The Wolseley
Coffee
Almond Croissant
Canele Duo
Black Pudding
Pan fried fishcake with poached egg
French Toast with Fresh Berries and Pure Maple Syrup
With one o’clock reservations in Bray anticipated for the past two months it was after another riverside run that I hopped into the tube en route for 160 Picadilly, home to the ever fashionable Wolseley and a breakfast that would finally deliver on the full promise of its star-studded menu. Appropriately described as “a café-restaurant in the grand European tradition” with soaring ceilings and stellar staffing overseeing the meals of men and women in suits it was just moments after 8:00 that I arrived at the hostess stand and offered a table up front, away from the hustle and noise, I gladly accepted – the next ninety minutes absorbed in free Wi-Fi and five plates from which only a slightly soft croissant suffered in the least. Obviously higher priced than much of the competition but befitting both the quality of the cuisine and the status of its clientele it was with a large pot of coffee paired with two Parisian quality caneles that my meal began and slowly savoring the subtle custard of each as I picked intermittently at the croissant it would not be long before my server noticed the pattern – a replacement pastry immediately offered and proving better by far. At this point entertained by a stream of e-mails I’d neglected for the past three it was not long before a full pitcher of amber arrived hinting at things to come and with two savories plus one sweet comprising my ‘main course’ it would prove difficult not only to decide where to start, but later to decide which was best – the fish cake a veritable Brandade Benedict, the caramelized French toast strewn in fresh fruit only improved by a healthy pour of pure maple syrup, and the smooth black pudding by far the best of the trip.
RECOMMENDED: Fish Cake Benedict, Canele, Black Pudding.
AVOID: Oddly my experience with the Almond Croissants at both The Wolseley and its sister Delaunay would prove identical, the version from the pastry display soft and doughy while a replacement presumably from the kitchen proved better.
TIP: Even on a weekday morning at 8:00am both The Wolseley and The Delaunay were filled to capacity by 9:00am, a situation the maitre d’ told me is even more common on weekends and for afternoon tea – reservations are recommended unless you don’t mind a wait.
