Where to find an authentic English breakfast in London

8/12/20092:16:33 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

Destinations, Travel experiences

Juicy sausages, thick-cut bacon, velvet-soft fried eggs and crisp buttered toast are the key ingredients of a classic full English breakfast. But anyone who has visited London will know just how easy it is to find a limp, taste-free and seriously overpriced version of the Britain's favorite morning meal. For those planning their next visit, here's a six-pack of road-tested London breakfast spots where you can tuck into the classics or try something unexpected.

River Cafe--Across from Putney Bridge underground station, this immaculate old-school eatery is like stepping back in time. Mosaic floors, art nouveau wall tiles and 1940s dark-wood furniture create a museum ambience, while the average age of the smiling counter staff is around 80. Rock cakes nestle like exhibits in a glass cabinet, but it's the great value in the all-day breakfasts that draws the chatty regulars.

With its bewildering list of 25 similar combinations--you will be reminded of the "Monty Python" Spam sketch while dithering between "egg, bacon and tomatoes" and "egg, bacon, sausage and tomatoes"--most breakfasts cost less than a fiver, or $8.50. And while exotic items such as salmon and vegetarian sausages appear occasionally, it's the simple but perfectly executed traditional fry-ups, pushed from the kitchen through a wooden serving hatch, that hit the spot.

Must try: Egg, bacon, sausage and tomatoes.

Information: 1A Station Approach Rd., opposite Putney Bridge underground station; breakfast 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday.

Maria's Market Cafe--Nestled in Borough Market, this unassuming al fresco food stand is recommended for its legendary bubble and squeak, a fried working-class dish traditionally made from leftovers. Comprised here of potato and cabbage--it's crispy on the outside and butter-soft on the inside--it's like an English version of hash browns and accompanies hearty rounds of bacon, sausage and egg.

Nothing is more than the equivalent of $5 at Maria's, and the bubble and squeak turns out to be an ideal breakfast comfort food, especially when accompanied with tangy brown sauce and a steaming mug of strong tea (or "Rosy Lee," as a smiling Maria reminds me). Decamping to one of the green-checked tables to watch the clamorous market unfold around you may be the best way to start any London day out.

Must try: Bubble, bacon and cheese bap, Maria's hangover recommendation.

Information: Borough Market, near London Bridge underground station; breakfast from 5:30 a.m. Wednesday-Saturday.

Med Kitchen--In South Kensington's wasteland of humdrum breakfast options, this midpriced bistro is a standout. Hit the streetside seating on a balmy day or avoid the rain in the calming interior: think chunky wooden tables, earth-toned walls and a burbling jazz soundtrack.

The one-page breakfast menu (prices up to $14) covers the classics, but house specials include vegetarian eggs Benedict with portabello mushroom and a sugar-addicts pain au chocolate served with a bowl of whipped hot chocolate. The delectable eggs royale, a salmon version of eggs Benedict, is recommended. And if, like me, you miss the restaurant's regular breakfast hours it's also available on the lunch menu where it comes with a piled-high serving of thin-cut fries.

Must try: Eggs royale.

Information: 25-35 Gloucester Rd., near Gloucester Road underground station; www.medkitchen.co.uk; breakfast 8 a.m.-11.30 a.m. daily.

Tom's Kitchen--The bee's knees of London breakfast joints, this popular Chelsea bistro is possibly the only place in town where it's worth spending almost $18 for the first meal of the day. Local yuppies flock here for the warming, chatty ambience and a decor resembling a romanticized charcuterie, with gleaming white tiles, golden hardwood floors and artsy sepia prints of butchers and farm scenes.

But it's not just about looks here. The breakfast menu offers eye-rollingly good blueberry pancakes, bulging Belgian waffles and an eight-item full English breakfast that's like a greatest hits of perfect UK breakfast nosh, all sourced from top end suppliers. It includes a lovely herb-flecked sausage; crisp-edged bacon strips; and a rich, pate-like black pudding that easily could turn vegetarians back to the dark side. One caveat: book ahead for weekend brunch because the place usually is packed.

Must try: Full English breakfast.

Information: 27 Cale St., near Sloane Square underground station; tomskitchen.co.uk; breakfast 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Friday; brunch 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

El Vergel--Hidden on an unassuming southeast London side street, this smashing South American hole-in-the-wall is a genuine discovery. Packed with office workers at lunch, its bargain spicy breakfast selection is highly recommended. Tuck your legs under the communal wooden table at the back and indulge in a stomach-stuffing $8 Latin Breakfast (latte included): It'll set you up perfectly for a day of heavy London wandering.

With piquant chorizo sausage, a lake of spicy beans and a mound of pink scrambled eggs mixed with salsa, there is just room for four pieces of chunky bread to mop up your leftovers. And with cheery Cuban music percolating the air--you'll be tapping your feet while your eat--plus exotic Spanish chatter from the girls behind the counter, it's the perfect place to pretend it's not raining.

Must try: Latin Breakfast.

Information: 8 Lant St., near Borough underground station; elvergel.co.uk; breakfast 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday.

Brick Lane Beigel Bake--For breakfast on the run, this legendary, 24-hour, fancy-free bakery is an ideal pit stop. Recalling 1950s cafeterias with its condensation-covered windows and stainless-steel countertops, you will be jostling with cabdrivers and East London hipsters for outrageously cheap, fresh-baked bagels at just 33 cents a pop. You can also make a meal of it with a hot salt beef sandwich ($5) or smoked salmon and cream cheese-filled bagel ($2.50).

Study the menu before joining the fast-moving queue, since the people behind you will not appreciate too much dithering when it's your turn to order. Once you have your goodies, you can stand at the shelf lining the wall opposite or head outside for a strollable breakfast among the bohemian stores and colorful Indian businesses that make Brick Lane one of London's most vibrant thoroughfares.

Must try: Smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel.

Information: 159 Brick Lane, near Aldgate East underground station; breakfast available 24 hours.