Those who know me well will say that brunch is my first true love - and it's true, brunch and I have been in an intimate relationship for a while now. Every weekend the big question on my mind is ‘where the brunch at?’. Deciding to make the trek from the depths of South London to Zona N16 in Stoke Newington, I was about to find a new brunch spot making a lot of noise in the area.
The Venue and Atmosphere
Zona N16 was opened 3 months ago by owner Chris Goulbourne and his wife, the brains behind the decor. The venue is a great open space, with low hanging lights, exposed brick, and a fresh, light colour scheme leading out to a small outside seating area for sporadic summer days. The venue may have been given a modern overhaul but it definitely did not forgot its roots. Hanging above our heads in the centre of the room is a beautiful Victorian shop fascia for ‘W.A.HIGGS’ (W.A.HIGGS was an importer of tea that operated on the premises in the late nineteenth century).
At first we took a table at the front of the room amongst some solo diners enjoying caffeine and eggs, and as the time crept towards 12 o’clock, then came the brunchers needing their bloody marys and prosecco fizz. With the sun shining proudly through the shop front, we were waiting seats to become available in the popular but small outside space at the back. The small little decking area, lined with bamboo sticks has 3 low wooden tables and benches with plants, proving itself to be in a serious, sun-trap of a spot.
Zona N16 is effortless cool with a measure of history thrown in.
The Food and Drink
Zona offers a variety of classic dishes with a twist on flavour. There’s a 'Salt Beef Benedict' on a fragrant croissant served with mustard hollandaise and sliced gherkin (£8.50), and of course they have a 'Pulled Pork Benedict' (£8.50), both served with avocado and the most luxurious hollandaise I’ve tasted for a long time. Serving eggs benedict on a croissant is definitely going to be a demand of mine from now on, I loved the contrast of the sweet and the salty, and it added a layer of texture that's a world away from that of a stale muffin. Not feeling the benedict vibe, my brunch accomplice opted for the 'Smoked Mackerel' with horseradish and sweet pickled beetroot on sourdough toast (£7.50). Both dishes were generously served, looked appetising on the eye, and hit all the right flavour notes.
In my eyes, brunch is not complete without a coffee by its side, but as afternoon strolled on everyone around was opting for the Bottomless Prosecco Brunch (£25), soon proving too tempting to resist. To round off our stay we ordered a glass of prosecco each to sip away in the sun.
The egg dishes at Zona have a little more attitude than your normal plates.
Summary
Newly open, Zona’s menu offers unique variations on some on ultimately classic brunch dishes, clearly packing them full of fun and flavour. Enjoy this brunch with a glass of bubbly or a bloody mary, and if the sun is out, head to the terrace out back and go al fresco. Shake a leg, do all that and like us, you won’t be disappointed.
