Brunch on Saturday: Berlin-inspired bites

In this week’s Brunch on Saturday Chantal Da Silva visits a brewery gone brunch – with a Berlin twist – in London Fields

Brunching out…

The London Fields Brewery is about to become known for something other than beer – its delicious brunch. Or brünch, to be more specific. What began as a Berlin-inspired pop-up has now become a permanent fixture at The Taproom, the brewery’s on-site bar and cafe.

While simplicity is at the heart of the cafe’s new brunch menu, the complexity of flavours that make up its signature meal, The Berliner, could be described as anything but simple.

Those looking for a true taste of Germany’s capital won’t want to pass this smorgasbord up. The Berliner, which also comes with a vegetarian option, offers a mouth-watering array of traditional Berlin breakfast bites from sweet to savoury.

I tried the vegetarian version, which proved to be more than enough to share between two people. Served on a traditional wooden board, the hearty meal includes two topless Burford Brown eggs with remoulade, a range of cheeses, fresh seasonal fruits, brünch amaranth and chia granola with vanilla quark (more on this later), avocado with toasted sesame, sweet potato with pomegranate, beetroot spread with watercress and homemade jams, peanut butter and Nutella.

The Berliner Waffles feature different toppings each week

Another favourite was the Berliner Waffles, made with buckwheat flour and different toppings every week. On the weekend I happened to visit, the garnishes du jour were homemade almond butter, banana, pomegranates, thyme and pine nuts, all deliciously drizzled in honey.

For those looking for something on the lighter side, the chia granola with vanilla quark on its own is a must-try. With a consistency similar to Greek yoghurt, but a rich taste that puts the more popular dairy product to shame, quark is the breakfast item you didn’t know you needed in your life until you tried it at The Taproom.

As Berlin-born Noemi Dulischewski, who crafted the brunch menu, tells me, quark is actually a healthier alternative to Greek yoghurt and despite its similar taste and texture, it’s technically more of a curd or cottage cheese.

Dulischewski says she started the brünch as a pop-up to “give London a taste of Berlin” and is happy to have found a permanent home at The Taphouse. She also helped decorate the cafe’s interior, creating a rustic and airy atmosphere with urban industrial touches true to her home city.

As far as drinks go, if it’s too early for a pint, the cafe has a delicious pick of lattes on tap, including a beetroot latte and turmeric latte, sure to stir your senses.

Breakfast for two, including two hot drinks, comes to about £28.40.

London Fields – The Taproom, 365-366 Warburton St, London E8 3RR; www.londonfieldstaproom.co.uk; Open Tues-Sun

Brunching in...

Veggie breakfast in a taco bowl

Making your taco bowl from scratch is pretty simple but does take a bit of time, so this recipe makes use of ready-made tortilla wraps. The sweet potato and carrot fritters are a delicious blend of sweet and spicy flavours – make them into a quenelle shape for perfect presentation, otherwise flat, rosti-shaped fritters are just as good.

Makes 6 taco bowls

6 soft tortilla wraps (white or wholemeal)
6 eggs
2 avocados
1 chilli, finely chopped (optional)

Sweet potato fritters:
1 large sweet potato, peeled and finely grated
2 carrots, peeled and finely grated
handful of fresh coriander (cilantro)
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes (optional)
zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons plain (all-purpose)
flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
cooking oil, for shallow frying

Mushrooms:
1 tablespoon olive oil
600 g (1 lb 5 oz/7¹⁄³ cups) mushrooms, sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
8 fresh thyme sprigs
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place three ovenproof soup bowls on a baking tray. Brush the bowls with a thin layer of oil. Nestle the wraps into the bowls and brush the tops with a thin layer of oil. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, rotating them after five minutes. The wraps should be lightly golden in colour. Once all the bowls are cooked, remove from the oven and set aside.

To make the fritters, mix the grated potato and carrots together in a large bowl. Make sure you squeeze out all of the excess water from the mix. Set aside a small bunch of coriander for the garnish and finely chop the remainder. Add the ground coriander, chopped coriander, cumin, chilli, lemon zest and salt to the mix. Leave to stand for 5-10 minutes.

Whisk the flour with the baking powder and eggs. Add to the potato mix and combine all the ingredients with your hands. Take about 1 tablespoon of the mix and form into a quenelle or fritter shape. Heat a large frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat and a 5mm (¼ in) layer of oil. Fry each fritter for about one minute on each side until they turn a crispy, golden colour. Place the cooked fritters on a plate lined with kitchen towel, then transfer to a baking tray and put in the oven to keep warm.

To make the mushrooms, wipe out the pan and place it over a medium heat. Add the oil. Add the mushrooms and garlic to the pan and cook for 5-10 minutes. Strip the thyme leaves from the stalks and add the leaves to the mushrooms. Season to taste. Cook gently for a further 1-2 minutes. Put the frying pan in the oven (or cover it), to keep the mushrooms warm.

Poach the eggs in a pan of water for three minutes on a rolling boil. Meanwhile, de-stone and slice the avocado and roughly chop the reserved coriander. Remove the fitters and mushrooms from the oven. When all your components are ready, assemble your bowls by spooning the mushrooms into the taco bowl first, followed by the fritters, poached egg and avocado. Top with the chopped coriander and fresh chilli, if you like, to garnish.

Extracted from Spoon by Annie Morris and Johnny Shimmin (Hardie Grant, £15) Photography by Jacqui Melville