Brunch on Saturday: Rail House Café review and a revitalising peas on toast recipe
This week in Brunch on Saturday, Emma Henderson makes a worthwhile visit to Victoria and suggests a healthy alternative to beans on toast
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Brunching in...
Restaurants in specifically built districts are not normally somewhere I’d choose to go for dinner, lunch or brunch at that matter. They can feel quite clinical and rather forced.
It’s the same way I feel about shopping centres – everything put in one place for convenience’s sake. But it can be done well, with well-chosen venues and innovative architecture. And that’s what the Sir Simon Milton Square is, and where you'll find the Rail House Café – finally providing a good reason to eat in Victoria.
As the offspring of the Riding House Café in Fitzrovia, it's new addition uses industrial chic type décor, with walls laid bare, well-loved furniture (that’s actually brand new) and neutral tones with a hint of sage green. It’s huge and airy, with a double height ceiling and a private more intimate area upstairs for parties or large groups, while the bar and separate open-plan kitchen take up a large proportion of the ground floor. But there's still plenty of seating, and a huge range of it too. It can be formal, at circular tables and chairs and high bar stools surrounding tables, or more relaxed on comfy low cocktail chairs, plush turquoise velvet benches and huge sofas.
Brunch is served every day of the week, between noon and 4.30pm, apart from weekends where it begins at a reasonable 9am. The menus are rather similar, save for more small and sharing plates at the weekend which include a comforting mac and cheese or a more sophisticated plate of yellowfin tuna tartare – all of which range from £6 to £13. From midday, the large dishes are available including miso-glazed salmon to a rib eye, priced between £12.50 to £28.
The highlights from the seven brunch dishes include combining two classics: a burger and eggs benedict, creating the burgerdict (£10). For something a little less meaty, go for the avocado sourdough (£7.50), which brings a whole new meaning to the in vogue ‘‘smashed avo’’. It comes with dill salsa, hazelnut and seed dukkah – giving it a slight Middle Eastern twist. But if that's not enough, you can add feta, streaky bacon or hot smoked salmon for £2 each. Even without any extras, it's still substantial and very flavoursome.
The smoked haddock kedgeree is the best I’ve ever had. The large dish of fragrantly spiced yellow rice comes with soft boiled egg that’s so runny it’s more like a poached egg; as well as plenty of chunks of fish and delicate pea shoots which are tossed throughout the dish. It's a real standout on the menu. A word of warning though, it’s large and will suffice as a large main. But don’t let it put you off trying the puddings – especially the green tea waffles (£8).
While there’s a lot to choose from, the brunch dishes – along with the dreamy interior – make venturing into Victoria, even on a weekend well worth it.
Rail House Cafe, Sir Simon Milton Square, 8, London SW1E 5DJ; 020 3906 7950; railhouse.cafe; open daily
Brunching in...
Peas on toast by Rachel Phipps
112.5g of peas, (fresh or defrosted frozen garden peas), or petite pois
1 garlic clove, small
½ lemon, juice and zest only
1 ½ sprigs of fresh mint
1 buffalo mozzarella, creamy
2 slices of bread, fresh, thick and toasted
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
In the bottom of your mortar, crush the garlic with a large pinch of sea salt, the zest from half a lemon, the chopped mint and a good glug of olive oil until the garlic is broken down.
Slowly add the peas, crushing them to break them up with the pestle, but not to the point where they are a paste.
Mix in the mozzarella, still taking care to break it up but not create a paste, and season to taste with lemon juice, more sea salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Pile onto the toast, and enjoy!
Recipe courtesy of Great British Chefs. Visit their site for more delicious pea recipes
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