Café Libre – Soho W1

On a glorious Sunday morning – I headed into town for a visit to the British Museum and decided that in order to have enough strength to make it through the Egyptian gallery intact I should have a substantial breakfast. We decided to head towards Carnaby and take our chances.

As luck would have it, the first café we came across had the heady combination of Eggs Benedict and free wifi (a new requirement since IMM bought me an ipad).

We settled into Café Libre for a leisurely breakfast, starting with a very nice coffee and before long our Eggs Benedict had arrived.

Café Libre did a very respectable job with the Eggs Benedict, the eggs were slightly runny, which is infinitely better than the undercooked eggs that have plagued the quest in recent breakfasts. The hollandaise was thick and lemony. This Benedict was served with two rashers of crispy bacon and all balanced on thick muffins which had been grilled (albeit on one side).

A very respectable 3 star.

Rustic Vine – Bristol BS2

It is Easter Weekend and on a rainy, cold Good Friday I head off to try and find breakfast. IMM is on his way back from New York, so i’m on my own and looking for somewhere warm and with good facilities (the flat in Bristol is without key elements which would usefully make up a useful bathroom suite).

The Rustic Vine is a large cafe at the top of St Michael’s Hill and provides a spacious venue for a lazy breakfast, providing a wide selection of newspapers and friendly service. They have however renamed their Eggs Benedict ‘Rustic Eggs’ for reasons which I can not fathom.

The Rustic Eggs arrived looking very presentable, except that I have now got to know my eggs and I could tell without cutting into them that they were underdone. My suspicions were confirmed as I cut into the first egg – the yoke bobbed about in a sea of clear egg white. I looked up and a member of staff , seeing the abject disappointment came over and whisked the plate away with apologise.

The next plate arrived a few mintues later, this time the eggs did the rest of the plate justice. Good hollandaise and a crispy toasted muffin. The Rustic Vine had replaced the ham with italian cured ham, which although very nice in itself, wasn’t salty enough and was the only disappointing element.

Undercooked eggs do see to be the curse of Bristol. A one star is certainly unfortunate given the quality of the second plate, but I have to go by what they first present me with. Nice place, but have the sausage sandwich.

Lola and Simon – Hammersmith W6

It’s been nice to have a few weeks off, particularly when I get to post my return on National Eggs Benedict day!

My absence has been more than adequately covered by my guest blogger, who has expanded the quest internationally. I’m back on the quest and heading to Hammersmith.

I’m in West London for the Heads of the River Race, our March event in the Year of Sport (every month this year i’m going to a different sporting event, no reason, just for fun).

Lola and Simon is a small cafe on King Street, towards the lovely green space of Ravenscourt Park. We arrived to find it busy with West Londoners and their families. It is a good looking establishment, with a split level, a bar and a beautiful selection of cakes.

When you get shown to your table, you immediately get glasses of water placed in front of you, I like this – it is so simple but it immediately fills me with goodwill towards a venue.

I ordered my customary cappicino and Eggs Benedict and despite it being rather busy, they arrived promptly and I was delighted with the pretty coffee and promising looking Eggs Benedict.

The Eggs Benedict was served with bacon, which was very tasty, thick and salty and a good platform for the well cooked eggs and lemony hollandaise.  I’ve realised that the worst Eggs Benedict are always drowning in hollandaise, a good rule of thumb is that if it is touching the plate it is too much, at Lola and Simon it was just the right amount.

It is really nice to re-start the quest on a positive note, a lovely place to spend time and a very good Eggs Benedict. Definitely recommended.

Following the darkest night, inspiration.

There has been a great article in The Times which I think summed up (far better than I ever could) the wonder of the mighty Eggs Benedict.

A signature dish that was simple but rich, sophisticated but unpretentious, it’s classic breakfast with a shiny coating of lunch.

At home with coffee or champagne, eggs benedict is a good-time mouthful if it’s well made. Badly made, with rubber ham, a watery muffin, a hard egg and a squirt of cold jizz, it’s a hair-pulling disappointment

IMM’s breakfasts in New York have awoken my desire to start the quest once again! So i’m going to head off this weekend and see if I can find a breakfast worthy of this quest.

Le Caprice – New York

Following on from the previous attempts at Eggs Benedict in New York I decided  it was time to venture to 5th Avenue – the home of some of the most over priced shops in the world – Tiffany‘s, Gucci and Apple.

Initially I was met with disappoint. Despite the famous movie, there was no obvious opportunities for Eggs Benedict, or any form of breakfast in, at or around Tiffanys – it turns out they just sell expensive diamonds.

Just down the road from Tiffany’s is “Trump Tower”. This place has been subtly decorated with gold banisters, escalators and lifts, not to mention the tasteful gift shops that sell mini plastic gold bars. In fact much of it looks like a somebody has let a chav lose with a tin of gold paint. While Trump Tower does have a café on the basement floor this is more akin to a office canteen somewhere on an industrial estate on the outskirts of Slough.

Due to the sheer volume of high end shops on 5th finding a suitable breakfast establishment was becoming tiresome, until I came across Le Caprice, on the corner of Central Park. As soon as you walk in you know you’re in a high end establishment.

The place is almost entirely decorated in black and white, from the décor to the staff uniforms – but it doesn’t feel like it’s trying too hard. The clientele are clearly well healed, but it has a friendly atmosphere. Once I sit down I am offered a news paper to read, immediately creating a relaxed atmosphere. The staff are as efficient, as most US waiters and waitresses are, but you don’t feel hurried.

The Eggs Benedict arrives promptly: Two eggs, two half muffins and hash browns.

The eggs were perfectly cooked, the ham was thick and tasty and the muffins were toasted to perfection. The hollandaise was good, but not perfect. Hash browns are something I consider to be “cheap food” the sort of thing that a greasy spoon café serves with breakfast – and something I like! However, here they are something else. They were light, perfectly seasoned and incredibly tasty. All in all an excellent meal.

This venue gets 5 stars and the dish is a very strong 4, only let down by the fact that I know the eggs could have more flavor and the hollandaise could be better (if only very slightly). It may not be the holy grail of Eggs Benedict, but it’s a strong sign that there is one out there. If that doesn’t get our heroine motivated again, I don’t know what will.