Brunch on Saturday: Lantana Cafe review and a smoked haddock cloudeggs recipe
Whether you’re up for a morning out, or like your breakfast with a slice of bed, Lantana Cafe has you covered with a top brunch experience or a recipe for home
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Your support makes all the difference.Brunching out...
As one of the most popular brunch spots in central London, you’ll either love or hate the fact that you can’t book at Lantana.
The cafe is small, but on sunny days expands considerably due to its outside seating space. Fortunately, it was a bright Sunday morning when we visited so the queue moved quickly.
It’s always full with a predominantly young, hip crowd, and the friendly staff seemed to match: tattooed waiters with plenty of beards and man-buns on show.
Thanks to the semi-ironic (I imagine) soundtrack of cheesy tunes – think Motown classics like “Baby Love” and “I’m Coming Up” – the vibe was informal and chilled.
Despite the enticing selection of cakes and baked goods on the counter, we decided to get stuck straight in to the main affair: classic Australian-inspired brunch fare, with little twists here and there. But not before a berry and yoghurt smoothie (£4) whet our appetites – it was thick, simple and oh-so-delicious.
In the end we decided to share two dishes. One was the Big Bubble (£13.50): cumberland sausage, well-seasoned, creamy bubble-and-squeak, crumbly black pudding, runny yolks, smooth muhammara and soft spinach. There were lots of textures, it was beautifully presented and all delicious too.
Our second dish was the courgette bread (£11.50). This was the texture of banana bread, and had an unexpected sweetness which we liked. The halloumi was cooked to perfection, and its saltiness contrasted well with the freshness of the sweetcorn, black-eyed bean and tomato salsa.
We were pleased to see what was essentially a mountain of smashed avocado, but it was too citrussy for me – it tasted more like lemon than avo, unfortunately. The poached egg was spot on, though.
The portions were pretty large, which left us feeling happily full. Not so full, mind, that we didn’t grab a couple of cakes to take away for later.
Lantana Cafe Fitzrovia, 13 Charlotte Pl, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1SN; 020 7637 3347; open daily; lantanacafe.co.uk
Brunching in...
Say goodbye to bland cereals and embrace breakfast without the bowl, with this cloud egg and smoked haddock dish. You can expect flavour and protein in equal measures!
Serves 2
2 eggs
2 smoked haddock fillets
3 slices of streaky bacon, cut into small pieces
50g of grated cheese
A handful of spinach
Black pepper
For the cheddar and chive sauce:
60ml of milk
60 ml of cream
1 tbsp. of butter
1 tbsp. of flour
1 egg yolk
1 tsp of chives
A sprinkling of cinnamon
1 cup of finely grated cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper, to season
Place two smoked haddock fillets into a pre-heated oven (180C) and cook for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, separate your eggs and set the yolks aside. Whisk the egg whites and carefully fold in the grated cheese and bacon.
Use the whisked egg mixture to create two small, raised circles on a baking try, on top of non-stick parchment paper. Make a well in the middle of each circle so you can add in the yolk later.
Put the egg mixture in the oven for approximately five to six minutes. Remove from the oven and place the yolks into the two wells, then put the baking tray back into the oven for approximately three minutes.
Meanwhile, make the sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan and adding in the flour, whisking with a folk for one minute. Combine the milk and cream, then add to the saucepan slowly, whisking until thick. Add in an egg yolk and cook for 30 seconds, on a low heat.
Next, add in the cheese to the sauce mixture and stir until well combined. Add the cinnamon and season with salt and pepper, then remove from the heat.
To finish, stack up your breakfast. Begin with a handful of spinach, then place the haddock fillet on top, drizzling the cheddar and chive sauce over it. Finish by delicately placing the cloud eggs on top… and enjoy.
Saucy Top Tip: speed things up by using The Saucy Fish Co’s Cook from Frozen Smoked Haddock, with Vintage Cheddar and Chive sauce.
Recipe courtesy of The Saucy Fish Co, thesaucyfishco.com
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