This post has been a long time coming. Firstly, I would just like to highlight my sheer excitement at the fact that EXAM SEASON is over! The intensity has dissipated and I am once again FREE to trawl London, take long walks and day dream in peaceful, undisturbed bliss! The fear of procrastination no longer looms, and I am SO excited for summer!
Anyhow, let’s digress….
On one warm and breezy August summer morning in
September-ish last year, myself & a co-worker chilled out at work before
our restaurant opened for breakfast.
“Yo, check this out” he said to me, nearing his phone screen
enough so that I could see the wildly portioned eggs Benedict breakfast that he’d
ordered the morning before at ‘some restaurant called the Breakfast Club’.
Drool.
You had me at an eggs Benedict you, Mr Breakfast Club.
I mean, I served eggs Benedict for breakfast, lunch and dinner during full time waitressing
work. The sight of regular ole’ huveos and hollandaise was getting pretty damn
boring – (bearing in mind just how much the staff food menu totally exploits eggs).
You see, attractive eggs of any kind were becoming rather scarce in number. The
breakfast club must have had something very
special about it…
Over the next few months; friends started to go in and come
out.
A particularly cool thing about this place was mentioned by an enthusiastic friend of mine following this recently past British Pancake Day:
A particularly cool thing about this place was mentioned by an enthusiastic friend of mine following this recently past British Pancake Day:
“THEY GIVE YOU 17 PANCAKES FOR FREE IF YOU CAN
EAT THEM IN UNDER 15 MINUTES WITH NO MAPLE SYRUP OR WATER”.
 |
| (Pancakes @ the Breakfast Club, Hoxton. This is not my image, see http://www.hoxtonradio.com/breakfast-club-pancake-day-challenge/) |
“…And did you manage
it?”
“No. They are
absolutely huge, Tash. I wanted to enjoy them.”
Say what? You turned down 17 free pancakes because you
couldn’t tackle the stack? B*tch please!
Like, I NEEDED to go here and simulate this challenge for
myself (I say simulate since the 17 deal is only on for pancake day – so mark
that in your diaries for next year).
Yet, for some crazy reason, (and a million + 1 different
conversations later - with all of
these other, super lucky BC enthusiasts who had already visited the breakfast
club without me)…I didn’t actually make it there until yesterday. May 22nd
2014. And man, man was it a nice day….
 |
| Pancakes, berries, vanilla whipped cream and maple syrup at the Breakfast Club Soho. |
As measly as 4 whippy vanilla-y cream pancakes topped with
berries and a truckload of maple syrup may sound next to this yardstick stack
of 17 whoppers…They took a good long 40 minutes to get through.
However, most of the pancake munching time itself was
consumed by the most amazing company which I was accompanied by...
Now let me diverge a little and tell you this crazily cute
story about 3 breakfast club lovers who were also united over continuous eggs Benedict’s.
Ellery and Sarah are 2 gorgeous US university students who
have hungrily been roaming the streets of London and beyond (Ireland, France) since
New Year’s Day (- 1 day for Sarah thanks to snow induced airline slacking).
Here a few things that you should probably know about Ellery and Sarah:
 |
| Ellery & Sarah |
Ellery ( The Blondie, left)
·
She has this insane weakness for Eggs Benedict. It
brought us together.
·
She loves England, but she’s pretty certain that
given the chance it would be France > London. For some completely unjustified reason, she reminds me of Taylor Swift. I blame the accent.
·
She studies film and writing; so naturally, she’s
super creative and insightful + passionate about the treasures of the world and
the small things in life – and yes, that 100% includes Disneyland.
·
She’s also Gemini - so this really shouldn’t surprise
you ;)
 |
| Ellery & I! |
Sarah (The Cutie, right):
·
Sarah too, has the same insane weakness for Eggs
Benedict as Ellery, but her passion for Elvis slightly outweighs the eggs Benedict
dedication.
·
She is seriously considering a bigger move to London
in the near future. Exotic Memphis or smoggy London? The latter apparently.
