The Delaunay
Drip Coffee
Almond Croissant
Cherry Almond Muffin
Pancakes with Fruit Compote
Crumpets with Strawberry Jam and Orange Marmalade
Pistachio Lemon Mille Feuille
Dobos Tort
Coffee and Stroh Rum Cake
Owned and operated by the group behind The Wolseley and offering an equally grand café to the well-heeled and well-dressed of Covent Garden it was at The Delaunay that my Wednesday morning began and although lacking the stellar black pudding and canele of its Piccadilly sibling there was more than suitable solace to be found both on the menu and at the attached “Counter” next door. Open from breakfast to dinner with fanciful tea service in the late afternoon it was minutes to eight when I arrived at 55 Aldwych and again favoring foyer seating to that of the bustling main room it was mere moments before a man arrived unannounced with coffee, something I’d not ordered but certainly planned to – the full pot turning into a gift as the party who’d made the request had apparently moved on. Truly a fine space with service befitting the locale and a menu of compelling scope it was once again to an almond croissant that I turned but fairing similarly to the soft version at The Wolseley it was not until a replacement was requested that something suitably crisp arrived, another gift with it in the form of a warm muffin bursting with fruit to ‘make up’ for the gaff. Intentionally trending carbohydrate heavy as I continued breakfast with a plate of pillowy pancakes topped with stewed persimmons and raspberry reduction alongside buttery crumpets and a duo of jams it would not be long before I finished and with the bill delivered on request I gathered my belongings only to find myself soon seated again, an Austrian trio of The Counter’s cakes each proving to be of impeccable quality with the rich Dobos Tort rousing memories of my Hungarian heritage and Grandma’s cooking in ways far too rare.
RECOMMENDED: Crumpets, Rum Cake, Dobos Tort.
AVOID: Oddly my experience with the Almond Croissants at both The Delaunay and its sister The Wolseley would prove identical, the version from the pastry display soft and doughy while a replacement presumably from the kitchen proved better.
TIP: Much like The Wolseley, The Delaunay was filled to capacity by 9:00am even on a weekday – reservations are again recommended unless you don’t mind a wait…though at The Delaunay you could always do quite nicely at The Counter.
