Brunch on Saturday: A serious bottomless brunch menu and Vietnamese breakfast baguettes

This week on Brunch on Saturday, get a taste of The Botanist’s extravagant menu and bite into a Vietnamese banh mi classic

The Broadgate restaurant sits in the middle of a purpose-built circular food court attached to Liverpool Street station

Brunching out...

At the Botanist, brunch is serious. And what’s even more serious, is their bottomless brunch. With a two hour time slot, you can try as many of their mimosas and bloody marys as you can manage while still being able to walk out. But the point is not to get legless – although some diners may disagree – but to enjoy indulgent drinks accompanied by gorgeous food.

The Broadgate venue sits in the middle of a purpose-built circular food court attached to Liverpool Street station. The brunch menu runs on Saturdays and inside, live slowed-down melodies are played on an electric guitar for a relaxed environment.

Groups are popular, especially those celebrating birthdays. The interior is dark, alluding more to a sophisticated American diner, with racing green studded leather chairs, dark wooden hexagonal table and low lighting. Or on sunnier days, there are tables outside, but are a little less alluring.

Avocado and chilli on toast with smoked bacon makes for a hearty meal

The brunch menu is £20 for two course, another fiver for three and an £15 extra for the bottomless brunch. Something that is obviously not essential, but worth it if you want two or more drinks.

Starters include eggs benedict, royal and Florentine – which comes as a perfect starter size, just one muffin – and a crab and jalapeño hollandaise version, along with food of the moment, avocado with chilli and smoked bacon on toast. But pushing the bar out, are dishes not normally associated with brunch; pheasant and ham hock terrine and crab rillettes.

You’re encouraged to choose your first and main course to begin with, and leave pudding for later – in the hope that you’ll want something sweet to finish you up. The mains rather meat-focused with only one vegetarian option – risotto. But it’s a good one: chunky barley risotto rice, with beautifully baked and crispy kale with paprika – a much better way to eat it. And a mixture of woodland mushrooms with generous amounts of shaved parmesan.

The bravete steak is wonderfully pink and served traditional in strips. Other dishes include a burger, fishcakes made from crab – a popular ingredient on the menu – and pork belly.

Desserts are sweet and cover the main areas – cheesecake, treacle tart, sticky toffee pudding and of course chocolate – served with a honeycomb slice and chocolate sorbet.

Great for groups, it’s a gorgeous environment – made better with live background music, an usual addition that sets itself apart.

The Botanist, Broadgate Circle, London EC2M 2QS; 020 3058 9888; broadgatecircle@thebotanistlondon.com

Brunching in...

Vietnamese breakfast omelette baguette

After returning from a trip to Saigon, I couldn’t get enough of the Vietnamese breakfast staple known as banh mi. Sold on every street corner with the vendor’s special chilli sauce, this sandwich comes wrapped up and served with slices of cooked pork and pate, or with an omelette. A deliciously fresh and tangy breakfast in a warm baguette – I’m hooked. You can also use eight individual sub rolls instead of the baguettes if you prefer.

Serves 8

3 carrots, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
5 teaspoons cider vinegar
5 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar, plus 1/2 teaspoon for the eggs
2 bird’s eye chillies, sliced finely (optional)
3 tablespoons soy sauce (optional)
8 individual-sized or 2 large French baguettes
8 eggs
6 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
oil for frying
2 handfuls of bean sprouts (ensure they are labelled as safe to eat raw and buy them as fresh as possible)
100 g (31/2 oz) sugar snap peas, thinly sliced
small bunch of coriander (cilantro)

Pickle the carrots by adding them to a bowl along with the cider vinegar and 5 tablespoons of sugar. Stir and leave to rest for 15 minutes, then drain and set aside.

To make an optional spicy dressing for the filling, add the chillies and soy sauce to a bowl, and press down on the chillies with the back of a spoon to release their flavour. Set aside.

If you are using large baguettes, divide each one into 4 to make 8 pieces of baguette. Use your fingers to remove the bread from the middle of the baguettes; this allows you to get more of the filling inside and gives the sandwich a good crunch – a popular texture in Vietnamese cooking. Use the bread you’ve removed to make breadcrumbs for another recipe or go and feed some ducks.

Beat the eggs in a bowl and then stir in the spring onions, and the half teaspoon of sugar, and season. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and pour in a quarter of the egg mixture, rolling it around the pan so that it covers the bottom. Fry for 2–3 minutes until it is golden brown on the bottom and then flip it over and cook for further 2 minutes until golden on that side too. Slide the omelette out on to a plate or a sheet of greaseproof paper. Repeat this with the rest of the mixture to make 4 omelettes in total. Slice all the omelettes into strips.

To assemble the sandwiches, butter all the baguettes and then layer inside each baguette base some omelette, pickled carrot, bean sprouts and sugar snap peas. Sprinkle some coriander on top and spoon over some soy and chilli sauce, if using. Put the tops back on each base to close the sandwiches and serve.

Breakfast Morning, Noon and Night by Fern Green. Published by Hardie Grant (£18.99)