The Breakfast Club Soho - Finally! (Review)

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:

 “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/)

#BreakfastClubRespect #Genius #TooGoodToBeTrue

“…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 22^nd 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. 

Pulling their 2 characters together, Ellery & Sarah used to come and visit the place where I worked every single Tuesday for a couple of months. They were customers (the best customers ever).  6pm never put them off. It was “Eggs Benedict!” every single time (except for once). Upon interrogation, they one justified their compulsive choice with: “We don’t know…the sauce here is just so good…like…we don’t have sauce like that back home in the US.” ... Egg addiction, anyone? We got talking. Somehow the Breakfast Club became exchanged as a mutual recommendation. As a result, we were pretty much destined to be diner buddies from there onwards.

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 6^th 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

  

Maple-ized: Creamy peanut crumpets (Crump-cakes)

Fat free pancakes.

It sounds like a sin, right?

Well let’s be honest…It is.

Pancakes, by rule, need to be: buttery, soft, fluffy and stacked high in pools of drippy and sweet maple syrup…

So, if you have oodles of time in the morning and an incentive to fry…then by all means skillet ‘em up fresh and fatty.

However, if you are pressed for time but need to satisfy the craving for stacked sweetness, and you happen to have crumpets on hand, then…ta-da!!:

Peanut butter-banana and maple syrup crumpets. 

Welcome to the world of substitution.

Now, these Crump cakes/Panpets (Pancakes – Crumpets ehehe - we need to vote on a name!) aren’t pancakes. I never said they were. I just really wanted pancakes and they were the same shape so….what could actually go wrong with pretending that a crumpet is a pancake?  

When I refined the source of my craving…I realized that what I really wanted was something wheaty, starchy, creamy, buttery and heavy but light all at the same time which I could top with whatever I wanted...such as peanut butter and jelly.

I made do with these and I reckon you could too, just for their own, delicious sake when pancakes feel a bit too naughty for the moment…

Voila.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you my fabulous Crump-cakes:

They are shop bought because they are so good and I have no idea how to make them by hand. We buy them over here like we do bread. 

Besides, if I were to cook something then pancakes would have been the first priority anyway…home baking a convenience food is counter-productive. 

They are so great because you can just top them with anything you have a taste for. They are substantial and filling and go well with anything. They are low in saturated fat (though I was considering putting some salted butter under the peanut butter layer but opted out this time around…)

Here’s a quick cross section of the layers pictured:

·         Peanut butter

·         Banana

·         Creamy Greek yogurt

·         Cinnamon

·         Maple syrup

·         Raspberry jam

·         Lotus biscuit spread (amazing though sickly sweet, hence the pea sized scoop)

As I say, they aren’t pancakes.

But, if you are craving pancakes – not for the pancakes themselves…but rather just something sweet, drippy, creamy and personalized…then these are a great substitute which can actually turn into a pretty balanced, healthy + protein rich breakfast (or other main meal).

So, the next time you have the urge to whip up some pancakes but don’t have quite enough time…narrow down your craving: i.e. is it Maple syrup? Is it for wheat? Is it for bananas? Is it for whipped cream? And just chuck whatever you can onto a crump-cake.

I’ve also compiled a list of other fantabulous ideas for the crump-cakes:

·         Butter, eggs, bacon + maple syrup.

·         Butter, maple syrup, banana.

·         Butter, maple syrup + berries & cinnamon.

·         Peanut butter, banana, maple syrup.

·         Nutella, banana + chocolate chip.

·         Yogurt raisins, banana, peanut butter + berries.

·         Caramel biscuit spread + banana.

·         Butter, maple syrup, almonds + granola with a dollop of apple-cinnamon yogurt.

·         Granola clusters, banana, caramel spread.

·         White chocolate spread + strawberry slices.

·         Honey, Greek yogurt, berries + pear & cinnamon.

Go crazy!

Did you know that crumpets and pancakes are made of the same ingredients…only a crumpet is steamed/dry cooked while a pancake is fried - hence the holes and lack of grease? In some places crumpets are known as pikelets.

Even if you don’t fancy the stacking idea…hopefully this post can just remind you of the bliss experienced as one devours a crumpet bathed in golden, salted yellow butter and fruit conserve of the season...

So, what do you think of the crump-cakes idea? Am I completely bonkers or do you think that they may just be the best thing since sliced bre…pancakes?

I just have this gut feeling that maple syrup has a vocation beyond pancakes and porridge, as amazing as they are…

Let me know what you think! I love hearing from you!

xo Tasha. 

All things Breakfast

There is just something so special about breakfast...

Tania says that her peanut butter and banana pancakes on Monday morning helps her to retain the weekend feeling of chill..

Again, a girlfriend of mine highlighted the other day that “Food is the only escape” from the monotonous reality of a day in, studying. It’s not the food itself –rather, it is the distraction, the creativity, the thought + the mindfulness which goes into preparing something nutritious and energizing to eat that makes it such an appealing part of the day…

Cinnamon Greek yogurt banana pancakes with butter & Maple syrup <3

Tell me, at what other time of the day, week or, year is this more seductive than at breakfast?

Sometimes, we wait for the new year or month to have a fresh start. Sometimes we anticipate Monday…or sometimes we just wait for the next day.  A new day to do something right. A new day to embrace that new, clear headed motive that will enhance how we live...

