill and expertly buttered with just the right amount of dairy. I’m not even going to indulge the low fat campaigners who eshew butter for a low fat spread or just ketchup - you can't have a bacon sandwich without butter, end of. The bacon is of course the star of the show - a generous portion of perfectly grilled Old Spot, delivered at just the right amount of thickness and meaty juiciness. On the side, home made tomato ketchup of the like that would make a Heinz bottle blush – these guys know how to finish a dish.

Throw in two brutally strong lattes with perfect creamy consistency and you won't find a better way to set yourself up for the day.

St John Bread and Wine

94-96 Commercial Street

London

E1 6LZ

www.stjohnbreadandwine.com

A Stubborn American Brunch at Christopher’s Covent Garden

Christopher's in Covent Garden doesn't open until 11.30 at the weekends. It's the kind of stubbornly old school restaurant that is certainly not going to kowtow to newfangled trends like taking 'brunch' at 9am on a Sunday – God forbid! - but they know their way around a US style brunch menu, I’ll give them that.

Having managed to arrive a quarter of an hour early for our 11.30 table, I stood outside for 15 minutes watching the glorious tropical summer rain and listening to my stomach howling.  Does an 11.30 brunch necessitate breakfast first?  I’d certainly think twice about leaving the house without it in future. As the doors opened at 11.26, I waited four minutes, to avoid an air of desperation by running through the doors immediately and clawing at the bread rolls. 

Inside, Christopher's was like a grand old American dame, with plenty of opulent wood panelling, polished wooden floors, high ceilings and huge windows. Downstairs, a wood clad bar area offering a casual diner type brunch spot and upstairs a slightly more formal restaurant.  We chose the restaurant upstairs and selected our own white tablecloth adorned table as the restaurant was virtually empty.  In fact the staff seemed rather surprised to see anyone there that early and a little nervous of our insistence that we order right now. 

Empty restaurants usually make me feel self conscious but in this case I didn't feel like anyone was listening, perhaps because all I could think about was filling my face. When gradually the room did gradually fill up, it was with a huge American family with lots of young kids, several quiet couples and groups of champagne drinking 20-30 something's already with their Olympic lanyards and flags on display ready for a (presumably somewhat tipsy) trip to the Olympic Park.

The menu at Christopher’s is a very American brunch - eggs, pancakes and the like with no fry up options. In keeping with the spirit of the place (and because we were, frankly, starving) we decided to go for a brunch with several courses. First up, a fresh fruit cup for me with a dollop of crème fraiche (£5.75). The fruit was indeed fresh - melon, blue and raspberries, orange slices with pith removed - and it came in a ginger syrup that thankfully was more juice than gloopy syrup. Across the table wild mushrooms, garlic and caramelised onions on toasted bread with rocket salad (£8.95), which disappeared in around three minutes.

Next, the main event, buttermilk pancakes with bacon (£7.25) for me and Huevos California (£10.95) across the table. The buttermilk pancakes were fantastic - light and fluffy and served with a pour yourself pot of just sweet enough maple syrup. My only complaint about this dish was that it came with only two slices of bacon - streaky bacon, so the slices were pretty thin. The bacon was really good, mouthwatering in fact, but it was a stingy portion and I hate that.

The Huevos California did not impress as the tortillas, spicy tomato sauce, avocado, fried eggs and Monterey Jack were too claggy and soggy and mostly remained on the plate. My Sunday bunching partner at Christopher's was, for a while, a temporary New Yorker and without fail likes to finish off his brunch with a slice of cheesecake. Today was no different and so we shared a pleasingly thick and sweet piece of baked New York cheesecake (£7.95) with some kind of sweet cream. We didn't get all the way through it but this simply was a case of eyes being bigger than stomachs.

