Ffionas, The Brunch Edition

I've made it no secret that I love Ffiona's in Kensington.  Anyone who knows G or I has heard us rave about her soups, the calamari, the pies, and the puddings.  But, for the last 6 months people have also heard us wax poetic about her new weekend brunch.  We have introduced many of our friends to the morning madness and they all spread the word, usually via facebook with a picture of the one dish that sums it all up perfectly:

Ffiona's offers a variety of brunch treats from eggs on toast, porridge, and organic natural yogurt to the more decadent eggs benedict, steak and eggs, and the above pictured buttermilk waffles with ice cream, sticky toffee sauce, bananas, and blueberries (you can order the "healthier" version with bacon and maple syrup, but I never do).

We end up at Ffiona's at least once a weekend now for our fill of the amazing food.  I usually get the porridge which comes with bananas, fruit, almonds, syrup, honey.... really, Ffiona will work out the dish to make it just the way you want it.  She's great for that.  When I do feel like breaking all semblance of health, I opt for the waffles.  Buttermilk is not a traditionally British ingredient, but I think it should be.  The name conjures up thoughts of butter and fat and it's thick consistency might lead you to believe that, but the truth is buttermilk is named after the creation process where it is made from the milky leftover after the butter is churned.  This means that it is actually relatively low in fat and because of its acidic nature, it helps to tenderize the glutens in the batter making it more smooth and the end product extra fluffy and light.  Food lesson aside, the buttermilk makes Ffiona's waffles light with a toasted crispy outside, and perfect for soaking up the sticky toffee sauce and the melting ice cream.  It is brunch perfection.

G usually orders the full english, minus the black pudding.  Its a large amount of food, but it keeps him full well through to dinner.  The eggs are things of wonder.  G loved my eggs and all my egg dishes and swore they were "the best in the world" until he had Ffiona's.  The yolks are perfectly runny, there is never that gross film of raw egg white on the top, and somehow, the edges are crispy, but the whites moist and light.  The chips are always hot and fresh, the tomatoes are grilled to perfection with what I believe is a light oregano mixture, the mushrooms sauteed and seasoned, and bacon salty, but with a hint of sweet.  Lastly, the cumberland sausage.  G loves these sausages so much that over the holidays I thought I would do an extra special brunch at home.  I went to the butcher and bought 2 cumberland sausages at 8 pounds each and then cooked them exactly the way the butcher instructed.  G took one bite and declared them "inedible" and "nothing like the restaurant" and they went uneaten.  Sad, but true.  This breakfast is so good, my cooking can no longer hold up.

Ffiona's is a welcome addition to the Kensington brunch scene.  Its homey, comfortable, relaxed cooking and service.  Along with great food they also has a lovely cocktail list and currently is doing "bloody mary" Saturdays where you get a free cocktail of your choice with every brunch.  I say run, don't walk to this great weekend stop.

Ffiona's
51 Kensington Church Street
W8 4BA