Brunch on Saturday: Coya Mayfair review and a brekkie recipe
It may not be cheap at £75 per head but Rachel Hosie finds ‘less is more’ goes out the window at this classy place... while for home it’s the big breakfast
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With disco balls hanging from ceiling, gold accents and bright printed cushions in the window seats, Coya in Mayfair is not a spot for the “less is more” type among us.
The high-end Peruvian restaurant’s bottomless brunch (£75) does things differently: rather than unlimited booze with your food, the drinks part comes first – guests enjoy bottomless drinks (champagne, pisco sours and Bloody Marys) by the bar for the first hour before sitting down at the restaurant for food – any further drinks have are charged.
It’s a clever plan really, because who doesn’t want to carry on drinking when you’re riding the buzz of a couple of glasses of champagne? A DJ playing solid party tunes helps but, fortunately, not so loudly that talking is impossible. The interior could be described as industrial chic meets Peruvian by way of Mayfair; think tropical South American bright colours and wooden floors, but with a large pinch of class.
Unlike many bottomless brunches, the crowd isn’t purely millennial either. Older generations are also getting in on the act, sipping champagne from tulip glasses. In fact, the venue states that the brunch is for over-21s only. Fortunately a selection of canapés stopped anyone getting too sloshed at the bar. We try mini crispy tacos filled with pumpkin, raw salmon ceviche with avocado and tuna wasabi.
Each party is individually taken through to their table for the main meal, meaning you don’t feel like you’re a school group being ushered to the dining room. Upon sitting down, one of the many members of waiting staff swiftly arrives and mashes up avocado with red onion and chilli right in front of our eyes, before leaving it with us to enjoy alongside bread and prawn crackers.
Then it’s on to the starter buffet, where diners can go to town on various different ceviche, quinoa and corn salads – each as flavourful as the next. At the same time, waiting staff appear out of nowhere offering sticky, tender BBQ chicken skewers and slightly spicy (but very tasty) pork buns.
And all that, is just the starter…
For mains, diners order from a small menu. My guest opted for the “delectable” sea bream while I enjoyed the chicken, which had a lovely smoky flavour.
On the side we have some lovely al dente tenderstem broccoli and corn-on-the-cob, helpfully cut into small pieces to allow for a more elegant consumption. Once everyone finishes their mains, the lights go down and the music goes up and staff come round with espresso martinis for everyone. It’s safe to say the party has well and truly started.
But that doesn’t mean the food is over though, oh no: it’s time for the pudding buffet.
There are three little puddings in the middle of the room from which we can help ourselves: classic profiteroles, incredibly rich, delicious chocolate ganache squares, and light and tangy passion fruit mousses. It has to be said, though, by this point no one seems too fussed about the food. We’re were all too busy dancing between the tables, on the dance floor and actually on the windowsills (which was all actively encouraged).
Coya’s brunch is a classy party brunch done very well, if not for the many of us on a budget.
COYA Mayfair, 118 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London W1J 7NW; 020 7042 7118; open daily; coyarestaurant.com
Brunching in...
The Big Breakfast
The only way to deal with a big day ahead is to start with a breakfast of champions. This is a big, filling breakfast that’s relatively healthy, best enjoyed with friends. Serve with your sauce of choice and a strong cup of tea or coffee. Feel free to freestyle this one, adding little extras like scrambled tofu, hummus, fried potatoes or fried bread.
Serves 2
1 portion hash browns ingredients (see below for all portions)
4 frozen vegan sausages
1 portion basil tomatoes ingredients
1 x portion Herb Mushrooms ingredients
200g tinned baked beans
1 avocado
2 slices bread
Dairy-free butter, for spreading
Tomato ketchup or brown sauce, to serve
Salt and black pepper
Preheat oven to 180C.
First make the hash browns following the instructions (see below), and put them on a baking tray. Put the sausages on the same tray as the hash browns. Put the tray in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes. Make the basil tomatoes in the small saucepan with a lid, and leave them warming on a low-medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Make the herb mushrooms in the frying pan, following the instructions below and leave them warming on a low-medium heat, stirring occasionally. Pour the baked beans into the second small saucepan and warm them, stirring occasionally.
Halve and carefully stone the avocado by tapping the stone firmly with the heel of a knife so that it lodges in the pit, then twist and remove the stone. Run a dessert spoon around the inside of the skin to scoop out the avocado halves, then slice finely. Sprinkle over a little salt and pepper. Toast the bread and spread with dairy-free butter. Spoon everything on to plates and serve with brown sauce or tomato ketchup.
Herb mushrooms
Serves 2
1 garlic clove
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 sprig fresh thyme
300g mushrooms
2-3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp water
Salt and black pepper
Peel and finely chop the garlic. Remove the leaves from the herbs by running your thumb and forefinger from the top to the base of the stems (the leaves should easily come away), then finely chop. Cut the mushrooms in half.
Add the olive oil to the pan and add the garlic, rosemary and thyme. Stir everything around for about 30 seconds, until the aroma of the garlic has been released
Add the mushrooms and season with salt to taste. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has reduced down. Pour in the water and fry for another 4 minutes, until the water has evaporated off. Sprinkle over a good pinch of black pepper. Remove from the heat when the mushrooms are nicely brown and caramelised.
Basil tomatoes
Serves 2
1 tsp olive oil
150g cherry tomatoes
pinch of chilli flakes
1 garlic clove
10g basil leaves
Salt and black pepper
Warm the olive oil in the saucepan. Put the cherry tomatoes in the pan. Add a good pinch each of salt, pepper and chilli flakes. Peel and crush the garlic clove into the pan, put the lid on, turn the heat down to low and let the tomatoes cook for 12 minutes.
Take the lid off the pan, rip up the basil leaves, drop them in the pan and put the lid back on. Cook for a further 3-5 minutes, until the tomatoes have burst open and stewed down. Serve, spooning any remaining juices over the top as a delicious sauce.
Hash browns
Serves 2-3
2 small Maris Piper or other fluffy potatoes
½ small onion
½ sprig fresh rosemary
25g plain flour
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tbsp olive oil, plus extra for frying
Preheat oven to 180C. Coarsely grate the potatoes. Peel and coarsely grate the onion (if you start to cry, give your hands a rinse with cold water). Put the potato and onion in the middle of the clean tea towel, bring the edges of the tea towel up and twist it firmly a few times to squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible. Tip into a large bowl.
Strip the rosemary leaves by running your thumb and forefinger from the top to the base of the stem (the leaves should easily come away), chop and add to the bowl. Add the flour, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and the ½ tbsp of oil. Mix everything together with your hands until you have a clumpy, thick dough. Divide the mixture into six and shape each mound by squeezing it firmly between your hands to make six burger-shaped hash browns.
Heat some oil in the pan and fry the hash browns for 3 minutes on each side, pushing them down gently with a spatula to help compact them. Transfer the hash browns to the lined baking tray and put the tray in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
BOSH! by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby is published by HQ, HarperCollins (£20) and is out now
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