SUNDAY BRUNCH AT DALLOWAY TERRACE

One of the things I love when it comes to living in London, is that there is always something new to explore or stumble across. Take Dalloway Terrace for example, a gorgeous restaurant which I discovered after my friend Lana suggested it as a venue for our Sunday brunch catch-up with the gals. A leisurely Sunday brunch with friends, in a beautiful location? Yes please!!

Named after the eponymous character created by Virginia Woolf, Dalloway Terrace is a beautifully elegant space, set in the heart of Bloomsbury, my favourite area of London after having spent my uni days there. The restaurant has been designed to be a year round venue and the combination of blossoms and fairy lights makes it all feel like a lovely secret garden. I’m not sure how I didn’t discover this beautiful space sooner as Dalloway Terrace has become an Instagram hit! In fact the reviews rave about the lovely interior being the perfect Instagrammable spot for brunch or well any meal and the reviews are spot on.

‘The beautiful indoor-outdoor space is an interiors-lover’s dream; from the walls adorned with hanging branches and fairy lights, to the marble-topped tables decorated with fresh wild blooms and candle-lit glass lanterns.’ – Harper’s Bazaar

The gorgeous interior, isn’t the sole star of the show at Dalloway Terrace as the incredible food and attentive, friendly service really places this restaurant in a class of its own. We were intrigued by the frozen cocktail options as they looked like fancy slush puppies and so we enquired about them and the waitress told us we could try a little before making our minds up. Great we thought, expecting a little sip but the next thing we knew, a tray of beautiful complimentary cocktails were brought to our table; how’s that for good customer service! We had originally planned to have Afternoon Tea, but there were so many tempting options on the Brunch menu, we ended up deliberating for a good while. As you can tell the Brunch menu won on this occasion, but I’m sure we’ll be popping back for Afternoon Tea soon. Heather and I opted for the Fish and Chips. The fish of the day was sustainable Sea Bass which I’ve not tried before as a Fish & Chips option, so I was really curious to try it out and it was a good choice. The fish was cooked just as it should be; it was flaky and just melted in the mouth and the batter was crispy and light. The peas were minted which I loved and the hand cut chips and homemade tartar sauce just brought the whole dish together without it feeling at all stodgy or overly heavy. May decided on the Eggs Benedict and she really enjoyed her dish, remarking that the Bacon was smokey but not overpowering or overly salty. The eggs were again cooked to perfection, the yokes were nice and runny and the deepest shade of orange I’ve seen against the custard yellow of the Hollandaise. Even May’s empty plate looked pretty.

It was a tough choice, but Lana decided upon the Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes with berries and homemade Lemon Curd. I have to say I absolutely love Lemon Curd but I’m trying to be a good better diabetic, plus I had my heart set on trying the French Toast, so I had to settle on experiencing the joy of the Pancakes through Lana. Again another happy customer as Lana loved the dish, I think she could have gladly eaten more.We all agreed we couldn’t possibly leave without tasting the French Toast, we were so insistent in fact we made sure to order them when we ordered our mains and well it would be rude not to try both versions: the créme fraîche with berries and the maple and bacon (I couldn’t eat the one with Bacon). Without a doubt, this was the best French Toast I’ve tasted and believe me I’ve tried a few and in different countries. Oh I’m getting hungry just thinking about these, I could have eaten a whole plate to myself, they were simply incredible!The brunch experience at Dalloway Terrace completely exceeded any expectations I’d had, from the moment I stepped through the door really. I honestly don’t think I’ve eaten at a restaurant where the staff have been so welcoming, attentive and accommodating. As we were waiting for the French Toast, we were informed that there was another booking and they would need the table shortly, but the staff were so sweet about this, not making us feel rushed in any way and insisting that they really hated to disturb us. They offered us patio seating and were happy for us to spend as much time there as we wanted. In the end we we didn’t need to move as we’d finished and the staff had the table back to looking untouched in record time.We all had such a lovely afternoon, chatting away about life and blogging and giggling at ourselves as we tried to get the perfect shot of the food. The meal came to £23 each including drinks, which we thought was incredible value considering the delicious food and the high standard of customer service. I’m really tempted to visit again for my birthday next month. I mean if you can’t treat yo’self with French Toast on your birthday, then when can you?

Dalloway Terrace – 16-22 Great Russell St, Bloomsbury, London WC1B 3NN

Jx

*Photo credit: Photo 1 – Dalloway Terrace, all other photos are my own.