Counter Café, Brunch aaall the way in Hackney Wick

I finally made it to Counter Café. Hell, I've been reading about this place for a bloody epoch. But each time I decided to go, checking the address on Google maps left me completely deflated. The gnarling pangs of a hungover Sunday morning demand immediate appeasement.

And yet this Sunday, by a random conjunction of stars I finally made it. Yes, me lads. The intrepid blogger has once again prevailed.




Veni, vidi, vori.

I came, I saw, I devoured.

I'm reticent to utter this on the unerasable WWW, but the vibe upon entering the place was amazing. I'm sorry. I'm not usually this corny.


Said conjuncting stars had granted us a further happy coincidence, a hippie quirky danish festival on the grounds. There was some folky live music, people selling stuffed birds in cages. I admit by the end of the visit the folky music felt like somebody had put a feral cat into pillowcase and was batting the shit out of it. But that's what all folky music does to me after a while, so no offense taken.



The food was what you would traditionally expect of these industrial, rustic hip places that have popped up in East London recently. Eggs benedict, chorizo, arugula, cherry tomatoes, artisan cheese. All rearranged in someway or another on these menus, in one order or another, but samey samey. Sorry, I'm doing a quick rant about the easy formula that is unfortunately homogenizing the restaurant scene in Britain. Bear with me, it's almost out. I would just like for someone to say fuck understated and go nuts, not in a ponsey Heston Blumenthal kind of way.


The eggs were cooked to absolute perfection, and of a fluorescence of orange only the Kobes of chicken can procure. Regular pat downs, the odd shot of bourbon, I surmise. The latte was a bit watery. As usual.

Hackney Wick, it turns out, isn't that terribly far. There are two buses that make the trek from Stokey, and I suppose other bits of the East. The Counter Café is in a warehouse space, on the canal, exactly opposite the Olympic Stadium. It's a great little cycle along the canal. Quite the nice change of scenery. There are several sofas and tables across which sprawl a mix of patrons, from the eccentric to the decidedly suburban.



A great little escape. Highly recommended.

Infos
Counter Café
4a Roach Road
City of London, Greater London E3 2PA
07834 275920

Google Maps tour of East London

I've done it, finally. I made a google maps tour of East London, so if you've got people staying, or don't know the area, you can explore.

There's some nice places to eat, some of the good graffiti spots in East London, nice markets, vintage, the works...

Phew....


View Getting to know East London in a larger map

London Breakfasts: Gastro in Clapham

Well, I'll refrain from sharing what I was doing having breakfast on the other side of the city. But I did wake up in great spirits, and had the most lovely little breakfast.



Actually, this is a cute cute little french joint I quite enjoy. The prices are decent, the atmosphere is truly French, not snotty "international cuisine" French, but homely "cafe du coin" French. The croque-madame was a treat, and where else can you get your coffee in a bowl in London?



This is also a good place to come for dinner, they do a great bavette with bearnaise.


I'll miss Clapham, the park is lovely. Oh well, we'll always have Paris.

Infos:
Gastro
67 Venn Street,
SW4 0BD

London Breakfasts - Flat White in Soho

It's been a week and I've not posted any photos of food. Just snow and graffiti, but nothing edible. I'm obviously suffering from serious winter blues cognitive bloggitive disorder, this is really not normal.



Well there was the Hix debacle but I forgot my camera and everything else was rather forgettable as well. That was kind of a bummer.



But I'm adding a little addition to my London Brekkies, the Flat White in Soho. Now in all honesty, God only knows why we always end up in this joint (I thought I would kindly reference God cause I found a five pound bill yesterday so here's a Holla, Your Dudeness (advertising real cheap on this blog apparently)).




Anyway, back to the Flat White. This is an unassuming little place, run by some New Zealanders, with a nice little array of salads, all day breakfasts, and a really really great coffee (really really great. coffee.). There's some questionable art on the walls, a crowded little sitting area.




And a buzzy, Soho, gritty cool vibe. It's nice, it's cheap. Me and my friends, we hang out here sometimes.




They make good eggs.

Infos
Flat White
17 Berwick St
Soho
London W1F 0PT

London Breakfasts - The Wolseley

Oh how simply divine. I'll be taking my breakfast here everyday forever, thank you very much.





Breakfast at the Wolseley was an absolute feast. The setting is beautiful, the place was designed to be a car showroom, and was later converted to a bank by Barclays. The loo is the old vault (please insert comment about the nature of our banking woes).

