SET MENU: The battle of the brekkies, pop-up restaurants, London’s best trifles and more
A FULLER ENGLISH
All the London breakfast greats in one place? Yes please, says Joanna Taylor
What defines a breakfast of champions? Is it having one’s eggs scrambled rather than fried, tomatoes in lieu of baked beans, or bacon grilled instead of sizzled in oil? Due to the subjective nature of such a life-threatening question, our answer would usually be a fairly inoffensive ‘Who knows?’ But now, apparently someone does.
Sausage Press is a brand new, brilliantly designed London food guide concept by journalist Ben Smith and food and drink development maestro Jules Pearson, and the first pamphlet is on the capital’s best fry-ups. Invaluable? Yes. But it’s the brand’s pop-up at The Hoxton Southwark that has really got our stomachs rumbling.
After narrowing down the city’s various options to the definitive must-eat-at spots, the pair has cherry picked the best of each breakfast at some of the chosen institutions mentioned and are piling them all on to one plate for two days of ‘Greatest Hits’ fry-ups. So, in case you were wondering, that’ll be Dishoom’s ever-so-spicy masala beans, Beppe’s delectably guilt-inducing fried slice, the Riding House Cafés’ silky bacon, new kid on the block Norman’s chunky sausages, Pelliccli’s eggs and the expertly concocted hash browns from Hash E8. And if that doesn’t whet your appetite, each diner gets a free guide with their brekkie and has the chance to purchase stylish prints of fry-ups at other much-loved joints, including Mary’s Cafe and, of course, The Wolseley. Now the only question is: red sauce or brown?
9am-2pm, 9-10 Jul (sausagepress.uk)
THREE OF THE BEST: TRIFLES
After Queenie’s winning platinum jubilee pudding, this old school dessert is firmly back on the menu and these are the best renditions
Holborn Dining Rooms, WC
Is there anything that this West End spot doesn’t do well? No. And this tangy spin on the classic, containing Yorkshire rhubarb and invigorating ginger, is proof.
The Pelican, W11
For a highly traditional take, tuck into this one with strawberry jelly, sherry-soaked sponge, Marsala, vanilla custard, whipped cream and hundreds and thousands.
Booking Office 1869, NW1
The only thing more fun than tucking into layers of deliciously retro strawberry jelly and poached rhubarb is this restaurant’s highly glamorous, neo-gothic surroundings.
RETHINKING ROSÉ
Douglas Blyde sips the best of British blush
With it’s booming popularity, it may come as little surprise that fears of a global drought of still rosé wine often make headlines. Fortunately, we make decent pinks here in England. Sarah Massey of Axminster’s Lyme Bay Winery’s affordable Aldi offering is part of the jovially named Bowler & Brolly range and the berry-scented Specially Selected rosé (£9.99) is at once delicate, precise and quaffable.
For a deeper, richer rosé, try Calafuria from Puglia. A project by legendary winemaking dynasty Antinori, the watermelon-scented wine is reaped from indigenous Negroamaro vines sited between woodland and sea (£19.99/£40.99, bottle/magnum; selfridges.com). Finally, the rarest, reddest and most sheerly priced rosé.
I recommend is Rose-Marie from Bordeaux’s Château le Puy 2018 (£48; dynamicvines.com). The blood-coloured masterpiece focuses on 50-year-old Merlot vines and is made according to lunar rhythms. At four years old, it proves genuinely great rosés can have the power to age.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Pop-ups and events to have on your radar
1 July: Matt Beardmore of Legare is teaming up with George Ryle of the Garden Café for a four-course Italian feast utilising the best British ingredients among the Garden Museum’s spectacular foliage. resy.com
4 July: The ever-stylish Parisian bar Le Syndicat, specialising in traditional French spirits, is coming to the stunning Swift Shoreditch for a one-night collab to celebrate each spot’s talented mixologists. barswift.com
5 July: Brooklyn’s much-hyped natural wine bar and restaurant The Four Horsemen, co-owned by LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, is jetting over from the States and popping up at Rondo Le Cave. sevenrooms.com
6 July: Discover the wonderful wine that South America has to offer with an evening of tastings and talks at Latin American restaurant Paladar with storied wine expert Amanda Barnes. Tickets £60 designmynight.com
7 July: Hurry to Where The Pancakes Are for Pancakes From Around The World, where guest chefs Anna Haugh, Amy Poon, Lee Johnson and Sinead Campbell will be taking over the menu. Tickets £25 wherethepancakesare.com
Until 10 July: It’s Pimm’s o’clock, people! Get down to the drinks brand’s terrace on Covent Garden’s east piazza for live al-fresco screenings of Wimbledon and a summertime cup or two. Covent Garden Market, WC2
Until 31 August: Skip along to seafood haven Scott’s in Mayfair for a sip on the sunny new De Gournay-designed Midsummer on Mount Street terrace in collaboration with Krug Champagne. 20 Mount Street, W1 scotts-restaurant.com
