A leisurely Sunday brunch and finding a good book to read are two my favourite things. I’ve just discovered the perfect place with this combination in London. The Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel in Knightsbridge hosts Book and Brunch every weekend on their sunny terrace.
The hotel has teamed up with the Belgravia Books to do this joint promotion. Every month, a book is selected to accompany the brunch menu.
As reading real books is supposed to be declining, the fate of bookshops are suffering too. This is a crying shame. Reading a real physical book is so much better than reading a digital version on a device. We should do more to support the local independent book shops.
At the restaurant, you can choose to sit on their sunny terrace. This corner of Belgravia is a great place for people watching. It’s not on a main street so there isn’t a lot of traffic but there are lots of beautiful people and supercars (gold Lamborgini anyone?).
We start off with a glass of fizz. Browsing the brunch menu, all our favourite brunch dishes are on here like Eggs Benedict and pancakes.
We started off with a choice from “Short Stories”, a beautiful fruit platter. You could have granola or yoghurt too. They also do a proper freshly squeezed orange juice, served cold.
The book selected for this month is the award-winning author Rose Tremain’s The Gustav Sonata, which was shortlisted for the 2016 Costa Novel Award and the 2016 Man Booker Prize. Everyone can take a copy of the book away but our server tells us that not many people are interested.
The short review by Belgravia Books says ““A moving tale of lifelong friendship, presented as movements that focus on the lives of its protagonists. Nuanced, sensitive, honest and beautifully written”.
The Gustav Sonato Book of the Month
Indulgent brunch dishes at Lowndes
Picking just one thing from the “Great Works” section of the menu was a bit tricky so we ended up getting a few to share.
The Salmon pancakes are actually 2 very light crepes filled with a creamy salmon concoction. The crepes were filled with flaked Scottish smoked salmon, fluffy scrambled eggs and a rich hollandaise sauce. Totally decadent but the perfect morning after brunch dish.
The very popular Eggs Benedict here was elevated by the execution and presentation. The eggs were done with just right amount of oozing yolk, served on an English muffin with sweet cured back bacon and sauteed mushrooms and a lovely sauce. Meanwhile our bottomless orange juice, fizz and coffee keeps getting topped up.
Our American friend has the stack of blueberry pancakes which he deemed to be just spot on.
One niggle is the tea. Tea is served in a pot with a tea bag but the water was just not hot enough. One comment to our server and he promptly reappeared with another pot that was brewed perfectly. However, if coffee is your choice, they served a really good capuccino.
Stack of blueberry pancakes
Perfectly poached eggs
There isn’t really a third section on the brunch menu but our server brought us each a little coupe of ice cream just to round up a lovely Sunday Brunch.
Sunny alfresco dining in Knightsbridge
Rose Tremain’s The Gustav Sonata
What to do this weekend
Go buy a book. Read. Enrich your life. Better still, grab a seat on the sunny terrace at the Lowndes Jumeirah Hotel and indulge in a lazy Sunday brunch, watching the world go by.
The brunch menu is priced from £30 per person which includes a book of the month, and is available every Sunday. You can get more information on their website.
Lowndes Bar & Kitchen
Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel,
Lowndes St,
Belgravia,
London SW1X 9ES
EatCookExplore was a guest of Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel.
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