Breakfast | katie sprog

31st October 2013

Have you been to Caravan in Exmouth Market? I am sometimes laughed at for loving brunch too much, but this place backs me up.

It’s about a fifteen minute walk from King’s Cross station – I met K there one Saturday morning before she jumped on a train to Yorkshire. If you’re craving proper breakfast food but want a refreshing upgrade on the standard fry up, Caravan is the spot.

Start, as lots of good mornings do, with a Bloody Mary…

Bloody Mary

Caravan

I had a fresh carrot, apple and ginger juice and it was scrumdiddlyumptious. I often think that fruit juices in London restaurants are a rip off – you get a small portion of something that doesn’t taste special for a big price. I was very pleasantly surprised by the juice here. A generous glass, and really delicious.

Apple Carrot Ginger Juice

Caravan Outside

Caravan Sign

Food arrived quickly – for me a countryside feel, carbier (can I use that as a word?!) twist on Eggs Benedict.

Ham hock hash, poached eggs, peas and honey mustard hollandaise.

Ham Hock Hash

K had avocado on toasted sourdough, with olive oil and chilli flakes…

Avocado on Sourdough

And she ordered some extra bacon to pop on top (fantastic shout).

Avocado and Bacon

Poached Eggs

Egg and Peas

Great eggs, and the potato hash was exactly what I wanted it to be.

Oh, did I mention we also had a side of sausages? Why not. I love it when a restaurant has a good selection of side orders – it lets you get more creative.

Sausages

All rounded off with one of the prettiest coffees I’ve had in ages.

Latte

Next time I go to Caravan I’ll be trying the coconut bread with fresh strawberries and lemon curd cream cheese. Doesn’t that sound amazing?

Happy Halloween everybody! If you want a giggle, check out these sexy food themed costume ideas…

19th September 2013

One of the things I love about living in London is having great restaurants and shops within walking distance. It’s even better when you can count somewhere as your ‘local’, because it’s just around the corner.

Ben’s Canteen is my new favourite local since I moved – a charming, cosy little place that describes itself perfectly as an ‘all day neighbourhood hangout’. They do glorious brunches, yummy burgers, dinner and drinks. You can find them a short walk up St John’s Hill in Battersea – it’s close to Clapham Junction.

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O and I wandered over for a brunch/lunch a couple of days ago. When the weather’s nice, the doors are open onto the street, and you can sit on benches outside. It was a bit nippy, so we settled down opposite the bar and scanned the menu.

I’ve been enough times now that I know what I want pretty quickly.

Quirky salt and pepper dishes and water carafes

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Are you ready? Ta da… el Breakfast Burrito…

Just look at the melty cheese coming out of that bad boy. We’re talking eggs, chorizo, cheese and coriander. What a combo. It’s so delicious that I actually took the idea home and made some myself – but that’s another story for another day.

This burrito is the ultimate hangover cure (+ Bloody Mary, if it’s really hurting).

O was sipping on cloudy apple juice and lime as his full English (the ‘Big Ben’) arrived.

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It comes with beans as well, but we asked for them on the side so that I could eat them!

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Because I am incapable of only ordering one thing at a restaurant, here’s what else we had…

Unbelievable hash browns (these are more gratin-esque than crunchy for anyone interested).

And a side of mac & cheese. I am a big m&c fan – if it’s available you can be sure I’ll ask for it. While this is good, I think that the menu should note that it’s quite mustardy. I do like the flavour, but not everybody is keen and it was a bit of a surprise.

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We may have had slightly too much food, but managed to accommodate it somehow…

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The poached eggs were exactly right – look at the yolk.

Please go and try Ben’s Canteen for yourself – the staff are all very welcoming and friendly and it’s a nice place to watch the world go by. If I’m home, I might come and join!

P.S. I think it’s likely I’ll do another Ben’s post about the dinner menu soon – watch this space.