Brunch has been a weekend tradition for dwelling Londoners for quite some time, a weekend simply isn’t complete without it. From poached eggs on a flurry of English muffins with lashings of hollandaise sauce, we keep things pretty traditional. Where as across the pond in Dubai, brunch is quite an affair, individual tables dressed and draped in an array of rich and delicious dishes waiting to be eaten. Champagne is on tap, with corks flying across the room and guests guzzling golden bubbles like it’s table water. It was only a matter of time before London hotels caught onto the trend, and naturally trend setters, Four Seasons London took it upon themselves to emerge into the market with a divine offering with the support of Ruinart champagne.
Stepping through the gorgeous lobby of Four Seasons Park Lane, I can’t help but admire the surroundings, despite visiting the hotel for the hundredth time. The elegant, yet seductively dark colours captive me. The theme runs right through the Amarento bar, and through to the restaurant which offers a slightly airy feel with plenty of natural light from the terrace area. We were quickly seated for our afternoon of indulgence, and as our lovely waiter talked us through the menu, I found myself quickly salivating at the delicious offering on display.
To kick off our brunch, we toasted with our first glass of Ruinart Brut champagne, before perusing the savoury table, which had an array of cold meats, cheeses, breads, and other savoury starters. The art to a ‘Dubai-style brunch’ is to brace yourself, as it’s easy to get overexcited and overindulge, especially as there is at least around four to five rounds of food to come. To helped myself to a small selection of cheeses before reverting back to the menu to continue brunch.
My favourite part about the Four Seasons’ take on an eclectic brunch is rather than having a buffet, each of the hot dishes were cooked to order for freshness and reducing food waste. I felt it was a great concept, especially as all the ingredients are locally sourced from small suppliers, ensuring their production goes further.
For my two dishes, I jumped between the ‘Eggs’ section and ‘On The Richer Side’, ordering the Baked St. Eve’s farm egg Shakshouka that was served with barrel aged feta and chargrilled toast. It was heaven on a plate. I would certainly recommend it if you like eggs, with a touch of Turkish delight.
I powered right through to the delectable and lean beef meatballs served in a roasted tomato sauce della Nonna Rossi. They felt like they were made in a lovely Italian grandmother’s home, made from scratch with a tonne of love and passion. Every bite was heaven. Another worthy contender for those visiting for brunch.
Before we were allowed to move onto the dessert table, the chefs personally came out to dish up a little mid-course. A small morsel of that was filled with an unbelievable number of flavours, sending my palette into overdrive. The Cappellacci was stuffed with butternut squash and cheese, before tossed around in sage-infused butter. Divine!
Last but not least, we shuffled over to the gourmet selection of handmade desserts. I was in complete awe of the talented pastry chefs that whipped up such a great selection of sweet treat, from candied kumquats, rocher cakes, tiramisu, cake lollipops, matcha and earl grey cones and so much more. It’s a sweet-tooth heaven — my heaven.
Aside from the food, the service at Four Seasons’ is always second to none. From the moment we walked through the door, right until we left, no request was too extreme. It’s one of the main reasons I keep coming back, and another reason for you to head over for an extravagant weekend treat with your nearest and dearests.
Until next time…
