London

Best for brunch in London

Raoul's

In keeping with its high class surroundings, breakfasts are fit for a king at Raoul's café in Notting Hill. The food's not cheap (scrambled eggs on toast, £5.85; full English, £7.75), sure, but it's not unreasonably priced given the area and quality.

Itchy's full English was certainly a cut above most greasy fry-ups, but the real highlight was the eggs benedict with smoked salmon (£7.85). Hollandaise sauce oozed easily and deliciously into the flawlessly-cooked egg yolks, perfectly complementing the smoked salmon and muffin. A treat.

Full English: £7.75

105-107 Talbot Road
W11 2AT

020 7229 2400
Website

The Refinery

Southwark's most cheerful, buzzing bar and restaurant by night, The Refinery has opened its doors to the breakfast-eating community. The brunch menu is currently only available on the weekend, but will soon be rolled out to weekdays to cater for the area's plentiful commercial offices.

The eggs benedict (£7.95) were predictably tasty – Itchy has long been a fan of The Refinery's effortlessly good food – while the blueberry and ricotta pancakes (£5.95) were complemented perfectly by the sweetness of the maple syrup and the subtle flavours of the cinnamon dust.

A small but perfectly formed selection of smoothies is well worth a punt, too; Itchy's passionfruit, banana and orange (£3.50) went down a treat. And, finally, the complimentary newspapers provide the finishing touches to a delightfully calm – and enjoyable - brunch experience.

Full English: £8.95

110 Southwark Street
SE1 0TF

0845 468 0186
Website

Cinnamon Kitchen

Another classy restaurant opening its doors to the morning brigade, the City's Cinnamon Kitchen (younger brother of the better known Cinnamon Club) is offering a minimum excitement, maximum quality menu.

Despite its Indian cuisine, the restaurant's Full English (£9) is excellent. A spicy sausage provides the tiniest of tiny subcontinent hints, while the scrambled eggs were some of the best Itchy has chanced upon.

Laudably, the food almost plays second fiddle to the delightful teas on offer. The Jasmine tea was brewed traditionally, providing a crisp and delicious partner to a delicious plate of food.

Full English: £9

9 Devonshire Square
EC2M 4WY

020 7626 5000
Website

Harrison's

Harrison's, near Balham High Road, is a modern-looking, relaxed corner restaurant with traditional brasserie food, and a brunch menu to kill for.

We feasted on our eggs Florentine (£8) - loaded with a smooth combination of cheese, eggs and spinach - slowly and cockily, just to make our porridge-havin' brunch guest a little more jealous.

Surprisingly, the 'posh' porridge (£5) was rather filling in the end. Served with fresh fruit and honey, the porridge turned the tables on Itchy when we finished our eggs and watched sadly as our guest continued to scarf down the long-lasting and much cheaper dish.

Full English: £8

15-19 Bedford Hill
SW12 9EX

020 8675 6900
Website

Sam's Brasserie

Even though there weren't loads of options, Itchy still had a hard time picking our brunch at Sam's Brasserie. From the French toast with sweet cured bacon to the scrambled eggs, chorizo and cherry tomatoes, we got sweaty just thinking about it.

We finally settled on the Eggs Benedict (£7.50). It was served beautifully – two halves of an English muffin topped with eggs, cheese and ham. We found ourselves wanting to snatch a bit of our guest's buttermilk pancakes with crème fraiche and blueberry compote (£6.50). They just looked so darn pretty and, according to our good friend, were the perfect size.

All in all, the low-key, Saturday morning vibe at Sam's was especially warming and the service was some of the best we've experienced.

Full English: £9

Barley Mow Centre
11 Barley Mow Passage
W4 4PH

020 8987 0555
Website

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Albannach

For a well-positioned breakfast, you'd struggle to beat the centrality of Albannach. Its address – 66, Trafalgar Square – is impressive, even if it shares that (and toilets) with a basement club.

Prices at this Scottish themed (but not overpowed) restaurant are typically touristy, but not as extortionate as one might expect from a Trafalgar Square eatery. The Scotch breakfast – essentially a Full English with a black pudding – is £9.50, but satisfyingly sized and amply tasty. The Eggs Benedict (£6.50) are also generously proportioned, and did nothing to disappoint.

The good, uncomplicated food is also complemented by some appropriately be-kilted staff – albeit more East European than East Lothian. Overall: an awesomely positioned and undisappointing breakfast.

Full English (well, Scotch): £9.50

66 Trafalgar Square
WC2N 5DS

020 7930 0066
Website

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