londonbreakfastblog-blog

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French toast, strawberries, maple syrup and bacon. Delicious. Happy Bank Holiday weekend!

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oh, perfect.

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Wildwood BBQ, New York City

Hannah took a trip across the pond, and found a fairly special breakfast.

As I was spending a few days in the Big Apple, it seemed only right to sample some good, hearty American food.  So I headed to a BBQ place on a Sunday morning on the advice of a good friend.  Wildwood BBQ is in Manhattan, near Union Square.  It doesn't feel authentic in the way that you'd expect a BBQ place to feel if you went into a BBQ joint in say, Mississippi, but it was clean and welcoming.

The breakfast menu was full of treats.  I went for the Fried Chicken Waffle with Gravy and Maple Syrup.  Which sounds a big disgusting, but was actually fantastic.

Sometimes you just have to take the plunge and try the combinations of foods that just sound plain odd.  And I'm so glad that I did. The sweet and the savoury complimented each other in a way that I never would have thought about before I ate it.  The waffle was everything a waffle should be - both fluffy and crisp in the right places.  Living in the fried chicken capital of London (that's Brixton in case you were wondering), the fried chicken has to be good to cut the mustard. And boy was it good fried chicken.

My friend had a pulled pork waffle with bourbon peaches - sadly, I didn't quite manage to get a photo of this, as we were both a bit too focused on the food.  But I tried a bit and again, it was wonderful - the pulled pork was well cooked and the peaches were nicely soaked.

If you're visiting New York and you fancy going to eat at a good BBQ place then this is your place.  You can find Wildwood BBQ at 225 Park Ave S.

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Breakfast #2 Granger & Co, Notting Hill

On a freezing cold Sunday morning we ventured west to try out Granger and Co. We’d only heard good things about it, and were excited to try out food from the award winning Bill Granger.

The place is so popular waited about 20 minutes for a table, but the host was friendly and happy to chat when he had the chance, he even led us excitedly to the freshly baked strawberry scones, after we asked what they were. Once we were seated service was good and staff were helpful.

We both started off with a hot chocolate to warm up - probably one of the best we have sampled in London- the perfect temperature and size, so we could just knock one back and move on to a Bloody Mary…which was well made, with just enough of everything.

Hollie had the sweetcorn fritters. They were delicious, packed with juicy corn and accompanied with beautiful fresh tomatoes and spinach.

Hannah went for the sweet option - ricotta hotcakes with banana, maple syrup and honeycomb butter. Now I’d never had ricotta hotcakes before and I was excited - and I was not disappointed. The hotcakes were thick, and there were still bits of ricotta in them. The banana made me feel healthy, and the honeycomb butter complimented it all well. In fact, I’m now a big fan of honeycomb butter - adds an extra taste to hotcakes (and would be great on pancakes too). If anything it was a bit sickly but given what I was eating that’s not a surprise - but it was so well cooked it didn’t actually matter.

We also shared banana and chocolate chip bread with ricotta on the side.

The bread was soft and warm and moist - just right - and there were nice juicy chunks of banana in there too. A great accompaniment to our food.

We’ll definitely be back - though maybe a little earlier next time. Thanks guys!

Granger and Co can be found at 175 Westbourne Grove, W11 2SB.

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Good morning, sunshine

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Breakfast #1 Bill's Soho

Our adventure in the world of breakfast blogging began this weekend at Bill's, tucked behind Carnaby Street in the heart of London's Soho.

We arrived at around 10:30am, and were immediately seated. The table and seating were comfortable, and we had more than enough space for us to pile on our plates of food. The restaurant area was spacious but not unwelcoming, and the decor made you feel like you were in someone's home. We were surrounded by families out for Mother's Day, probably because its the kind of place that appeals to all tastes. The music isn't too loud and there is nothing offensive about it - so good for grandparents and small kids alike, as well as a good weekend gossip.

As a big fan of the Bloody Mary, Hollie's drink of choice was no surprise. The drink arrived at the table with Tabasco and worcestershire sauce for me to add at my own leisure- a bit of a cop out, I thought. However, the drink was delicious and I particularly appreciated the addition of fresh horseradish.

Following a heavy night out and a few days off work with the dreaded flu, Hannah opted for a flat white and an orange juice. Now I've lived in New Zealand and have toured my way round London in search of a good flat white, and sadly the flat white I got won't be in the top ten. But, the orange juice was delicious and very fresh, so certainly went some way to fighting off the lurgy.

Hannah ordered Bill's Healthy Breakfast Board, which came with granola, honey, english natural organic yoghurt and fruit skewers. The fruit was juicy and fresh - which sounds as though it shouldn't be a big deal, but actually, there are too many places that serve slightly dodgy fruit, so it made a nice change. I have to say that the honey and natural yoghurt were both delicious, and was precisely what my shameful hungover self needed. The granola was spot on - not too crunch, not too soft, and went well with the rest of the platter.

Hollie ordered homemade blueberry and buttermilk pancakes, which came topped with strawberry, banana and maple syrup.

The pancakes were light and buttery and the fruit was fresh and juicy. Three delicate pancakes topped with fruit provided the perfect portion.

We were both a little greedy and ordered sides of toast.

We each recieved two chunky slices of freshly toasted crusty bread, with butter and a selection of jams and marmalades with spoons, so that we could dip in and take as much as we wanted.

Hollie dipped into the fine cut marmalade, which is available to purchase at Bill's restaurants for £3.50 a tub. The marmalade was tangy, and fruity and the toast was soft in the middle but still crunchy and it was only Hannah that stopped me from ordering another round.

I really liked Bill's - it's a chain, but the Brewer Street branch that we ate at felt comfortable, homely and friendly. The food was ace (shame about the flat white, but we can't all be perfect) and everything else was just right. I'll definitely be back.

You can view Bill's Breakfast Menu here.

Make a reservation at your local Bill's here.

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Our favourite cities in which to breakfast.