Clinton Street Baking Co. & Restaurant, New York, USA

I love the Lower East Side. I've always tried stay in the general area since I started visiting New York for work (hello Soho Grand, Tribeca Grand, Thompson Lower East Side and Rivington Hotel) although I do also love Soho House, in the meat packing district with its awesome suites. There's so much eat and shop (Reed Space, ARC, the shopping centre of Soho itself). I'd wanted to eat at Clinton Street Bakery, but as consistent winner of accolades such as best breakfast, best brunch, best pancakes and so on, inevitably means that there are often queues of 1-2 hours on weekends. Clinton Street Bakery, which opened in 2001, is the genius of a husband and wife team, Neil Kleinberg and DeDe Lahman



A warm September Monday morning seemed like the perfect time to give this place another go. Nevertheless when we arrived there was still a 30 minute wait at 10am. We were sat right at the back of the restaurant, sandwiched between the toilet wall and neighbouring foursome of Danish ladies. There didn't seem to be a single group there without a camera snapping away at the food and the clientele. The menu is sizeable featuring their award winning famous Blueberry Pancakes and the mammoth Po' Boy sandwich for lunch. Drinks range from shakes made with flavours from the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory to Root Beer Floats, which I had to order. My girlfriend went to college in Ithaca, and strangely she'd never heard of the drink company. In the world of floats for me, nothing beats a root beer float. Perhaps not normally accompanying breakfast though.



With my various intolerances unfortunately I can never bring myself to ordering a whole portion of pancakes to myself. I chose the farmer’s plate, a dish of soft scrambled eggs, farmhouse cheese, herb roasted tomatoes, and sourdough toast. The scrambled eggs are indeed soft, the only way I ever expect them to be cooked. The cheese is a hard cheese with a light nutty taste and drier than cheddar. I have no idea what it was. It was a good choice at the time, enough to satisfy my egg craving.



When you come to Clinton St for breakfast it is really all about the pancakes. At almost any time in fact. Whether it be served with Maine Blueberries or Banana and Walnuts, it is both delicate and substantial. Like all American pancakes, portions are gargantuan but rather than being cloying, they are moist and tender from start to finish. The warm maple butter, that some have been known to drink straight from the jug, is rich and extremely sweet.



The Pancakes at Clinton St. are probably the best I've ever eaten... so moist they barely even needed the luscious warm maple butter. The trick to Clinton St. is to pick a weekday morning to avoid the masses of regulars that hit this place on a weekend. No one really likes to queue but 30 minutes is more manageable than the 1-2 hours you might have to wait on a weekend. Another great brekkie in New York.

Clinton Street Baking Co. & Restaurant, 4 Clinton St., nr. Houston St., New York, NY 10002 646-602-6263

Balthazar Restaurant, New York: Notes by photograph...

What makes the ideal brasserie? For breakfast? In New York? Keith McNally has the answer with his Balthazar Restaurant in Soho. As you step into Balthazar, it feels as though you have stepped within a baguette's throw of the Seine complete with enormous bowls of chocolat chaud and baskets of freshly baked hot croissants. The only downside to this place, as a testament to its popularity perhaps, is that tables are so close together it is almost claustrophobic. Service is friendly and well executed. Just ensure that you book if you plan on going for breakfast or brunch on a weekend. As a regular visitor to Soho, this is my favourite breakfast spot within easy reach of the hotels, and no culinary tour of New York could fail to at least mention this place. Keith McNally's extremely noisy at night Schillers may be his current hotspot but Balthazar is still his masterpiece.

Here are photos from various visits over the past 9 months.

just like home...

Roasted Pepper and Caramelised Onion Quiche with gruyère cheese and mixed greens.

Soft boiled organic egg with soldiers

Omelette with herbs and gruyère, with home fries and a side of cumberland breakfast sausage

Eggs Norwegian - poached eggs with smoked salmon and hollandaise on an English muffin.

Buckwheat Crepe with scrambled eggs, ham and gruyère.

Balthazar Restaurant, 80 Spring St., at Crosby St.; 212-965-1414

The Diner, Ganton Street, W1

The Diner
18 Ganton Street
Soho, London, W1F 7BU

The Diner is in the Carnaby St area of Soho, directly opposite Cha Cha Moon on Ganton Street. Arriving much later than we had planned our Sunday breakfast had turned much more into a late brunch when we arrived at 1pm. It is much more spacious and darker than it's Shoreditch cousin. Rather than waiting for the next available booth we opted to sit at a normal table. It was reasonably busy but customers didn't have to wait long to be seated.

