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Brunch

Food

Oree

January 18, 2017

1 Comments

Want to go to a cute little boulangerie/café in France? Go no further than Oree. This little slice of crack for sugar addicts, such as myself, popped up on Fulham road mid 2016 and has been busy since. Serving fresh baked everything at a reasonable price, it’s now my one stop shop for fresh bread and desserts galore.

Surrounded by C-Press Juice and Lomax gym, Oree knows their audience and caters for intolerances and the healthy eating habits of the Chelsea set. However, you do need to walk past their delicious display of treats in order to get to the café. You win some you lose some.

They have eggs benedict on the menu, so I obviously ordered that. What I wasn’t expecting was how amazing it was. They use Japanese Mie instead of the traditional English muffin and what a fantastic addition. Instead of traditional ham, they use Iberian cured ham, which I didn’t love but I can see why some people would.

To balance it out (and honestly, to fit in a little) I also ordered a green juice, which, although green, didn’t taste like grass. Yay!

I have picked up dessert for dinner parties several times here and can vouch for pretty much everything (New Years diet starts now!). My personal favorites are the lemon tart and the mille feuille but I have also eaten the giant gold cake profiterole thingy and it didn’t disappoint.

What to wear: I showed up post gym in lululemon and a ponytail, but most people are parisian chic in minimal makeup and oversized sweaters.

Oree

275-277 Fulham Road

Chelsea, London, SW10 9PZ

0203 813 972

Food

Farmacy

May 23, 2016

Stephanie

1 Comments

Brunch! The most basic habitat of a basic girl. Unsurprisingly, I love finding new brunch places, so when my friend invited me to Farmacy (not to be confused with Damien Hirst’s Notting Hill restaurant, Pharmacy, which closed in 2003) in Notting Hill on Sunday, I was intrigued. Is it brunch at a former pharmacy location, clever marketing for farm fresh food, or are we just going to go get the morning after pill and a green juice?

Turns out, it was just a good name. This tasty vegetarian spot on the corner of Westbourne Grove opened in late April. I do wonder why they haven’t branded themselves as fully vegan as there’s only one item on the menu that isn’t, and it’s only because it contains an optional egg. Normally, I roll my eyes at vegan places or those that proclaim themselves to be, gluten, dairy and meat free because, not only does it have the potential to bring the most annoying people in the world together, what do they serve? Usually, very expensive carrot sticks. However, I was pleased to see Farmacy has plenty of (still expensive) options and it was all very flavourful.

We ordered a bunch of stuff to share, which I recommend in order to try the large variety they offer. Farmacy has everything from pasta and pizza to ‘earth bowls’ (think quinoa and veggies) and ‘syringes’ containing cannabis oil, which I sadly didn’t try. But, I’m glad the pharmaceutical theme found it’s way into the menu without being creepy.

Opened by Camilla Al-Fayad, the daughter of former Harrods owner Mohamed Al–Fayed, Farmacy is, according to their web site, “not just another food and beverage play. It’s a game changing lifestyle brand. A positive lifestyle choice which connects people to source, self and community through healthy and holistic eating”. I don’t know what that means, but they have plant-based burgers and nachos that are ‘healthy’. Even the coffee came with a vegan twist, only offered with almond milk and coconut sugar. Because everything coconut is healthy, right?

Many of the ingredients had quotes around them, which made me wonder what was actually in it. Not enough to ask, mind you. I didn’t want to be the ravenous carnivore at the table and offend anyone. Although, delicious, it did make me think twice while digging into the ‘sour cream’ on my nachos.

The nachos were really tasty, if a little sparse to share and low on toppings. Insiders tip: dip the remaining tortilla chips in a side of hummus.

The hummus! No exaggeration, it was probably the best I’ve ever had. It came plain, so, had we not ordered the mixed potato sticks (more on that on a second), I’m not entirely sure how we were supposed to eat it.

So, what made me giggle the most was ordering the mixed potato sticks with aoli. I knew some quinoa and beetroot wasn’t going to fill me up, so I was looking for a heavy carb fix and the mixed potato sticks was my contribution to the group order. Then it arrived….

Chips. I’d ordered chips. Sniffing out the only unhealthy thing on the menu is pretty much the most me thing I could have done at a healthy vegan restaurant. They were good.

We ordered 3 earth bowls: the green eggs bowl (which actually came with a single egg) reminded me of Dr Seuss which is why I suggested it. It contained kale, broccoli, avocado and a poached egg. From my understanding, they ran out of eggs as I heard someone else was unable to order it so I’m not sure if it was supposed to come with just one.

