When you work a crazy job that makes you work six days a week, the perfect Sunday at the end of it, is all you look forward to. I have one of those jobs, so Sunday is really my day! My perfect Sunday requires a few things; waking up from at least six hours of uninterrupted sleep, a sun-filled rain free day, spending time in the kitchen, copious amounts of good food, something decent to watch on the TV and spending time with the bear. That is my perfect Sunday!
The word on the street (read Twitter) that Hawksmoor was going to launch a weekend service (being in The City they guessed the custom was not there on a weekend). This sent my tongue a wagging! I have to admit that I was a Hawksmoor virgin. Not for a lack of trying, but 90% of my big restaurant outings happen on a Sunday. Until now I could not pop my proverbial carnivore cherry. With all the buzz around Twitter, about how MEGA the new brunch was I could not wait to try it myself.
I woke on Sunday morning (after about five hours of sleep) to find that the bear had not got any winks of sleep. Oh dear! I thought. You know how fun a bear can be that's had no sleep. Enough fun to want to rearrange all activities to only include a sofa and trashy TV. The bear insisted that we not cancel the brunch, knowing how much I had been looking forward to it. I was praying to the gods culinaire that this be the best brunch the bear ever ate, if not I was in for a growling!
The glorious spring like day welcomed us on the streets of Shoreditch, or is this Hoxton? Being a Hawksmoor virgin we passed by the place only to be told by google maps to turn around it's behind you. We were ushered to our table through a relatively quite room by the caped crusader of the Hawksmoor, she was very cheerful and a delight to be greeted by someone so enthusiastic . The Hawksmoor is a very masculine affair with it's bare brick, leather, dark wood and vintage wall lamps. I really loved the shelves with the vintage glassware and plates on display, It is the perfect mix of eclectic clutter and masculine modern design.
A lot of times when I eat out I already know what I'm going to order before I enter the doors, and this was no exception. The Hawksmoor Breakfast (£30) was my preplanned choice.. Before you balk at the price, this is a breakfast of massive proportions, massive enough for two (large) hungry boys. Just in case we were still a bit peckish, we ordered a side of triple cooked chips. To get the juices flowing I ordered the #16 Bloody Mary, a warm affair made from beef consomme, vodka, chili & spice. DELISH!
After a few sips of the drinks and some Sunday morning chatter with the bear, the waitress approached the table with warm plates and cutlery. The bear was very impressed that the plates came out pre-warmed. She rearranged the table removing any unnecessary items leading me to believe this breakfast was mammoth. A moment later she lugged a heavy cast iron staub roasting tray to the table It was overflowing with meaty delights. What I loved about the breakfast is they snuck meat into almost everything making it a carnivores breakfast orgy. A thick smokey bacon chop, a large ring of earthy black sausage, the freshest bubble and squeak with studded with shreds of beef short ribs, unctuous bone marrow, giant grilled mushrooms two fried eggs and toast slathered in beef dripping.
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| The menu |
The Beefy Bloddy Mary | The Triple Cooked Chips |
Oh yes, and two of the best sausages I've ever had the chance to eat. The sausages are made especially for them by The Ginger Pig. They are a meaty affair made up of beef, pork and mutton. One Word: Sublime. To accompany the breakfast they serve trotter baked beans, once again little staub coquette and a jug of bone marrow, onion and hp gravy. I normally don't eat beans at breakfast (I don't see the appeal however the Hawksmoor beans were lush. So much so that I just resisted the shame of licking the coquette clean.
After a good 30 minutes or so of ooohing and munching there was nothing left but a drop or two of gravy, and a couple of chips. Such a superbly satisfying way to kick off the Sunday. The waitress cleared down the crockery carnage and asked if we wanted to look at the dessert menu. We already knew what we were going to sample, but said yes anyway. With the last taste ordered it was only a matter of time before I could end the speculation that the Hawkmoor do the best milkshake on the planet.
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| The Breakfast | The Beans | and THE MILKSHAKE |
Our Cornflake Milkshakes arrived in groovy retro glasses. Are they the best milkshakes on the planet? Er Probably not, BUT they are pretty darn good. If you have had Cereal milk from Momofuku, then this will be up your street. So a word of advice make room for the cornflake milkshake.
The Hawksmoor brunch just launched, Within a matter of weeks I'm sure that word will be out and it will be a packed affair. So I would advise that you book in advance. I went on about the carnivores delight an awfully lot, they also do what looks to be a great vegetarian breakfast. They also do an English breakfast for one and a great HkMuffin if you are not in the mood to share.
Not in the mood for breakfast? The brunch menu features some of the Hawksmoor favourites including the The Hawksmoor Burger, steaks and a Sunday roast with all the trimmings.
All in all I give the meal a deservedly ten out of ten. I would also give the whole experience at Hawksmoor a ten out of ten. The service is flawless. And the environment is perfect. Nothing I could fault, and it makes for a perfect day. At 6pm I was still relishing in the memories of the breakfast! Considering the bear had no sleep it turned out to be his perfect ten mark breunch too!
I wish every day could start out like a Hawksmoor Day!
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