Get ready for a super sexy weekend feast, London friends; I am about to introduce you to the Queen of All-American brunches.
The weekend before returning to the US I had managed to whip myself into full-force stars and stripes mode, thus deciding the best way to cure Saturday’s hangover was to take my similarly fragile brunch date to Shoreditch for Dirty Bones‘ New York-style comfort food.
Dirty Bones – all heigh ceilings, casual elegance and cool kid vibes – is brunch goals epitomised. Starting with spiked iced coffees (triple espresso, Courvoisier VSOP cognac, Mozart Dry Chocolate spirit
& cream), we decided to split an order of Avocado “Shoreditch” Crumpets (toasted with umami butter, poached eggs, hollandaise, avocado & garlic guacamole, and Sriracha hot sauce) while we made the intensely difficult choices between brunch mains.
While my date opted for the short rib hash (14 hour slow-cooked pulled short rib finished with caramelised shallots, mustard seeds, potatoes & two sunny side-up eggs) I couldn’t refuse my pervasive Stateside fave: chicken & waffle.
As I no longer eat meat at home, I was hesitant to select chicken – in all its basic glory – as the heart of my meal out but could not have been more pleased with the waffle-topped result. Their free range chicken is 6 hour brined and 6 hour sous-vide cooked for extra tenderness and flavour. So much so I took a under-crust photo for proof, below, between maple syrup-dipped mouthgasms. (Not that our shared just-in-case crispy candied bacon was left behind…)
Stupidly, we planned to share Dirty Bones’ matcha custard french toast for dessert but were convinced otherwise by very full and happy bellies. Bookmarking the dis for my return trip, I settled for a dirty Chai (just the way it should be) while my companion swooned his way through a Butter Baby milkshake – creamy butterscotch, vanilla ice cream, milk, and a shot of Ketel One.
That’s what you call recovery food.