There is a palatial, venitian feel about the place, and the lacquered japanese theme is reminiscent of the 19th Century haute bourgeoisie. Reminds me of the Jacquemart-Andre museum in Paris (which, by the way, is an absolute must, especially because therein lies a Titian entitled "Le temps tue l'amour", and that's just hilariously true).

Oh but enough about the bloody decor. The food is to die for. I had a ton of stuff, which I'm afraid they wouldn't let me photograph, the monsters.

We had the avocado vinaigrette, the mousse de foie de canard, an cheese omelette, a crumble, a strudel, and a truckload of bloody maries. And champagne. Everything very straightforward, befitting the bistrot theme, but impeccably executed.




I must make a special note on the service, which was outstanding. Discrete, friendly, efficient. Perfectly timed and choreographed. It is only when we encounter perfect service that we are reminded of how important it is, and how much it does for a dining experience. A perfectly pressed linen tablecloth also never fails to warm my foodie heart.

And the absolute standout dish was the prodigious Omelette Arnold Bennett. A bit of a shoddy author, but apparently he made a fine omelette: smoked haddock, gratinee with hollandaise sauce. Incredible. I must recreate this at home urgently and stuff myself silly.

The final happy surprise was the bill. Now this is of course on the steeper side of this breakfast series, but not unlike the kind of bill you would get at a place like Bistrotheque. And in all honesty, though I do love Bistrotheque, this is by a very long measure a much classier, tastier kind of breakfast adventure.

London Breakfasts, Lantana Cafe

This place is truly a little hidden gem, tucked away in Bloomsbury, right off Charlotte Street. If you're exploring the sites, like the British Museum, this is a great place to come eat.

The prices are great, the atmosphere is totally relaxed, and NON touristy, which is surprising for that area. The food is wholesome, the portions massive, and the coffee delicious.

There is a breakfast and a lunch menu during the week, and all day brunch on the weekend. I had french toast with ricotta and chai poached pears, and my friend had the corn fritters with a poached egg and salsa. Both massive, and wonderful.

They have also recently opened a little takeaway shop next door, so you can get a muffin and a coffee on the go as well.

fos
Lantana Cafe

13 Charlotte Place

http://www.lantanacafe.co.uk/

London Breakfasts - Bistrotheque

I've written about Bistrotheque before, and I'll likely be writing again. But this is probably the classic Sunday brunch destination in East London. Located just right off the canal on Mare street, behind the galleries in Vyner street, Bistrotheque is already a classic.


The star attraction is the baby grand piano, with Xavior playing pop tunes, I'm sure you'll find yourself breaking into song at some point.

The crowd is beautiful, East but not try-hard. And the food is artfully executed, if sometimes a bit unimaginative (the chocolate tart was a major disappointment, not even worthy of a roadside diner). You'll find the breakfast staples, like eggs benedict, along with a nice little lunch menu, if you're going for more substance. I couldn't resist and went for the steak tartare and saffron panna cotta.

And the bloody maries are ACE. You can't have a real brunch without a mean bloody mary, right?

Infos

Bistrotheque

23-27 Wadeson Street

E2 9DR

http://www.bistrotheque.com/

London Breakfasts - Tina, We Salute You

London Brekkies. Meeting friends for brunch or breakfast is probably my favourite thing to do on the weekend. Yes, I'm getting old, thanks for pointing that out.

But whether you are in "geezerification" like myself or not, meeting friends for breakfast/brunch is a classic in this city, hangover or not. So I'm embarking on a new series, starting out with my favourite local, "Tina, We Salute You". Right of Newington Green, this unassuming little treasure serves amazing nosh in a setting that has a little hint of Berlin, maybe, with constantly changing artwork on the walls and a starkly modern vibe...

It's unassuming, quirky, but not pretentiously "alternative". The food is a dream, sourced from the best suppliers, the coffee great, the bread homemade, and if you're lucky to land a seat on the sofas, the ideal place to go through the papers.

The "winter menu" is out, all chorizo sandwiches and warm banana bread. I'll have two of everything, please...

Infos

Tina, We Salute You

47, King Henry s Walk

N1 4NH

http://www.tinawesaluteyou.com/

From The Guardian, "A cabbie's guide to London food"

Cute little video with some seriously local flair:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/video/2010/sep/30/cabbies-guide-london-food