Boozy Brunch Archives - BURNESSIE TRAVELS

Gaucho Electro Brunch

Excellent news, I have finally made it to Gaucho’s legendary Electro Brunch – all you can drink and all you can eat. Yes, really. Gaucho has long been a favourite place of mine for steak: the meat is of such quality you won’t need a steak knife, the service is great and the wine is always excellent. So when I found out about Gaucho’s bottomless brunch I was eager to try it and see how the quality compared to their usual dining experience. Also, bottomless Aperol? Frankly it’s shameful how long it took me to get around to booking a table.

To kick off proceedings, our waitress Amanda brought over mini croissants with something that I can only describe as a game changer: peanut butter dulce de leche. Sweet caramel flavours mixed with the salty peanut: I honestly feel it changed my life a little bit. Amanda explained that she would wait for us all to be comfortably seated before bringing our first drinks over, and that the two hour bottomless time would start from then. We could order one dish at a time each and once that one was finished, order another. Simple.

Gaucho’s exemplary Bloody Mary’s have pulled me through on occasion before and sporting a slight headache from the night before’s escapades, so starting off with one of these was the best course of action. I actually would go so far as to say that Gaucho’s BMs are my favourite – though if you have any further recommendations, do let me know, as research in that area is a cross I’m willing to bear.

The food menu had everything from different Eggs Benedicts: salt beef, florentine, royale; bacon sandwiches, pancakes, french toast… I started with avocado on toasted sourdough with pancetta, which I wolfed down in record time, though the dishes you are served are small in order to allow you to fit more variety in, which is fine by me. The beans on toast with Spanish chorizo was another winner and the bacon sandwich on ciabatta was good too, though I feel bacon sandwiches are better on a softer bread with lashings of butter. Steak and eggs with chimchurri added on was as good as you would expect at a steak restaurant, and gives you a taste of their regular menu have you not eaten there before. A favourite was the fried Provoleta with caramelised onion chutney because what’s not to love about deep fried cheese, but I would go for that first next time as was quite rich after a few other dishes. The banana pancakes with Nutella went down well with my companions, whilst I grabbed the chance for more of the peanut butter dulce de leche on French toast with strawberries. Full disclosure: I did ask for extra dulce de leche as there wasn’t enough served with the dish, slash I truly have no shame, and laid it on as thick as possible. Washed down with their excellent Argentine sparkling wine it was the ultimate in brunching indulgence.

I’m all about an Aperol Spritz, especially in the summer months, so one of the big pulls for this brunch is the fact it’s the only one I’ve come across that offers Aperol as one of their bottomless drinks (along with their signature Bloody Mary, Domaine Chandon, Rubia Pilsener Lager and juice bar soft drinks). As we walked in we could see these big fish bowl wine glasses lined up on the back bar, gradually being filled with the good orange stuff. I was a little disappointed to find that the Aperols served did taste quite watered down, and whilst it’s to be expected on some level at a boozy brunch, I would hope the taste would stay the same! The only other slight gripe I had on an otherwise excellent brunch was the speed at which it took to get another drink and order the next dishes. There were times where we were waiting for a good 15 to 20 minutes for a refill, and when you have a time limit that does start to bother you. Other than that, the service was excellent and so friendly.

Gaucho is definitely one of the more grand bottomless brunches out there; great to take your parents to, or get dressed up a bit for – it feels special. That’s reflected in the price at £49.95 pp (£45 outside of London), but I do think it’s worth it. If you don’t fancy going for the brunch, the a la carte menu is fantastic and as previously mentioned, the steak is one of my favourite in London. Oh and the tuna ceviche to start is out of this world – if that found itself onto the brunch menu, that would truly be a fine thing. Though when you’ve got those Bloody Mary’s and that peanut butter dulce de leche you don’t really need any other excuse to visit Gaucho’s Electro Brunch.

