Tea Palace, Notting Hill

Address: 75 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2SB
Phone: 020 7727 2600
Nearest tubes: Notting Hill and Bayswater
www.teapalace.co.uk
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Situated on trendy Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill, the Tea Palace is hip by association. It was even featured in Grazia magazine as "the" place to go for tea if you like to star spot the likes of Kate Moss, Sadie Frost, Stella McCartney and the rest of the Primrose Hill set. True to form, Billy Bob Thornton was seated at the table next to us. So far, so good, if you are into that sort of thing. The food was good - really good. My scrambled eggs and crispy bacon were as tasty as could be and so were my friend's Eggs Benedict. We also shared an amazingly light and fluffy Buttermilk Pancake with maple syrup which is probably the nicest Pancake I can remember having. The specialty tea menu was suitably extensive and I went for a smokey black Russian Caravan which was delicious. So on all accounts there, the Tea Palace is a great place to brunch.

But, there is a but. The service was terribly clumsy. And despite the extensive tea menu, when questioned about the various teas, it was clear that the waiter didn't have much of a clue about any of them. Not a big deal, except of course for a specialty tea house that is attempting to be the contemporary British version of Parisian Mariage Frères or Ladurée. The other key thing missing was a mouth-watering selection of cakes on display. Perhaps they were tucked away somewhere out the back for the afternoon tea session that started at 3pm. Not feeling tempted by the offer to look at the desert menu, we dropped by the Hummingbird Bakery on Portobello Road afterwards instead, for the ultimate visual, aromatic and taste experience!

So in summary the Tea Palace is a great place for brunch, a bit of star spotting, and a great specialty tea menu.. as long as you don't want to ask any questions about it!

The Pavement, Clapham Common

Address: 'The Pavement', The Pavement, Clapham Common
Nearest Tube: Clapham Common

Happily situated opposite the Common, 'The Pavement' is a popular brunch spot for local Claphamites on a Saturday or Sunday morning. In fact it is so popular you usually have to wait for a table, though normally this takes no longer than 10 or 15 minutes. Spread over two levels, the ground level of this cosy cafe caters for couples and small groups, whereas the downstairs basement area has a number of longer tables that are perfect for larger groups. A dedicated breakfast menu (including Full English Breakfast and the "Bigger English Breakfast") as well as a number of gourmet baguettes (where you can mix and match your fillings), all at reasonable prices, make brunch here a casual yet satisfying affair. They also offer a selection of juice based smoothies, milkshakes (I can't go past the Vanilla milkshake), freshly squeezed orange juice, coffees and pots of tea (a very important detail according to Annie). And if you have a bit of room left over (which is unusual, as the servings are substantial) you can go for a slice of carrot cake or one of the other sweet delights that sit temptingly in a chilled cabinet at the register when you go to pay. Speaking of paying, the one downside about The Pavement is that you can only pay in cash. That means no debit or credit cards - not even Switch/Maestro. But despite this, the friendly staff, free newspapers and relaxed atmosphere keep myself and my friends coming back again and again for Sunday brunch. In fact, it was on such an occasion that I first came up with the idea of the Brunch Book Club.

This London Brunch Review was by the Brunch Book Club London. We like to visit great breakfast cafés and brunch restaurants around London and provide independent brunch reviews. We only make recommendations for good brunch places in London such as The Pavement Brunch Cafe, Clapham, Near Clapham Common, South London.