I queued more than 30 mins on saturday morning to get a full veggie american breakfast at The Breakfast Club in Angel, London. Mea maxima culpa, my most grievous fault. Afterwards, as a result of the big sin, I must have skipped the lunch. I do not remember well, yet memory is tarnished by all the calories. Why am I sharing this experience with you? Two main reasons.
First of all, I recommend you try the breakfast/brunch served in this charming little place. A look at the crowd in line shows that many others found reasons to get back and patiently wait for their turn. Being the choice of restaurants in London almost endless you rarely return to the same place. Indeed those restaurants that can claim a clientele of aficionados are rare.
You may find yourself going back to “The breakfast Club”, though. Good quality ingredients and generous size of portions. Friendly atmosphere, quick service and very rich menu, with several vegetarian options too.
Let’s imagine you tried the huevos rancheros (see the pic above) during your first visit. You liked it. Now the menu you’ve got tells you that you’ve just missed the huevos al benny (Poached eggs, chorizo, roast peppers, avocado, fresh chillies, spicy hollandaise on toasted English Muffin), the all american (Bacon, sausage, black pudding, eggs, home-style fried potatoes, mushrooms, beans, grilled tomato and toasted multigrain bloomer), breakfast burrito, egg royal (smoked salmon on toasted English muffin with hollandaise), the bircher muesli (apple and cinnamon soaked oats, yoghurt, dried fruit, nuts and seeds). All good reasons to come back, don’t you think?
The second reason why I am speaking about this gluttony-inducing place is because I need an anchor to get to a more general reflection on the “bad food”. How often should we enjoy moments of pure gluttony, losing track of calories? Any time we want, in my opinion. Because “any time” is not as often as we believe. Freedom and moderation are entangled concepts. A diet with too many rules and restrictions can lead to disappointing results.
I love going for quality food and following a healthy lifestyle, but I know I can’t make a big deal when sometimes I see myself walking away from guidelines of wellbeing. I always read the ingredient labels of foods I buy but when I eat at a restaurant I can only enjoy my meal. That’s why I am still willing to order pancakes with maple syrup served with mushrooms and potato, from time to time. Does it taste good? Yes, definitely. Then the feeling of fullnes I feel right after, makes me wish to go back to “my good food”, lighter and natural.