Last Sunday I woke with a god-almighty hangover, up there with one of the worst. While there is no cure for the effects of Tequilla, there was one thing that could improve my day and that was a fry up. Now, those that know me know that I’m not a particularly big eater or a fan of oil, meaning fried foods rarely make an appearance on my plate. However, recently I’ve started to enjoy red meat (I usually stick to chicken or fish) and on this occasion I needed something meaty to perk me up. Having had a quiet Saturday (bar the evening!) I was determined not to let a hangover keep me in so I decided to take Sam for brunch. After consulting my list of ‘must visits‘ we headed to Bistro Union in Clapham to tick off another brunch venue.
Bistro Union is a small bistro serving classic British food from morning to evening where the bar comes to life with local residents. Situated in Abbeville Road, a nice area, the bistro screams ‘yummy mummy’ and is the type of place I can see myself having coffee every morning, catching up with other ladies of leisure (I wish!). On this occassion the place was full of families and groups of friends of the slightly older generation.
The brunch menu is clearly displayed on a hand-written sheet on the wall which they share on twitter each day and include morning dishes like kippers and granola. I ordered the fry up and Sam went for the non-alcoholic fry up ‘pack’ in which he got a coffee and orange juice for just £2 extra.
Unfortunately we were told we couldn’t have our eggs scrambled which was a shame but now I understand why, as the fry up comes served in a single frying pan, which suggests that everything is cooked at once in the same pan. A novel idea, we thought, and handy too, as the hot pan kept the food hot for ages. Beans and toasted buttered sourdough came on the side. Our expectations were high as the place is owned and run by the team behind Trinity which is a highly regarded British restaurant in South West London. There was no denying the food was of excellent quality but from a ‘British‘ bistro we hoped for a nice juicy Cumberland sausage from the famous Ginger Pig Butcher’s across the road. The sausages on our plate in our pan were thin, like a chipolata and was wrapped in bacon, which although tasty, weren’t to our personal taste in sausages. We hoped for something slightly more ‘British‘. The beans were the highlight for Sam while I adored the stodgy black pudding, my first in many many years.
Overall this was a good fry up, not like those found in your local cafe and to my delight, certainly not at all greasy. Our high expectations based on the team behind the menu, online reviews and the high price tag may have been the reason for our slight disappointment. The bill came to £27 for two fry ups and two drinks, which included a cover charge and service charge. We were a little put out by this additional cover charge added to our bill and worked out that we paid an extra £5 just for service (all be it very friendly). I suppose we were in a ‘nice area, where you’d expect to pay a little more. We’d certainly return to Bistro Union and would like to try their evening menu or enjoy a bottle of wine at the bar.
Living life, loving cake,
H x
