Albion
Rating: Eggs Royal
London brunch review - Albion. They are very clever people at the Albion. Yes, they are! Not only are you ready to buy fresh veggies before you even enter the ground floor of the Boundary building, but then it goes on: coffee, olive oil, fresh bread, smoothies… all that very healthy looking – and I’m sure excellent tasting –stuff and you can’t hide from. Even if you could in between the crates, the smell would haunt you and you’d become a victim of your senses. Food presentation to its perfection is all I can say!
Thank God, we arrive early enough to not have to join the queue which is automatically forming as soon as it is past noon on a Saturday or Sunday (no bookings possible – so rather be on time, especially on a warm day to grab one of the four tables outside). On our way in we spot the cookies, croissants and scones and although it is definitely not time for Afternoon Tea yet we decide to order a biiig scone to start of the brunch feast in this bright room with its open kitchen which allows you to keep your senses busy through your eating experience.
The service is excellent: cutlery and water are immediately placed on the table as soon as we sit down and we are asked what we would like to drink. This keeps going throughout the time we stay – no complaints possible.
I immediately choose the new dish on the menu – a dish which has been developed together with nutritionist Chris Sandel and therefore promises to be low in calories (not quite sure if this makes any difference with the scone, the cappuccino and the Bloody Mary).
The “Grilled sweet potato hash with spinach and poached organic eggs” doesn’t only look good but also leaves an aftertaste which you don’t want to ruin. Being offered to try the “Albion breakfast”, especially the apparently delicious baked beans, I have to turn it down. With food it is like with friendships and relationships – if you have tried the almost perfect, you don’t want to step down.
To round things up we ask for a very spicy Bloody Mary – exactly the right thing to give us the ultimate wake-up call and make us ready for an afternoon full of culture in the National Gallery. Well, this detour is also the only reason why I don’t end up buying everything what is on display…
If your stomach and fridge are empty then I highly recommend – go for brunch, London!
Cappuccino: .....................................................................................£2,80
Bloody Mary: ....................................................................................£7,00
Albion breakfast: bacon, sausage, black pudding, baked beans,
grilled tomato, mushroom, choice of egg, toast...£11,00
Albion, 2-4 Boundary Street, London E2 7DD
Open: Daily 8am - late
Phone: 020 7729 1051