The middle east bowl (above) was probably my favourite. The baba ganoush was fantastic, although I’m not sure exactly what an ‘activated seed’ is.

Which also brings me to the ‘activated quinoa’ in the macro bowl. I couldn’t tell the difference between the macro bowl quinoa and the green eggs bowl quinoa, which was apparently not activated.

What to wear: I came from Yoga (that basic lyfe) so my hair looked like ass and I was wearing ripped jeans. But to be fair, a lot of people in there looked like they’d come straight from yoga.

I’m definitely going to make my way back to this place. Be warned though, it’s quite pricy (£20/girl for brunch with no booze) and there is a bit of a wait list. We put our names down and went to have a juice for 40 minutes while we waited, so I recommend making a reservation. It’s surprisingly good for a veggie/vegan haunt. If they can figure out eggs benedict like The Good Life Eatery has (more about that here) and combine that with the nacho offering, Farmacy would be my new favourite healthy brunch place!

Farmacy

74 Westbourne Grove

London

W2 5SH

020 7221 0705

farmacylondon.com

Food

Jackson + Rye

November 2, 2015

Stephanie

Jackson + Rye is great American style diner in the heart of Soho. Now, having been someone who actually lived in America, this is not what an American diner is like in any way shape or form. But I do appreciate their effort and to be honest, Jackson + Rye is nicer than most diners in America. I’ve been there a few times before for a weekday lunch (actually with Harry Style’s sister. She looks exactly like him… or really, he looks exactly like her.)

Anyway, this time I went for a Saturday brunch and was pleasantly surprised with how friendly and efficient the staff was. We had a film to be at and let them know at the beginning and they kept that in mind the entire time and the food came out promptly. Unfortunately, there was major construction going on next door, so it was almost impossible to hold a conversation, but that wasn’t the fault of Jackson + Rye.

I had the Avocados Eggs benedict and had no idea what to expect. What came was really good and perfect for anyone on a low carb, high fat diet. Poached eggs sat on top of the avocado along with (the requested) crispy bacon. It also came with potatoes and bread, but it was so filling I hardly touched them. Side note, the coffee was great as well.

They get fairly busy, so I recommend a reservation or try for one of the few walk-in seats available, which was what we did at around 10am.

56 Wardour Street, London W1

0207437 8338

Food

The Diner

June 2, 2013

Stephanie

My boyfriend and I had been looking forward to The Diner since Black and Blue shut down. We were hoping a great new restaurant would open and prayed it was one that didn’t only cater towards tourists, like most restaurants on Gloucester Road. It got to the point that when we saw the sign go up, my boyfriend went and asked the builders outside when it would open.

Then it finally did, and hungover one Saturday we were ready.. only to find it closed. Apparently it hadn’t opened properly yet. Take 2, the boy had golf and my head hurt from a long night before at Brompton Club and Bodos Schloss. So I ventured out on my own.

First visit:

The staff were very nice and sat me at a table near the window. I didn’t really notice the decor or the atmosphere because I was in a corner. But, at the same time that worked for me, as I didn’t feel like being stared at while I inhaled my brunch alone. I obviously ordered the Eggs Benedict and toyed with the possibility of also ordering a corn dog, because I love me some corn dog, but thought that was a bit much.

They were super quick to take my OJ order and brought that straight away but unfortunately took their time coming back to take my food order, so eventually I flagged someone down. She took it, and my food arrived fairly promptly but unfortunately they didn’t bring cutlery. So I waited for that as well. It was pretty delicious but the bacon was a bit chewy for my tastes and the hollandaise was a little too buttery and not quite tangy enough. Also, be careful with the pepper. It’s super fine and in a container with large holes so I basically ended up dumping it all over my meal. I’m a big fan of pepper, but it kind of ruined things for me.

Visit 2:

The very next day my boyfriend wanted to go, so there we found ourselves again. We were sat at at a middle booth so I could admire what they did for decor. My favourite part are the walls which look like they were put together from old gymnasium floors, love it!

I ordered the Eggs Benedict again, but this time asked for extra crispy bacon, which I got and I highly recommend they serve the dish like that as a staple. The hollandaise was also better this time, with the right amount of tang. I also used the pepper more cautiously so all in all, this was a much better Benedict. It was £7.

I wanted a root beer, but was told that the kitchen staff drank the last of it the night before and were in very big trouble. Can’t hold it against them though, root beer is pretty awesome. My boyfriend ordered a cherry coke instead and I drank half of it. It was yummy.

We also ordered the wings which were a bit of a disappointment. They were kind of breaded and deep friend and not spicy. They should work on those, and until they do, I wouldn’t order them.

