Back to School for Brunch - The Schoolhouse

The Eatery: The Schoolhouse, 139 St John's Hill, London SW11 1TD
The Site: http://www.theschoolhouse.london/
The Companion: a group of pals for hung over Sunday brunch
The Dolla: Around £15 for a main dish and a drink
MCM Rating: 4/5

I fell in love with The Schoolhouse as soon as I spotted they had pancakes on the menu - AS A SIDE. Respect. The Schoolhouse, is a great Clapham gem, easy to walk past but difficult to resist once you've tried it.

The 'schoolhouse' theme is carried through to the decor with comic books, old style school photographs and iconic toys dotted around - personally, I love dining next to Furby.

Mrs Brunch

 

The menu is reminiscent of an old school report with a great selection of dishes, there are twists on classics like 'Mr Benedict - English muffin, soft poached eggs and hollandaise sauce with a choice of Cola Ham, Pulled Pork or Smoked Salmon to go with it  or Schoolhouse specials like the Mrs Brunch - Grilled halloumi, avo, peppers, tomato concasse and mushrooms on poppy & rye with poached egg, rocket and baby spinach - I have these with their Hash Bravas which are delicious.



Santa Fe

My favourite dish is the Sante Fe this is my Saturday morning heaven; ridiculously good Cheddar & Jalapeno cornbread with spicy ratatouille, smashed avocado, poached egg, lime crème fraiche and spicy ketchup.

Schoolhouse serve food throughout the day and even have a Tuck Shop for lighter bites...but their best menu by far is brunch; good size portions and there's a Bottomless option too.  Try it if you feel like something a little different - and DON'T forget the cornbread!



  

Bumpkin - Banging Ribs and Burnt Burgers

The Eatery:Bumpkin South Kensington, 102 Brompton Road, London, SW7 3RD
The Site: http://bumpkinuk.com
The Companion: Great for lunch with a group of pals or the family
The Dolla: Around £35 per head
MCM Rating: 3.8/5

Today I went for a BIG Sunday lunch with the family at Bumpkin . Always good to end a weekend having eaten so much you're no longer able to move. There's a lovely atmosphere at Bumpkin, it has a sort of smart/casual feel that makes you feel instantly relaxed.

Everyone felt like an afternoon full of comfort food so we started off with a plate of ribs to share. This was a pretty generous portion, plenty of meat on the bone and the sauce was tangy, tasty and full of flavour (I kept the little pot of extra sauce for chip-dipping)! Delicious!

For the main course I went for a a burger and that's where it fell a little bit flat; the chips were under-done! More importantly, they wouldn't serve the burger medium-rare but said they would cook it pink, when it arrived  it was far too overcooked for my liking. The good thing was; it came with a fluffy brioche bun, a drizzle of delicious sauce some salad and a gherkin...I love a gherkin.

To finish off this naughty Sunday meal we went for a Sticky Toffee Pudding with Salted Caramel Ice Cream. They gave us another generous portion and this was pretty delicous, only complaint; I would have liked a little bit more of the sauce -I'm greedy like that.

The Verdict: I love the atmosphere here, the service was good and staff were lovely. A good choice for a Sunday lunch. Would be great to try some of their more refined dishes next time and see what they can do with a nice piece of fish or a pork belly. In the meantime Bumpkin, STOP BURNING YOUR BURGERS!

Duck & Waffle - a winner's breakfast

The Eatery: Duck & Waffle, Heron Tower, 110 Bishopgate, London EC2N 4AY
The Site: http://duckandwaffle.com/
The Companion: Group of colleagues for a cheeky pre-work breakfast/ hot date for dinner or late night munchies.
The Dolla: Amazing value without booze, a little pricey if you want to get tiddley. Around £115 for a meal for 2 with wine and service.


Duck & Waffle, everyone's heard the hype but lots of people still haven't tried it especially if they don't tend to venture into the city. I can confirm it's absolutely worth the trip and you don't have to be a big city banker to have a good time.


On the 40th floor of Heron Tower, D&W offers stunning views of the city and as it's open 24/7 it makes it a little difficult to decide whether to go at dawn or dusk. Breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner - they do it all pretty well.

The signature dish; the Duck & Waffle, is a winning combo. A crispy confit of duck on a bed of two light and fluffy waffles topped with a fried duck egg and a sweet but subtle maple syrup spiced with mustard seeds. Delicious.

The sweet options weren't bad either...couldn't resist the belgian waffle with carmelised banana and home made nutella. Delicate, light and makes you feel a  little warm and fuzzy inside.

The views in the evening are spectacular and there are some tasty dinner options (spicy ox cheek doughnut with apricot jam) and some genius late night snacks (bbq pigs ears with sugar, salt and spices in little brown paper bags) but my cheeky tip for D&W if you're strapped for cash is to go for breakfast or brunch. The food is incredibly affordable but once you add the tipples into the mix, that's when it starts to get pricey. Freshly squeezed orange juice, a pot of hot coffee, golden waffles and a panoramic view of the city starting to wake up is a pretty winning way to start your day....