I have had the good fortune to eat breakfast in the iconic art deco hotel in the heart of London’s Mayfair. The first thing I noticed about the hotel was that it has the Irish tricolour as one of the flags flying over the main entrance. This is quite unique for a big London hotel! The doorman lets you into the beautiful entrance hall done out in shining floor tiles that instantly evoke the famous roaring 20s art deco style. Breakfast is served just off this area in the Foyer and Reading Room (another art deco marvel!).
Appetisers
I chose “The English”. As soon as the order was placed, my glass was filled with my chosen juice, orange, my Claridge’s Blend tea was poured for me (the use leaves and a strainer for the full notions experience) and a plate of delicious pastries was brought over to me. All incredibly fresh!
Starter
I dived straight into the pain au chocolat first before moving on to the croissant. Next to arrive was my chosen starter (yes, a starter!) of fresh summer berries! As a Wexford man I was being extra critical of the strawberries (Wexford is famous for producing amazing strawberries). I was not disappointed, they were proper dessert strawberries! Dessert strawberries are ones that are sweet by themselves without the need to add sugar to them. Top tip, if you need to add sugar, than you have yourself a jam strawberry, avoid these if you can (unless your making jam of course!).
Main Course
Once these had settled, my plate was taken away, juice refilled and tea refreshed with a new pot (as they were for the entire experience!). Then, the main event arrived! The full traditional breakfast, all of it of the highest quality! The eggs were so fresh, the sausage was exceptionally succulent and a beautiful balance of flavour on the bacon.
Dessert
Then, the best part, I ordered what I called, my dessert, a hot chocolate. This was, without a doubt, the BEST hot chocolate I have ever had! The waiter arrived with a cup and two jugs. One jug had molten chocolate and the other had hot milk. He blended the two together in the cup in front of me to provide a perfect consistency. He then placed a skewer of beautifully toasted marshmallows (that were still warm!) across the top of the cup.
I cannot fault the staff at all. They were incredibly attentive, without being too invasive, a difficult balance that they had down to perfection. I was quite happy to sit there and people watch for a while and at no point did I feel rushed to vacate the table. I think it is safe to say that I most definitely will be returning to Claridge’s for another posh breakfast at the very least! Hands down, the best breakfast I have ever eaten!
