Picture the scene: It’s a miserable, rainy Saturday 6 weeks before Christmas. Oxford Street is, as one might expect, Hell-ish. It’s packed with people brandishing their umbrellas like weapons. Puddles swamp the pavement. I am wearing shoes that are not sensible; my toes are soaked. The only thing that can cheer me up is a hot, smooth coffee, an indulgent plate of something delicious and maybe something to keep the sniffles at bay. So it was Over Easy on Duke Street to the rescue.
The Venue
Over Easy can be found over the road from Selfridges, on the street that runs down it’s side. The space used to be a cocktail bar which was once dark and sultry, with black tiles and low lighting. Now the place has been brought to life with bright walls, beautiful white and green tiling and flower laden tables that bring a splash of Spring-like colour to the room, despite the wintery greys out side. It is fresh and clean and welcoming, much like the staff who are attentive and friendly. A big blackboard displays the coffee and tea varieties on offer, as well as the dishes available to take away - but this is such a wonderful space to casually enjoy an all day brunch, I don’t see why you’d want to enjoy the dishes anywhere else.
Classic brunch dishes and juices stand out at Over Easy, whatever the weather.
The Food and Drink
This is exclusively a brunch venue, open all week long. No longer do you need to wait until the weekend to get your eggs benny fix. If I could, i’d have brunch dishes for every meal of the day. This menu covers every kind of brunch favourite you might have, from porridge or granola for the more ‘breakfasty’ style dishes, to eggs in numerous guises and sweeter options like pancakes and French toast. There are coffee varieties a-plenty, as well as juices, fresh lemonades, iced coffees and a few boozy options including classic Bellinis and Bloody Mary’s. They have everything covered.
A sucker for French toast but in the mood for something a little more savoury, I enjoyed the Truffled French Toast (£8.50), made with beautifully soft homemade brioche, a truffle custard *swoon*, kale, mushrooms, fried egg and black pudding. I also asked for a side of chorizo (£3.50) too which was a superb addition if I do say so myself. The brioche was soft and fluffy and the mushrooms were stunning; sweet and juicy. My friend chose the most colourful thing on the menu when she ordered the Huevos Rancheros (£8.50) - a celebration of reds, greens, yellows and purples with a beautiful fresh salsa, a bright fried egg, fresh avo and spicy beans, all providing fresh, clean flavours.
To drink, as well as a few silky smooth Flat Whites, we each chose one of their juices each. Named after the colours of a traffic light, and as bright as, my friend chose the Green Juice made with kale, lime, Granny Smith apple, mint and cucumber, while I selected the Red Juice made with apple, beetroot, carrot and ginger. It was sweet, but the ginger gave a gentle spice which tingled the tongue. For the dose of vitamins you need to get yourself through the winter sniffle free, these £4.50 juices are the one. To end, we treated ourselves to a portion of the Grilled Banana Bread (£4) topped with fresh banana, almond butter and coconut yoghurt. The bread was warm, dense and moist, packed with natural sweetness from the banana which contrasted beautifully with the tangy, creamy yoghurt and smooth nut butter.
Summary
No longer is brunch exclusively for the weekends. Over Easy has made brunch accessible to everyone, and they’ve made it fresh and refined. The relaxing dining room and the classic, comforting dishes give you that weekend feeling on any day of the week, and provides a welcomed haven away from the chaos just one street away.
