The brunch files: Hawksmoor, Shoreditch

Hawksmoor is a mecca of meat. A fantasia of flesh. A carnival of the carnivorous. Of an evening, that means steak, but what can they offer those with breakfast on their minds?

Well, there's bacon chop, black pudding and sausage. But what if punters insist on some sullen vegetable roughage, such as baked beans, bubble and squeak, and toast? Oh hell, let's sneak some meat into those dishes too. This is Hawksmoor's attitude - and it's one I wholeheartedly respect.

The brunch menu in this Shoreditch restaurant (which I dined at here) both features a special brunchy section, and repeats all, or at least most of the main menu. Same goes for cocktails. Most of the regular concoctions - and three kinds of bloody mary. One of the three mixes is inspired by Victorian invalid drink 'beef tea', and is based on stock.The version I chose involved horseradish and jalapeno, and was very good, thin and fresh rather than the godawful thick soup you often find. For £14, you can also get 'unlimited' bloody mary, which strikes me as a very dangerous way to spend a Sunday.

But despite all this choice, there is only one thing to pick. The Hawksmoor Breakfast (or Meat-fancier's Pig-out Trough, as I like to think of it) will set you back £30 for two. Or £5 each way on Imperial Commander for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, which is how I funded it. Now let's see what this includes …

It reads like a poem, doesn't it?

And it lives up to the description. Every aspect of this mammoth brunch is exceptional. The trotter beans are a revelation - sweet, sticky, scattered with cubes of sweet potato - and served in their own little dish. There wasn't much trotter, but as this may have been the only thing that saved me from hospitalisation for meat poisoning, I shan't complain.

The trough itself is crammed with meat items that are super-sized, Desperate Dan style. The chop is like a side of gammon. The black pudding is a whole black pudding. The sausages are some of the largest of their kind and, with their meat mix (see above), really, really good. We're talking meaty, dense, flavoursome and juicy.

Lurking beneath the animal parts are some stealthily concealed vegetable items. Succulent mushrooms. Grilled tomatoes which - and I'm aware of how ridiculous this sounds - were memorable. They must have been slow-roasted, as the skinless outside was semi-dried into sweetness. And spread in dollops on the bottom of the dish was a short-rib bubble and squeak that dreams are made on. The crispy-creamy potato and shreds of cabbage were mixed with a fine quantity of shredded beef. I could breakfast happily on this alone.

Oh, and did I forget the bone marrow, the fatty, fluffy, salty toast spread of champions? How could I forget?

And in case you suffer flesh fatigue, there is dripping toast - made with good bread, though as my companion remarked, it tasted of sheep (and he didn't mean the meat bit).

In all honesty, I've never had a brunch like it. It was a slice of heaven.

Very nearly terminally sated, I pushed through the gastric discomfort barrier and made a move towards pudding.

The cornflake milkshake is by far the most interesting-looking sweet item on the menu, and stunning in its simplicity. The ice cream drink comes with crunchy nut cornflakes scattered on top and gives you an instant hit of that cereal taste. Apparently, one server explains to me when asked, and one totally unprompted: they steep cornflakes in milk for a while, then sieve the bits out, add sugar and egg yolk and make ice cream. They are now considering trying it out with coco pops, and shreddies - and asked for our opinions. To ask the people who eat your food what they like makes sense, but it's never occurred before in my dining experience. It is, like everything else in this meal, a good sign.

This is brunch royalty - and should be wolfed down with all you can muster in the way of gluttonous  abandon. Go on - you're both worth it.

Comments

[David]

I've been hearing plenty of good things about Hawksmoor lately as well as noticing a lot of FourSquare tweets from friends and foodies visiting and even re-visiting for the 4th or so time.

Hawksmoor are clearly doing 'something' right and definitely, as you said, a good sign with them asking for customer feedback on ideas.

I've yet to visit but I'm intending to try the fillet steak and blue cheese sauce. I hope it lives up to my high expectations and I'm sure it will.

[boudin rouge]

I think they should try doing the milkshake with a slice of black pudding on top of it!!!!!!!!!!!!

[__jacqui__]

I absolutely loved their steak when I went for dinner. It was the nicest thing (never mind steak, nicest of anything) I've ever eaten.

I'm not sure I'd go for brunch - sounds a bit full-on for me.