This girl has some huge London appreciation as well as a soft spot for Dublin
and Belfast. I love it.
·
She is also mightily disappointed that 2014 hasn’t
brought any snow with it so far...
“You guys don’t like
snow here? Does it mess up your lives?”
“Why don’t you keep
wishing for it and then just see what happens...?”
Every Londoner knows that London does not do snow. Like, it
just doesn’t. If anything, it is a blessing that 2014 hasn’t let the roads turn
black with polluted icy road sludge, or exposed the true inefficiency of our transport
and salt system.
·
Lastly, Sarah is just utterly loveable. She is
so kind and chilled out. She also gave me a card with an onion on it. Onions
are my favourite vegetable and this had actually gone totally unspoken. Thanks
shallot Sarah <3.
 |
| Sarah & I. |
Sadly, my workplace + their brunch date place closed
suddenly. We were so used to seeing each other every week that we hadn’t
exchanged Facebook or numbers yet. Apparently they turned up to the gaping vacancy
which once served them brunch for dinner…only to be greeted by empty windows
and closed doors. Where had Benedict gone?
But, a couple of weeks later, they had managed to find me on
Facebook! We quickly organized a brunch at our new favorite spot (The
Breakfast Club, where else?!) and spent the afternoon catching up together. It was a total infusion of (rainstorms) chit
chat, maple syrup, and sweet shakes. Bliss
@ the BC.
I always remember how my mum always used to say that, as great as it may be to eat out with your friends – all you guys will do together is chit chat; meanwhile, all of the food which you looked forward to so much will be inhaled and vanished before you even know it… I think this is kinda funny (since my mum loves her lunch dates more than anything) even if is true – But the whole experience and laughter that results from great lunch company totally cancel this phenomenon out every single time…
Okay. So that was a long introduction. But hey, let’s
swiftly cut to the bit which you were all waiting for.
PANCAKES! *Insert fireworks here*.
The Breakfast Club which we had selected was the Soho
Branch, D’Arblay Street which is subtly tucked behind the back roads of Oxford
Circus/Tottenham court road. We were already well aware that queues here are a
regular occurrence. By meeting at 1:30pm in such a prime location, there was a
definite risk that we would have to queue. Upon arrival, it was a pleasant
surprise that the ‘queue’ that was consisted of a less than 10 minute wait (it
was a weekday after all). We were seated quickly and were given super friendly service.
(Shout out for Neville – the super cool Australian dude with long-ish dark hair
who promoted to us the fantabulous Elvis shake, and basically gave us an excuse
to return – you were fab).
The menu is pretty extensive. Ellery and Sarah got some
healthy green shakes which had mango in it (Unpictured – I just remember that
they were absurdly green). Here is Ellery looking happy with her pancakes though!
Whilst I got the Elvis shake…
Elvis shake = Vanilla ice cream, banana + peanut butter; 3
ingredients with hint of absolute genius. Apparently Mr Elvis put peanut butter
onto everything. From here, I draw the conclusion that Elvis and I are long
lost twins. (So Sorry Sarah, he’s mine).
According to E+S it tasted “EXACTLY LIKE A REESES PEANUT
BUTTER CUP”. I was sold by the plain old menu description of it… let alone the
heavenly thick and creamy reality…it was
simply a blitz of pure, pea-nutty & viscous-y bliss. Although £4.90 for it
was pretty pricey for what it is, I’d say that it serves as one of those
one-time, no excuses kinda things that just pairs super well with pancakes. If you
classify yourself as a peanut butter fanatic, then do not be deterred by the
price because: YOLO. (This is coming from a piggy bank chick who only ever
orders tap water with a meal). I don’t
think managed to picture it though, Oops.
And as for the stars of the show…these pictures genuinely do
not to the pancakes justice. They were huge. We were all super keen to tuck in
so the shots aren’t fantastic. They were thick + dense. Some people may prefer
the ‘super fluffy kind’ – but it is pretty hard to complain about the quality
of the pancakes when you are faced with a stack like this. The vanilla cream
was lovely, relatively thick and…just…oh so vanilla-y. (I bloody love vanilla).
