Ham Yard Hotel (Brunch) – London

This was the most recent choice for a “Sunday Sit In” for myself and a group of friends. I have been here before, but only for dinner and not for my favourite of activities…. a Brunch.

Quicker than we could say “Bellini”, our waitress had assessed everyone on our table, made accurate assumptions about our tastes and suggested the best driks for us all. With 2 Kir Royales, a Prosecco and a Bloody Mary en route, we started what became an unintentional 4 hour Sunday Sit In.

When I have eaten here previously, it has been for dinner in the Summer months and has been a totally different experience. In the Summer, they open up their courtyard for one of Londons best Al Fresco dining experiences (I don’t say that casually). Now, I am almost begrudgingly touting this information, as it seems to be one of Londons hidden alfresco treats and one of my favourites, but this brunch warrants the breaking of my silence… Begrudgingly.

The decor is cool, but styled to a very high quality so it is trendy without alienating people who prefer traditional elegance. London is home to quite a few hotels that try to be “cutting edge” and “cool”, but there are very few places in london that can claim to offer a decadent London view roof terrace, a cracking spa and …. access to a bowling alley all at once……. Yes, bowling alley. This comes complete with an original 1950s maple wood imported from Texas (where else?) and a dance floor. No big deal.

This place is Brunch ready but stylish enough to carry cocktails afterwards. It is dressy casual and perfect for that schprawnsy but easy feel that so many places fail to achieve.

The Food:

There were Eggs Royale, there were Eggs Benedict, there was a Breakfast with Chilli Beans & there were Eggs Florentine. I know what you’re thinking… thats a lot of eggs, but I am a firm believer that there is no brunch without eggs and anyone that disagrees is no friend of mine.

I had the Breakfast with extras of Chilli Beans and Avocado. The breakfast came with Black Pudding that was top notch and this from someone who can only handle it in very limited doses. Love it or hate it, its nice to have the option I say.

The other three had the Eggs Royale, Eggs Florentine and Eggs Benedict. (All did the double on them). Their Hollandaise (because obviously I tried it) was perfect for my palette. Creamy and rich without tasting like a heap of whipped butter and tarragon. There is very little worse in my book than a bad hollandaise… I have borderline mentally dismissed all other food on the plate because of it previously. My breakfast was very good and had all that you would expect including perfect eggs. You know how I am with my eggs.

For dessert (Yes, we are those people) we had the Peanut Parfait which was delicious. If Nougat and Ice cream had a room temperature child, this would be it. We also had (No judgement here) the Strawberry Pavlova. Now I am not usually a huge fan of the berry in anything other than a cocktail, but this was pretty good. The rest of my table loved it and casually threw around words like, “Summer”, “Light”, “Fresh”. They were fans. I do judge them on their use of the word “bitey” but they were fans none the less.

The food was exactly what we wanted from brunch, but more impressive was the service and the attention to detail from the staff there.

The Atmos: This place is high calibre dining, with low maintenance Sunday atmosphere. It is the type of place that you can (and we did) sit for hours in without feeling the need to move on elsewhere. Its enough Hustle and bustle to give you that fun and casual feeling and perfect for your family of friends, or actual family.

They also do an Afternoon Tea, but who wants sandwiches when their are a billion choices of eggs available?!

HAM YARD HOTEL – 1 Ham Yard, London, W1D 7DT

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