Breakfast, I’ve come to learn, means different things to different people. To some, it’s a couple of pieces of toast and a glass of orange juice, to others it’s a pair of boiled eggs and a strong coffee, a bowl of cereal or a Manx kipper. Breakfast, like its younger sibling, brunch, is a rich and beautiful language, and last weekend I headed to a restaurant that speaks it fluently.
108 Brasserie – the main restaurant of the Marylebone Hotel – is half way down Marylebone Lane, a quaint slice of quiet and cobblestones right in the heart of Marylebone, London. The entrance and outside tables of the restaurant are lit by large Narnian lamps, and creeping plants that climb the facade are interlaced with fairy lights giving the place a cosy, welcoming glow even at 10.30 on September morning.
The inside is all copperware and zig-zagged light bulb filaments, burnt orange upholstery and distinguished parquet flooring. Led to our table by the friendly and attentive front of house, I quickly found myself relaxing into a very long chaise lounge with a cappuccino and a Breakfast on the Lane menu.
There is a wonderfully diverse choice of food available, and while I had my heart set on something meaty and substantial, had I been in the market for a lighter, more restrained meal I would have been well taken care of. The a la carte menu offers chia porridge with pomegranate and toasted coconut, wood-roasted tomatoes on sourdough toast, an Acai bowl of berries, beets, coconut and toasted almonds, and sweetcorn fritters with avocado, grilled halloumi, and smoked pepper and tomato relish, the latter of which my girlfriend ordered. I went for the 108 Traditional English, which, judging by the noises of appreciation coming from the table of German businessmen behind us, all of whom ordered the same, is a very popular choice.
It’s not hard to see why. The 108 Traditional combines old school hearty flavours: peppery sausage, thick no-nonsense bacon and poached eggs – although you’re free to choose your egg style. These were complemented by a potato cake to soak up the yolk, a grilled tomato and a slab of black pudding. The whole ensemble was reminiscent of the mighty breakfasts I used to demolish as a teenager on family trips to Devon B&Bs. Despite the fairly fixed criteria of a traditional English breakfast, it’s easy to get it wrong. 108 have this old favourite absolutely pegged and I can highly recommend it.
Equally, the sweetcorn fritters. For the more adventurous breakfasteer, this dish delivers a mildly spicy helping of fritters with spinach, halloumi and red pepper sauce. Lots of flavour knocking around this one, with a perfectly balanced combination of textures. The sweetness of the fritters worked wonderfully with the spice of the sauce and salt of the halloumi, while the texture of the fritters provided the perfect base on which to stack the other ingredients and build the ideal mouthful.
I’m not sure if breakfast desert is a thing, but if not, it should be. And if you still have room something sweet at 108 Brasserie I can vouch personally for the banana bread, which comes lightly toasted and topped with caramelised pecans and ricotta.
Excellent food aside, the whole breakfast experience at 108 Brasserie is a lovely way to start the day, and sets you up nicely for a slow-paced afternoon of exploring the boutiques and townhouses of one of London’s most interesting areas. A must-visit for tourists and Londoners alike.
George Clode is a travel and culture writer, and a multimedia commissioning editor for travel