(Unfortunately this is the only photo I remembered to take as I was too busy eating the food to take pictures of it…)

Drinks wise, Christopher's does free refills of filter coffee (£3), which my friend availed himself of to the count of four and I had two lattes (£3.95 each) which were average and lacking in creaminess. When it came time for the bill at £29 each it did seem rather a lot for brunch, despite our several courses. The cost left me with a slightly sour taste, simply I think because I felt like I'd been duped with the bacon. Would I go back to Christopher's?  Maybe. It's the kind of safe place I know I could take my parents where they wouldn't be leaned on by hipsters or screamed at by babies. On my own though I'd probably choose somewhere more generous with the bacon.

Christopher’s

18 Wellington Street 

Covent Garden

London

WC2E 7DD

www.christophersgrill.com

The Laindons and Pomegranate - Hastings' best

Whilst you might have considered the seaside town of Hastings to be something of a chic bijou hideaway, a recent visit to that part of the coast on a weekend getaway proved it to be anything but.  In fact, after three days of inhaling air perforated with the smell of rotting fish and rancid chip fat and watching chavs have dog fights on the beach, I was ready to nip this adventurousness in the bud and henceforth always head back to Hove when I wanted a break from London.

Chippy smells...

However, there are several ways in which Hastings thoroughly redeemed itself, if not the town itself then some of its resident providers of hospitality.  The first of these was The Laindons B&B.  If you want to visit Hastings and you are looking for accommodation that is convenient, welcoming, cosy and simply and stylishly decorated then this is the place.  This seaside townhouse has only three bedrooms each one with thick carpets that immediately make you want to take your shoes off, and chic yet nautical décor that included corner baths, White Company toiletries, enormous beds with clouds of scatter cushions and chaise longues.  From the relaxing jets of the power shower, to the care taken over the breakfast (order fruit salad here and you’ll get everything from blueberries to mango, freshly chopped that day), the experience of staying here made Hastings a treat when it could have been a real disappointment.

The other saving grace of Hastings was Pomegranate, a newly redecorated restaurant with ideas refreshingly above its station.  This place has the kind of service that makes you want to immediately spend a fortune, a bohemian ambiance of the French 19^th century kind, and genuinely delicious plates of food, we were more than willing to forgive the fact that there didn’t seem to be an extractor fan through the open hatch to the kitchen and we left smelling of our dinner.

When you’re on ‘holiday,’ a meal out is always an occasion to throw away the self-control.  At Pomegranate this meant that within 20 minutes we had steamed through nearly a bottle of prosecco and two baskets of soft, home made focaccia with rich olive oil and tangy balsamic vinegar, all of which were delivered, replenished and topped up without any judgment whatsoever.  The arrival of the starters was greeted with the enthusiasm of post a half bottle of prosecco and the light, fluffy tempura prawns and fragrant pigeon and bacon salad barely touched the sides. 

Mains took a little time to arrive but we could see the chef through the kitchen hatch and it was pretty clear that he wasn’t slacking so we were content to chat tipsily and play footsie under the table.  I had ordered lemon sole and when it arrived I was a little dismayed to find it entirely whole.  But that was my own fault for not properly reading the menu and those chunks of white flesh drenched in lemony butter and capers were entirely worth the trouble of attempting to avoid all the bones.  Across the way my dinner companion was enjoying a hearty plate of halloumi and couscous – for once, a vegetarian main outside London that didn’t involved a quiche.  I think it’s always a sign of a good meal that when the pudding comes, the person eating it doesn’t speak for the first five mouthfuls.  The oozing, rich chocolate fondant and vanilla ice cream at Pomegranate was eaten in complete silence.  Right down to the kumquat garnish. 