Available every Saturday between 11am and 4pm at the following restaurants: Broadgate, Canary, Piccadilly, Sloane, Smithfield, Tower Bridge, Birmingham, Leeds & Manchester

£49.95 pp, or £45 in Birmingham, Leeds & Manchester
£10 deposit pp necessary on booking

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Bottomless Breakfast and Brunch London

Grind

Once upon a sunny September Sunday, I had the joy of a late summer brunch with a very generous pour of bottomless bubbles at Cafe Pistou in Exmouth Market. Sadly, Pistou’s warm pain au chocolats and excellent croque madames are now long gone, but when one door closes…there is now a Grind in its place. And I’m pleased to confirm that the Exmouth Market Grind fills the boots of brunches of Pistou past admirably.

With a brunch menu designed around mostly smaller dishes, this is the perfect place to take a group of friends and order everything to try to share. The atmosphere was buzzing on our visit, filled with big tables of friends laughing over their filled champagne coupes. The marble tables laid with pale pink and grey menus make this an extremely photogenic brunch to partake in, and a neon sign demanding you ‘Don’t Just Stare At It, Eat It’ completes the signature Grind Instagrammability in style.

But, you know, don’t just stare at it…no problems there, because the food here is too good to stare at it too long. Chorizo and smoked cheese croquettes (£5.50) were just as delicious as they sound: rich with cheese and chunks of spicy sausage in them, perfectly golden on the outside. I had my eye on the sprout spring salad with goats cheese (£5) but sadly they’d run out by the time we ordered – surely a good sign. Being the cliche I am, I also had smashed avo on sourdough with chilli and poached eggs, adding feta to the mix after a big debate between that or bacon (£8.50). Luckily for me my friend L ordered a side of bacon with her meal but found it too salty, letting me at it – super crispy, just the way I like it. The poached eggs were perfectly done with the brightest of orange runny yolks oozing out at the slightest nudge. The wild mushroom hash with harissa (£6) got full marks from L though noted it would have been easier to eat from a plate than a bowl.

Speaking of, there are ‘bowls’ on the menu, with nut granola with agave and winter fruits, porridge and coconut soaked oats with nuts and seeds on offer for those who are inclined to be more health conscious at brunch. On the other end of the spectrum there’s a full English, cheeseburger and a brilliant sounding eggs benedict on the menu with wild boar and chilli.

Obviously, we left room for afters, L getting the creme brûlée (£3.50) which was smooth with a lemon twist to it, whilst I got the chocolate hazelnut parfait with espresso streusel (£6). The latter was excellent, with layers of different textures topped off with sea salt to give it extra depth. Of course, brunch these days wouldn’t be complete without a consistent flow of prosecco, and I’m very much a fan of Grind’s styling: the menu lists this option as “Bottomless prosecco, seriously” – and it’ll only set you back £13 each. What are you waiting for? Grab some friends and get down to Grind. Seriously.

8-10 Exmouth Market, London, EC1R 4QA
+44 20 3019 7709

Bottomless prosecco, seriously, also available at Clerkenwell Grind, 2-4 Old St, London, EC1V 9AA and London Grind, 2 London Bridge, London SE1 9RA

Bottomless brunch for 2 came to £30pp.

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Bottomless Breakfast and Brunch London

Bad Egg

The true test of a good brunch is whether it can successfully pull you out of your self-inflicted pain or not. Hangovers and boozy brunches go hand in hand – they cause them, and they cure them. They are forever entwined.

Bad Egg was slightly different to the other bottomless brunches I’ve frequented. Here, you pick three small plates. There’s pulled pork with beans and kimchi on sourdough; Korean rib tips; a Mexican vibe represented by a selection of tacos and American French toast or pancakes with an array of toppings. I opt for the deep fried mac and cheese balls, because I can apparently never resist anything macaroni, or indeed, cheese; French toast with bacon and lashings of maple syrup, and the cheeseburger hash – essentially a deconstructed mess of a cheeseburger – and to be honest, I think I prefer it that way. Everything was good, particularly the fried macaroni cheese and the Korean rib tips I stole from a friend. Although I didn’t go hungry too quickly, I do think the portions were slightly on the small side for what you pay. Comparatively with other bottomless brunches, you pay the same and get more food (and booze) for your cash at other restaurants.

