There have been so many new trends over the past few years. Moving away from traditional disco cocktails to wonderful and eye catching concoctions. Afternoon teas have moved away from its classic ways and have developed into themed teas, with the likes of Disney and seasonal holidays. One of my favourite food trends has to be Sunday brunch though. There certainly isn’t anything more satisfying that having a lie in, catching up with your friends over some good food (and unlimited champagne) whilst having the whole day to relax too.
That’s exactly what I did with my last weekend. After spending my Saturday playing catch up, it was time to have some relaxing and boozy times with some of my internet friends. I found myself in the Roux At The Landau at The Langham trying out their Farmhouse Brunch. All my readers should know by now, i’m no stranger to the Langham. I’ve sampled the fantastic afternoon teas by Cherish Finden, sipped on breathtakingly unique cocktails at the Artesian and dined at both the Roux and the Palm Court.
Returning to what is often known as my ‘second home’ according to many of my blogger friends, I was excited what country style brunch was going to be rustled up by my favourite French restaurant.
Well, it wouldn’t be quite a brunch at the Roux without fresh baked bread and some butter presented on a salt block, to add a slight saltiness.
I’m a bit a sucker for well made bread, especially as I only have it on a rare occasion like this. I couldn’t say no to that beautiful sourdough bread, so delicate and crisp on the outside.
It was not long before we started to make this brunch a boozy one. Bring on the bubbles! Our waiter poured us a lovely rich brut, that was flowing non-stop. My friends and I can never say no to champagne, it’s like a weakness within.
Once everyone had a helping of the bread and a glug of champagne, it was time to check out the ‘starters’ part to our brunch. It is a rarity that I ever have a three-course brunch but when at The Langham, there are a few exceptions.
The spread was quite unreal! So many different and delicious offerings, from Scottish smoked salmon to Cornish oysters. Crab, apple and celeriac roulade to black quinoa, caper and hazelnut salad.
I had some black quinoa which was lovely. Fresh flavours, with a nice crunch from the quinoa grains. There was parsley mixed in, which i’m not normally a fan of but it worked so well. The beetroot salad was also another lovely dish. Many of the dishes were pork or seafood based, both of which I cannot eat but there was so much more food to come, I didn’t feel like I missed out.
All the main courses sounded divine from the menu. However, the sound of the beef cheek parmentier lured me in. Melt in your mouth meat that was slow cooked to perfection. It literally fell apart with a bit of a nudge from my fork. Served with parmentier style mash potato on top and bitter leaves salad. Finished off with a light helping of jus. Just perfect!
The other favourites around the table were the lobster and avocado egg Benedict with hollandaise sauce. It was honestly the most well presented eggs Benedict I have ever seen. The avocado was perfectly made into a rose shape, allowing there to be a hole in the centre which was stuffed with fresh shredded lobster. Finished off with a generous helping of hollandaise. It looks super pretty and tasted just as good too according to Emma.
Since it is Skrei cod season imported specially from Norway, it was on the menu and with so much delight, Fiona ordered it. It was served with cockles dieppoise with Paris mushrooms. The fish itself was of the finest quality, cooked to sublimity.
If we weren’t already full from all the food, we couldn’t leave without checking out the dessert spread. I mean, if you thought the starers were extensive, wait until you have seen the desserts.
What did I say? It was literally heaven! Where do you start, where do you finish? It’s impossible to lose weight when you’re presented with such decedent treats. Parisians, eat your heart out with fresh croissants, creme caramels and a wonderful camembert cheese board. If exotic fruit is more your thing (definitely mine!) then there was dragon fruit, melon, mango, pineapple, strawberries and kiwis on offer. The blood orange tart was divine too, especially as it was a twist on the usual lemon tart – which is one of my favourite desserts.
I have to say, this is one of the best brunches I have ever had and i’ve had a fair few in my time. Once again, the exceptional service from the waiters and waitresses at The Langham exceeded expectations and it was so great to be back in the true opulence of this stunning luxury hotel.
Luckily on this occasion, I didn’t have to go far to get to my ‘home’ for the night. Just popped in the lift and up I went… 😉 If you can hold on long enough, there will be a full post on my stay at The Langham coming up soon. I bet you’re wondering, are the breakfasts just as exotic? Well, you will have to wait and see!
Until next time…