The comprehensive menu is exactly the same as the other two branches and we quickly ordered exactly what we had planned before arriving, blueberry pancakes with maple syrup, a breakfast burrito and a side of potato skins with bacon and cheese with a Creamy Nut (a "hard" shake with hazelnut and pistachio and a shot of baileys) and Chocolate shake. Our helpful and friendly waitress very quickly brought our drinks over followed by our food a little under 10 minutes later. The burrito was average if not a little too salty and was served with standard guacamole (freshly prepared) and sour cream and a tiny side salad. My girlfriend's pancakes were good but they could've been a bit more generous with the blueberries. The side of potatos skins were crispy and delicious although a little more cheese could've been called for. Portions were just right. I love the shakes at The Diner's, blended ice cream complete with the bits of hazelnut and pistachio.

As we rarely have breakfast out, the diner style breakfast was an exciting trip for my girlfriend who is an American. Above average, The Diner is for Europeans not expecting "diner-sized" portions! The bill came to £30.94 including 10% service and I would certainly go back.

Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)

A Fried Breakfast

Best possible quality eggs - Free range and preferably organic. Top quality black pudding. Unsmoked back bacon. Ciabatta fresh from under a grill. Olive oil to cook and virgin olive oil to serve. A heavy griddle (or the good 'ol George) and a frying pan.

Result, perfect.

The Troubadour, Earls Court

Troubadour Cafe

263-7 Old Brompton Road
London SW5 9JA
020 7370 1434
(image taken from troubadour.co.uk)

Rating: 3 Stars (out of 5)

foodbymark said
overcrowded and noisy
I had heard much about the venue as a restaurant but only ever walked through to the venue downstairs. Arriving a half hour early we apparently threw their system into malfunction as we were greeted by manic staff. We were seated in the busy backroom about 15 minutes later and we quickly ordered. They did bring us the wrong starter, a vegetable platter with assorted dips which was huge and certainly appealing. When we did get our mains they were generous and tasty. The Parsley Liquor with the pie was a touch and the pie and mash topped with onion gravy was a little too sweet for my liking.

The tables are very close and as a result it is a little overcrowded but a fun experience in a somewhat bohemian setting. As food goes, it was above average homely comfort food. Unfortunately I didn't know about this mysterious garden.

The Diner, Shoreditch

The Diner
London EC2A 3AQ
020 7729 4452

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

foodbymark said
Authentic American in East

Similar in decor to the Soho location, the Shoreditch Diner is a popular place for relatively cheap, authentic and sometimes fast American food. They have crammed in as many red leather 2 and 4 seater booths so tight you're almost rubbing knees with the person sitting opposite you. It's a tight squeeze in those 4 person booths as well. But it does have the feel of an authentic American diner without too tacky.

They serve a lot here, and the menu is comprehensive. Breakfast til 4pm, burgers, burritos, salads etc. This is not haute cuisine. What you are really here for is a juicy and greasy burger in a basket. No less than 12 varieties including two vegetarian all served in the oval basket. The fries are also good here and a burger cannot go without onion rings. All the portions are generous.

Amongst my favourites here are the milkshakes which you can a shot of alcohol to make it a "hard" shake. Baileys, chocolate and hazelnut is perfect, as is chocolate and banana with a shot of baileys. You can also choose to add peanut butter or nutella (or both should you wish!).

All in all, the diner is a lively place with honest American diner food. It's fun and although service here has never been the fastest in my experience, it is certainly one of the best places to eat in the area if you are not looking to ruin your wallet.

The Diner, Shoreditch, Official Website

Cupping Room Cafe Inc., New York

Cupping Room Cafe Inc

359 W Broadway
New York 10013
212 925 2898

Rating: 2 stars (out of 5)

foodbymark said
Comfortable...
The Cupping Room is conveniently located just at the edge of the "Mall" of Soho and has a cozy and dark and perhaps moody but comfortable atmosphere. The large restaurant has everything on the menu that you'd want for brunch or at a cafe, but the food is unfortunately average (but cheaper than having breakfast at the boutique hotels in the area you might be staying at). However, that hasn't stopped this restaurant from being a popular hangout for tourists and European ex-pats.

The prices are too high for the quality of food and service that you receive. During the popular Sunday brunch, the service turns somewhat frenzied and the noise level elevates, but it is still fun.

Cupping Room Official web page