Sunday Brunch Vol. 2

I know I told you about getting a coffee and a bite at my favourite (actually it appears to be our favourite) spot in central London, Flocafé, but what about other places? I know that London has plenty restaurants that you can choose for brunch, spread all over the capital, however we don’t feel like travelling an hour just to reach them. It is just not us! By wandering around you can find little gems, and that has always been the case in the plus five years I’ve been living in London. One such restaurant is the one we visited last Sunday, called Vermuteria. Found in Coal Drops Yard, near King’s Cross Station, Vermuteria combines a stunning location with a big floor space that will leave you enchanted.

Coal Drops Yard is located by the canal, in the restored railway arches close to King’s Cross. As a space it looks inviting and utterly interesting to a lot of people, playing host to a wide variety of shops, from bars and cafés to clothes and accessories’ shops (I even noticed a records’ shop there!) Coal Drops Yard redevelopment looks (and feels) open, not to be compared with the shopping centres around London that sometimes feel claustrophobic. Plus being close to a water source always helps! And if it looks great now, in the dull and cold winter, can you imagine how it’s going to look when the weather’s nicer (and warmer)?

Ans if Coal Drops Yard is indeed a great place to do your shopping or get some sustenance within you, then Vermuteria offers to you a perfect solution to relax and take a break. The decor is fascinating; strangely eclectic and with an industrial touch, you will soon feel right at home! The brunch menu was only a page long, which I didn’t find peculiar, as you don’t need pages upon pages of brunch offerings. In fact, I find myself more trusting of a small menu rather than a large one every time! The only thing I didn’t like was that my chair was a bit wobbly, but I soon forgot about it!

So, we sat down and grabbed the menu, however I was surprised that for a light brunch we only had three options; a bacon sandwich, and poached eggs with mushrooms and spinach with avocado! There was literally nothing else! Then the menu went on to some soups and a meat or cheese board, while on the opposite you could find alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. I really don’t want to be a Debbie Downer, but if you don’t care for bacon or eggs, you wouldn’t have known what to pick! And don’t get me wrong; everything was fantastically prepared and utterly delicious, but I would like some more choices!

Between the three of us, my boyfriend got the bacon sandwich with ketchup (unfortunately they don’t do mayo), I had the poached eggs with the mushrooms and my friend got the other type of poached eggs with the spinach. The portions were nice and big, the toast was from sourdough (take that Flocafé!) and our servers were quick and helpful. Imagine my surprise then when we ordered some coffees and my latte was served in a small glass! My friend’s cappuccino was in a perfectly fine mug, so why was mine in a small glass? Is there a discrimination against lattes that I don’t know? Or is there something else afoot?

When you have such a nice company (as we did last Sunday) though, nothing else matters! To be completely honest with you, I much prefer good company and intelligent conversation (oh God, do I sound like a Jane Austen heroine?) to what I have for food and drink. I just found the things I’ve mentioned here peculiar. In no way does that mean that I don’t want to visit Vermuteria again! I’d like to go and try some vermouth or cocktails and even some more food. The only sure thing is that I wouldn’t be convinced to stop there for brunch!

I realise that it may sound all so negative, but there are instances that I feel let down (by the venue or the service or the food or drink). Normally I try to focus on the positives – so to speak – but I’ve come to learn that I have to mention the other parts as well as for you to form an opinion. Based on that, I’d really like to tell you that Vermuteria is a nice, quirky place to drink your favourite cocktail or have something to eat. Looking at their menu online you can certainly find some appetising dishes! It is just a pity that their brunch menu covers so little!

Till next time,

Sofia-Maria

Featured image: https://bit.ly/3adMLEr