My boyfriend ordered the Grab burger which was USDA beef. Don’t order any of those burgers on the menu because he said they tasted like a frozen patty. I imagine the other hamburgers are better as it says on the menu that they are hand ground scottish beef which are made daily. Next time we will probably go for that option. He also said the bun was too bready which looking at it I’d have to agree with.

One thing I found distracting was one of the waitresses was wearing booty shorts and a backless t-shirt. She was basically naked and it felt awkward because it was 2 o’clock on a Sunday afternoon and there were children in the restaurant. It would have been more appropriate if it were Saturday night. Her outfit just seemed weird and I feel like staff’s clothing shouldn’t be the stand out thing you remember from a restaurant.

Overall, this is probably one of the better dining choices on that part of Gloucester road (but keeping in mind, it’s competition are a steakhouse and italian place geared towards tourists and a Burger King). I am pretty keen to try other things on the menu, they had a toasted cornbread with eggs that sounded delicious, and of course the hot dogs.

Another suggestion would be to change the shakes a little. I was going to order the oreo one until I read the description and it doesn’t look like there are actually oreos in it, but nutella and chocolate instead. I don’t like nutella. They should make a regular oreo shake and I would eat it every day.

In total we ordered: Margarita (pretty small), Cherry Coke, Orange Juice, Grab Burger, Wings and an Eggs Benedict and it was £35. Service isn’t included which is kind of nice as I find it annoying when restaurants add it automatically. We left £5.70 tip which is more than the usual 12.5% added. Other restaurants, take note.

I would recommend a try if you are in the area, but I wouldn’t necessarily venture out to eat there. They have other locations around London as well.

To book:

Web: www.goodlifediner.com

Address: 105 Gloucester Road, SW7

Phone: 02072447666

Food

The Delaunay

January 28, 2013

Stephanie

BRUNCH!!! My favourite meal. Ever. It’s breakfast, but you don’t have to get up stupid early to eat and it’s not only expected that you drink, but the drink should be sparkly or contain vodka. Best thing ever in life. So, it has been my mission to become an expert on brunches wherever I go. The reason there aren’t many brunch posts on this blog is because, if I’m honest, most of the time I scarf down my food and forget to take pictures. You’ll just have to trust me on this, I’ve had brunch pretty much everywhere.

So, where does The Delaunay rank? Well, it’s not bad actually. I have two rules when it comes to brunch: Order Eggs Benedict/Florentine/Royale/Whatever they decide to call eggs on a muffin covered in hollandaise sauce and accompany that with prosecco/Champagne.

I met a group of my girlfriends on a snowy Sunday and I have to say, I love the location of the Delaunay. It’s not too close to Covent Garden to be annoying and full of tourists, but it’s close enough to still have that busy hub vibe. I also walked by this awesome place on my way, so it got extra points.

Happy Go Lucky Funeral Parlor Seriously.

The bubbles were great, but let’s be honest, it’s not hard to get decent Champagne in London so i’ll move on.

The girls ordered lobster rolls which I am never eating again unless it’s at Burger and Lobster and we were having brunch so I had to stick to my rules.

I felt that I needed some iron after a relatively late night out, so I went for the Florentine. If you want eggs Royale, they call it Arlington at The Delaunay. I don’t know why and when I asked, they just explained what it was, not why they decided to change the name from the accepted convention. I didn’t order it, so that’s all I can really comment on.

My Florentine however, was actually quite good. not too soggy (which can happen due to the wilted spinach) but I will say the hollandaise wasn’t quite tangy enough for me. to much buttery, not enough tang. It was also a little thick for my personal preferences But to each his own. I still ate the whole thing.

I also had an excellent cappuccino props to the person who made it, excellent presentation.

My only criticism would be that it’s a little stuffy in there. The atmosphere isn’t super welcoming and it felt like they were putting on airs as if they were The Woseley They aren’t, although they are owned by the same group who also do Colbert in Sloane Square. They also make an excellent Florentine. But If I had to rank out of this group, it would be The Woseley, Colbert (amazing Atmosphere) and finally The Delaunay.

The Delaunay is about the same price as the Woseley, so I would go to the latter if you have a choice, but either way, both are going to cost you about £30/head with a drink.

If you’re interested in The Delaunay you can book through their website: www.thedelaunay.com

Stephanie Wahlstrom

Hey! Cute top! Flattery gets you everywhere, right? Seriously, though, I like what you've got going on over there. Anyway, my name is Stephanie and I am a Canadian writer living in London. I like to eat, travel and make people laugh. The Accidental Socialite is the name of my debut novel and this blog where you'll find tales of my mishaps and far too many references to bacon. Enjoy!