Speaking of the booze, we were a table of twenty, and a table that large is always going to be a serving nightmare. Regardless, I feel like I shouldn’t have to prompt staff for a top up, particularly if it’s a Bottomless Brunch with a time limit (which in fairness, overran for us since it took a long time to serve so many and we were the last sitting of the day). I want to relax and talk to my friends, not spend time trying to catch the eye of the nearest waiter. The choice to swap between mimosas, cava and Bloody Mary’s was great, and the latter was particularly well made.

Bad Egg is a solid brunch choice and the food is very good, there’s just not quite enough of it in the Bottomless option. The restaurant serves brunch all day every day, so they clearly know what they are doing. The food quality is high and particularly on the main menu the range is wide, with influences from the diners of America, serving classic dishes such as burgers and hot dogs as well as eggs this way and that way, french toast and pancakes and Mexican breakfasts too. It just doesn’t quite feel like they have the Bottomless Brunch perfected just yet. I’d certainly go again, but with a smaller group. To me, Bad Egg didn’t feel ready to be able to do a Bottomless Brunch for such a large table just yet, though I’m sure they’ll get there. I would hope to see bigger portions next time too. Iron out the kinks and it’ll go from strength to strength as a destination on the London boozy brunch scene. And yes, it did the trick: it pulled me out of my hangover and sent me soaring into the start of the next one.

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Bottomless Breakfast and Brunch London

The Botanist

I have been hunting for a rival to my long-time favourite bottomless brunch at South Place Chop House for a while now, and the beautifully designed Broadgate Circle outpost of The Botanist has finally achieved it. All in spite of the fact that this brunch has a two hour limit – usually a pet hate of mine. That makes me sound…not great. Shut up, I don’t like to be rushed, okay? I like to linger over a table with friends and family, and all the better when someone is topping up my glass for hours on end without my noticing.

A lot of places doing all you can drink brunches in London now seem to be running on the novelty of the occasion, and that works. It pulls in the masses and is brilliant for large groups for birthdays and other special occasions since it’s good value for money and frankly, a lot of fun. Twenty somethings in London are all over it. Sometimes the food is pushed by the wayside though, and it’s great to see The Botanist bringing an offering to the table that perhaps A Bit Fancier and certainly special enough to take your family to, should you wish to initiate them into the London brunch scene.

As a large group of fifteen we had to pre-order our meal which was no mean feat. Guessing what you’ll fancy to eat in advance is never easy, and the stellar starter selection in particular made it near on impossible to choose. Luckily with a sizeable team of brunchers you can usually bargain your way into a bite of several different dishes. An original twist on the classic Eggs Benedict, the soft shell crab Benedict with jalapeño hollandaise was a popular if unusual choice, though do be sure you like a bit of spice in your food before getting swayed by those gorgeous three words “soft shell crab” – it had quite a kick for the first meal of the day. The classic came with caviar atop and the most perfect poached egg, though I could have done with a bit extra hollandaise to balance the huge English muffin everything was perched on. Avocado and chilli on toast was improved further with a couple of slices of smoked bacon perched on top and the chorizo and spring onion hash with double fried eggs served those getting over their hangovers more than well.

The options for main include what may be one of the most tempting vegetarian meals I’ve heard of recently: artichoke tortellini, roast Jerusalem’s, walnut and kale pesto; though of course I will forever opt for the meat. Enter a Weiner schnitzel twice the size of my face, fried to golden perfection Weiner schnitzel, served with caper butter and one of the most delicious sides of mash I’ve had. Butter. Lots of butter. Huge portions of moules frites satisfied half the table and the salmon fishcake with spinach was a good option for something a bit smaller, making three courses all the easier to tackle.

Desserts included treacle tart and honeycomb cheesecake with figs, both very good but by this point most of us were stuffed and full of a combination of Bloody Mary’s, mimosas, bellinis, prosecco and wine. One of the biggest draws for this brunch is the unique element of having unlimited ETM wine at your disposal rather than the usual fizzy affair. I didn’t take advantage this time but I certainly will the next. With attentive staff, a setting that gorgeous – all copper and industrial but warm with soft leather seats at the same time, and food this good, there’s always a next time.

Soft Shell Crab Benedict with Jalapeño Hollandaise

Broadgate Circle, City of London, EC2M 2QS
+44 (0)20 3058 9888
Nearest tube Liverpool Street or Moorgate