Whilst we had consumed a substantial amount of food and booze during the evening, the usual blood-draining moment when the bill arrives proved much less terrifying, as the meal cost at least a third less than we would have paid for it in London (around £70).  Cue: relief all round and the temptation to order more food…After that delicious evening, when we returned to the corner bath and comfy bed of The Laindons we’d just about forgiven Hastings for chippy smell and the dog fights.  Perhaps we might even return…

The Laindons

23 High Street Town Centre, Hastings TN34 3EY

01424 437 710

www.thelaindons.com

Pomegranate Hastings

50 George Street Hastings, East Sussex TN34 3EA

01424 429 221

www.pomegranatehastings.co.uk 

Mad Hatter's Afternoon Tea at the Sanderson Hotel, London

Fans of afternoon tea can get slightly overwhelmed in London – from the grandeur of The Ritz to the contemporary gateaux at Sketch, there’s just too many to choose from; and that’s not even taking into account the pop up teas, themed teas and one off events, like the couture teas that you can indulge in during London Fashion Week (if you’ve never eaten a Louboutin made of cake you haven’t lived). 

When a friend suggested the Mad Hatter’s Afternoon tea at the Sanderson Hotel I realised this was new territory - a literary theme - and booked it immediately.  If you haven’t been to the Sanderson, the first striking thing about it is that from the outside it looks like an office block – off-putting.  Inside, however, there’s the kind of modern art that people stop and take pictures of  - a Dali-esque sofa of plump red lips, a retro hanging ball bubble chair, custom designed Philippe Starck furniture – and a reception desk complete with loomy ‘visual installations’ that you try not to stare at in case the staff think you’re a tourist.  From the reception desk I was directed to the outdoor courtyard, where tea was to be served around a Japanese water feature on the kind of sleek garden furniture you won’t find at Argos.

Tea here is served all day (11.30 – 5.30pm) and costs a relatively purse friendly £35, including a glass of champagne or a cocktail (compare that to £52 at The Langham).  We of course took up the offer of booze – woman cannot live on Earl Grey alone – and my tea companion had a glass of very respectable fizz, whilst I sank a ‘Vivid Hour’ (Earl Grey infused Absolut, raspberry vodka & framboise liqueur shaken with fresh raspberries and grapefruit).  The cocktail was strong and fruity and delivered just the right level of tipsiness.

The tea took a while to come (it wasn’t that busy so this was a little annoying), but when it arrived on a cake stand of wobbly, vintage plates, it certainly looked worth the wait.  We were briefed on the various tiers - the bottom layer, rainbow coloured finger sandwiches, one each of smoked salmon and cream cheese on green spinach bread, egg mayo on brown bread, ham and mustard on yellow bread (saffron) and cucumber and black pepper on a red beetroot bread.  A little stingy on the portions perhaps, and for some reason one of the groups of sandwiches came on a separate plate, but tasty fillings and no dry slices thankfully.

From there it was on to some fairly unremarkable scones with a TINY portion of clotted cream (I ordered another immediately obvs) and some rather lumpy strawberry jam.  However, the piece de resistance of this tea has to be the sweet stuff.  The ‘Queen of Hearts’ strawberries and cream mousse encased in heart shaped dyed red white chocolate was gorgeous; the Chocolate Opera Rabbit’s Clock, a mix of layers of chocolate and coffee sponge, was perfectly bittersweet; and Heston Blumenthal like touches, such as exploding lollipops and sweets that turn your mouth hot on one side and cold on the other, provided an element of adventure you don’t often get at teatime.

Service wise, we were left to enjoy our tea in peace, which was lovely, but we also had some trouble getting refills of tea and that extra clotted cream – none of which would have bothered us that much had they not charged a hefty and above average service charge.  As usual in these places where the chair I’m sitting on cost more than my outfit I find it hard to make a fuss, and we’d enjoyed the atmosphere so much in the end I didn’t bother.  You can get refills of all the plates here, just like any other tea establishments, but they’re not that forthcoming in terms of offering it so you’ve got to be shameless (especially as you may feel a little judged…).

In conclusion then, the tea itself was great value and the setting perfect if you prefer contemporary teatime style to old school pomp.  Just don’t turn up in fancy dress or they might throw you back down the rabbit hole…

The Sanderson Hotel

50 Berners Street 

London

W1T 3NG

020 7300 1400

http://www.sandersonlondon.com