The berries were a nice addition, though I personally would have preferred some
starchy banana to go with the pure stodge that is pancakes. However, I
think many people would genuinely pick the berries over anything else. I’m just
one of those rare few who can’t stand the natural freshness of berries with
sticky + heavy indulgence…
 |
| Pancakes, berries, vanilla whipped cream and maple syrup at the Breakfast Club Soho. |
Speaking of sticky, the absolute cherry on the cake was the
bottle of maple syrup which comes with the pancakes. You know how in a pizzeria
they give you a bottle of chilli olive oil to drown your pizza in upon consumption,
and this makes one super happy? The bottle of maple syrup was the brunch-time equivalent,
- a generous touch which probably doesn’t cost the company a penny; but makes
the customers day anyway. My bowl became an utter basin for streaming rivers of
maple syrup. The pancakes were suffocating in a golden and gooey sticky mess.
Understandably, my hands were way too occupied with having to deal with this
sticky mess so I couldn’t picture the post-dousing stack state. E+S gracefully
stuck to the berries and the recommended sugar dose. We talked, laughed &
enjoyed the atmosphere.
 |
| Pancakes, berries, vanilla whipped cream and maple syrup at the Breakfast Club Soho. |
Overall, the breakfast club is absolutely fantastic value
for money. Although people from other parts of the country may find the prices
a little too much (I.E., my best friend in Durham claims she can get a gigantic
fry up for little over £3 in her alternative ‘local’ Breakfast Club fakery) – considering
that we are in central London, any
place where breakfast + drink together averages at around £9-£13 is absolutely
incredible.
The portions are gigantic. As we entered, the smell of a hearty brunch hit
us, simultaneously to the sights of other customers being served mountains of
eggs, sausages, cinnamon French toast, bacon and beans. Yes, - beans! It is super
rare to find places that chuck the baked beans in without question. Too many
brunch places in London skimp on the baked beans in the name continental European authenticity
or whatever – since they don’t exactly go with “cwoissants or pan doo chocolatz” … Baked beans are 100% necessary
and I’m super proud to announce that the Breakfast Club respects this component
of a healthy brunch/lunch/breakfast or whatever you consider your trip there to be.
So, the bottom-est of the bottom line? The BC is amazing. It
was totally worth the 9 month wait. My only complaint is that there are only a mere 5 of them in London! (with a 6th
in progress). Unfortunately I didn’t manage to snap any pictures of inside the
Soho branch this time around, but, since it was kinda small, I really think
that they should somehow increase the capacity of their restaurants since they
are well and truly in high demand from people all over the capital and beyond. Nevertheless, I’m sure that they
have established this problem. I for one will most certainly be back (Even if
E+S can’t join me, sad face). For starters, I cannot wait to try out the other
branches, have an Elvis shake take two and attempt to order something
different! (I’m not sure how much will power I have for variety though). But
what can I say? The eggs Benedict prophecy must be fulfilled sometime soon…
And most finally, it is just so cool how a pair of regulars turned
out to be such great friends. I call Ellery and Sarah my Trans-Atlantic buddies
now. I cannot believe that they are flying home tomorrow. The BC was the
perfect way to say goodbye. Time has gone so quickly and I wish that they could
start their 6 months here all over again! Nevertheless, I know that we will be
seeing each other again soon! Did somebody say Perth?! Tee-he.
 |
| The Breakfast Club, Soho. |
Thanks for reading my review of the BC! I am absolutely PSYCHED that exam seasons are over. I have so much planned for summer and I cannot wait for it to all unravel over tealightsky! It is the greatest feeling to be able to invest time in the blog once again, exams are crazy. Thank God they are only so intense for such a short amount of time!
What’s your experience with the BC?
Anyone know of any other well portioned and decently priced
brunch places in London with lots of variety? Preferably with pancakes? (Pancakes constitute variety for me, but I encourage new suggestions too!)
What kind of places do you like to eat out at most?
Tash xo
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