Forget the kiss, we like our eggs served with a dollop of labneh and some extra sourdough, please. In this post we’ve overcome the temptation to crack some seriously smelly yolks, instead letting les oeufs do the talking. So let’s make a toast to the humble egg and the absolutely wondrous dishes that can be made with it. And while we’re at it, let’s get some soldiers in too.
1. Akuri at Dishoom
Winning the prize time and time again for the best bacon sandwich in London (theirs comes stuffed in a naan roll with tomato-chilli jam), Dishoom‘s breakfast menu is awash with all the colour and warmth of its Indian influences. The unsung hero of the morning is without doubt the Akuri eggs: laced with chopped onion, tomato and green chilli, with turmeric and chilli powder giving extra heat, they make the scrambled eggs on the side of your Full English look positively wimpy.
Multiple locations
2. Shakshuka at Nopi
Shakshuka originally hails from Tunisia but in the middle of the twentieth century it made its way over to Israel and Nopi, Ottolenghi’s Middle Eastern-influence Soho brasserie, is without doubt the best place to try it. Two eggs baked in spicy tomato and pepper sauce are served in a hot pan fresh from the oven, alongside chunks of crusty sourdough bread. It’s the type of dish you could have for breakfast, lunch or dinner. In fact, if we could, we’d eat it every day.
21-22 Warwick Street, W1B 5NE
3. Eggs Benedict at The Wolseley
Don’t be put off by the celebrity clientele, you don’t have to be rolling in it to breakfast like a King at The Wolseley. Famous for the best eggs ben in London, this picture shows the perfection of those oozing yolks and at £7.50 a plate, it’s hardly got a Mayfair price tag. If you do feel like splashing out, there is a luxurious caviar omelette on the menu for £70… Ouch.
160 Piccadilly, W1J 9EB
4. Hot Dog and Kimchi Fried Rice at Egg Break
Proving that everything tastes better with an egg on it, Egg Break is built solely on this mantra, with eggs done any way (and at any time) cropping up all over their menu. We haven’t quite known what to do with ourselves on Sunday mornings whilst the cute spot has been undergoing a bit of refurb but it’s back now with a menu that looks badder than ever. Rare breed pork hot dog fried rice with kimchi and an egg on top? So wrong it’s right? Nope. Just plain right.
30 Uxbridge St, W8 7TA
5. Egg hopper at Hoppers
Feeling slightly confused whilst looking at this one? Allow us to explain. That basket-shaped bowl is actually a spongy pancake made from fermented rice and coconut milk, with a delicious runny-yolked egg sitting inside. It’s a Sri Lankan speciality, which can be eaten at any time of day. At Hoppers, it comes with a rich meaty curry and a selection of chutneys, which you then pile on top of the egg, whilst trying to stuff it all into your face as quickly as possible. For just £3.50, it may be one of the best-priced brekkies out there.
49 Frith St, W1D 4SG
6. Boiled Egg and soldiers at Holborn Dining Room
They often say that simpler dishes are harder to get right. Nothing can be more true of this than the soft boiled egg. A British breakfast classic, it’s all about getting that yolk cooked to a runny perfection. And of course it’s nothing without crispy toast soldiers on the side. Holborn Dining Room feels more like an old-fashioned gentleman’s club than a restaurant, so there’s certainly nothing childish about ordering this dish for brekkie.
Rosewood London, 252 High Holborn, WC1V 7EN