While many might think London would (or at least should) be bored of brunch by now, there's too many 20-somethings in the city to ever let the sitting slide. What that basically means? Brunch is bloody competitive. You've got your seafood brunch, your dim sum brunch and your hip-hop brunch, so how would a mere egg brunch stand out? Tucked away in Chelsea, I pounded my way towards No 11 Pimlico Road to find out.
The Venue and Atmosphere
Instagram is a place for all things clean, cool and white-washed, and it's clearly not something that No 11 Pimlico Road has missed. An interesting space with arched bar and grey notes by the bucket load, this is clearly a fresh and friendly place to eat. From smatterings of chevron and metallic tables to copper lined-lights and humble pillows, the restaurant has clearly embraced a the crisp, Nordic trend of simplicity and quality.
I mention Instagram again, because it's clear to see the type of crowd that No 11 Pimlico Road draws: it's those more than familiar with the 'gingham' filter. Pretty much chocka with those between (on my guess) 24-35, you'd feel a little left out were you to not snap those eggs or clink those bubbles.
Those of you with Swedish aspirations will love the bright and breezy interiors here.
The Brunch
There's something clear about the brunch at No 11 Pimlico Road: in correlation with their fresh and muted interiors, they weren't going to let fresh or healthy dishes here slide. While yes, the dairy-demon within was a little upset that I couldn't order their cheese toastie, I happily settled in to Free Range Scrambled Eggs on Grilled Sourdough Toast at £6.75 with a side of tomatoes, while my friend got familiar with the same, topping hers up with spinach and lightly salted avocado. The bright yellow-yolk led colour of my scrambled eggs was perfect, owing to how recently they been laid, and how perfectly they worked with the sourdough crunch. Props to the tomatoes too, that came perfectly seasoned in a warm, iron bowl. I actually want to give further credit to the venue's elderflower and cucumber 'house lemonade' at £4.50. Served in a cool, cut glass with a slice of cucumber, this was delicate, crisp and cut through the savoury eggs perfectly.
My friend was on antibiotics and led the no-booze bore, but hell if I'll be held back from a glass of prosecco. Arriving promptly after our serving of eggs, we wanted to seal the deal with bubbles for me a small fruit salad to share. Unfortunately, not only did the fruit salad take nearly 20 minutes to arrive, some of the ingredients lacked in quality. While the additions of fig and passionfruit were unique, it would have been nice to see all elements accentuating the previous freshness of our eggs.
Brunch classics and handmade drinks make up the bulk of the breakfast menu.
Summary
Ladies and gentleman, the egg brunch is evidently not quitting any time soon. Down to a love for hollandaise sauce and all things yolk, it was the egg that started the brunch and according to No 11 Pimlico Road, it's going to be the egg that damn well finishes it. And while their fruit salad was a little sad, their handmade drinks and pretty plates mean this is a restaurant, that with egg on side, will continue to flourish on London's brunch scene.