This is where breakfast comes in. Breakfast is the fuel for the start of your new day. Breakfast settles you and gets you up and going by luring you with its sweet/savory appeal. Breakfast likes to do it right. Breakfast lives just for you..

So, if pancakes and maple syrup can convince you that it is actually Saturday and makes you happy; then so be it; If eggs and bacon with croissants and jam fly you to Sunday brunch; then just enjoy. If your peanut butter and jelly or banana concoction persuade you to take a fresh morning run…then it’s definitely working in your favour.

I’ve certainly made no secret of my love affair with these Greek banana and maple syrup buttery pancakes…

And who knew that bread substituted for oaties in milk worked so well with pools of peanut butter?

We have an amazing bakery just next to uni (Kamps!) I have to say that (one of) my favorite breakfast would have to come from there…giant cinnamon buns and custard apple pastries…crumbly chocolate shortbread buns with creamy, honey porridge and cappuccinos…mmm. 

The breakfast club London is on my to-do list. Yes, Still…have any of you ever been there?

But for now…

Love breakfast. Love your day. Embrace the energy and the choice to take off as you wish & cherish the power to choose... 

What’s your ideal breakfast? 

Banana and Cinnamon Maple syrup pancakes in 15 minutes!

Have you ever heard that there's no time better than the present?

You've probably heard it a lot.

Has it become a bit bland and meaningless? It may have, just a little.

There's a whole lot of truth in it. Not just with reference to chores and activities...but life. How many times have we sailed through the Christmas holidays or summer months, wondering how great it will be to one day, enjoy them without the hustle and bustle of daily commitments and endless tasks? That would be great - but it's totally unrealistic and will never happen. We are here  to accomplish something. Even though we may wish the better times last for so much longer uninterrupted...they will only ever exist in addition to whatever else we may have on our plate.

The trick of enjoying the moment? Is to literally enjoy the moment.

I guess a lesson we are meant to learn in this life is one of time management in a deeper sense - how can we shift priorities instantaneously so that we can make the most out of every little moment and time slot life presents us with? I guess it's so easy to dismiss all of the 'little things' in life because we are fed up of something else - this as an excuse to let the moment pass. Some days, times, moments and opportunities are likely to never come back.

I kinda see life as like tiny strands of the universes DNA unraveling - every shred which falls off of it, is totally unique and different to the next. Once it's gone, it's gone. The trick is to capture the moment within each and savor it, so we can add to our memory boxes and trunk of lovely emotions. Chances are, every moment has something to teach us in such a way, that we can trust each lesson to avert from any mines we stumble across in the future.

We will never know where our lessons will take us.

On a less deep note though,

I kid you not. I definitely used a vacant lunch time slot wisely on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon:

It was definitely not my most balanced day ever...

Breakfast? Giant almond croissant (work was going to throw them out...) and a half. Half? Yes. I toasted one, ate half. Realized I like almond croissants better un-toasted so I just put the half eaten one back in the back and got a new one. Clean slate and all. Yum yum. By the way...extra butter is the only way to eat croissants - toasted or not. I've met a few people who are slightly disgusted at this?

Then I had some pumpkin blondies with dark chocolate chips left over from the previous days baking (nom nom - recipe soon to come!) And then I had some more, simply because it's just the thing to do with a plate of gooey pumpkin fudge blondies.

I was on a bit of a sugar high. A light lunch had no chances. Butter over load, anyone? 

2 days ago, I attempted 'sweet potato and banana pancakes'. Delicious as they sound, they turned out looking like an orange and carrot scramble with pieces of old omelette also chucked into the pan. Definitely not a good look. They tasted amazing though, doused with maple syrup and served on a pretty plate - though it would admittedly have been hard to convince the eye of the beholder...

BUT I was determined to pick myself up and try again, this time using far less milk (I have a problem - whenever I add milk I add too much milk. I don't know if it's because my hand doesn't know when to stop or because I simply love the pants off of milk)

Lunch time? Spare time? PANCAKES! Omitting the sweet potato though. I felt like using some wheat for those fluffy, cafe type pancakes. They came out p-e-r-f-e-c-t.

These deliciously light, soft, fluffy and maple sweet pancakes have no added butter, milk, or extra oil inside the recipe (minus oil for frying). They use one egg, apple sauce and a touch of brown sugar.
They are dangerously moreish, but a mere 1/2 cup of flour will grace you with 5-7 small-medium sized pancakes. Bon appetite!

Recipe (serves 1-2 depending on how hungry you are...)

• 1/2 cup white flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1 medium mashed banana
• 1 heaped tablespoon Greek/natural low fat yogurt. 
• 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Maple syrup for dousing

1. Heat an oiled skillet/pan on high. I used canola oil. 
2. Mix together all of the dry ingredients, then add the banana and vanilla. 
3. Add the yogurt and the egg
4. Whisk with a fork or whisker, but do not over whisk. 
5. You should have a very thick, viscous pancakes batter. Do not worry about lumps - just make sure that all of the flour is incorporated. 
6. Spoon the batter onto the high heated skillet/pan. A large pan should fit about 5 on, and the entire batter should give you 2 batches like this. 
7. The first batch will take a bit longer. Flip the pancakes once bubbles start to appear on the surface.
8. The second batch cook extremely quickly (like 1.5 minutes a side, if that).

9. Go crazy with the maple syrup, and enjoy! Extra banana and more yogurt go great in addition!