brunch – Page 3 – Scandelights

Brunch at Roka, Canary Wharf

Published on December 17, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

Five months after her actual birthday, my friend Gaby invited a few of us to a birthday brunch at Roka in Canary Wharf. It was definitely one of the best brunches I’ve seen; plenty of Japanese food (it just kept on coming), yummy bellini on arrival and as much wine (it was perfectly drinkable) you wanted.

The birthday girl was also quite happy with her choice!

It was definitely a decent buffet with sushi, seafood, vegetables, sashimi, meats and lots of it. And the chefs really worked hard at refilling it at the same pace we kept filling our plates (not an easy task!).

Apart from the buffet we also got some nibbles at the table, delicious dumplings and crispy calamari.

And a main course each was included as well. We were a group of eight and decided on four different dishes to share between all of us. The barbecued rib-eye was absolutely delicious and so was the dipping sauce.

The poussin with miso dressing was also utterly delicious!

The ribs were thickly glazed and nice too. We also had some terikayi salmon but I didn’t try it.

As it that wasn’t enough food we also got some puddings to share. Beautifully presented on platters we had fresh fruit, a chocolate mousse type thing with sorbet (very good) and a very fluffy vanilla mousse in the little pots.

It was a great brunch with a good selection and wonderful food. The buffet selection was very tidy and everything on there was really fresh. So good!

After the brunch we went outside and had another drink my the ice rink where it was this Christmassy and cosy. What a wonderful day!

Roka, 1st Floor, 4 Park Pavilion, 40 Canada Square, Canary Wharf Group, London E14 5FW

Brunch at Idala Gård, Skåne, Sweden

Published on October 15, 2014 by HannaLeave a comment

September was filled with weddings for me. Two were in Britain and one at home in Sweden. All the weddings were great fun and when in Sweden for the weekend I wanted to do as much as possible. I got to have lunch and get ready for the wedding with four friends that later stayed over and the day after the wedding I went for an Italian themed brunch very locally, at Idala Gård.

The farm is very rustic and the restaurant’s interior is a mixture of old Swedish farmhouse furniture and Italian accents and the food has the same mixture of Italian and local influences.

The wines are all Italian so ordered a lovely Gavi di Gavi before filling our plates at the buffet. The cold spread was amazing, lots of nice charkuterie, pasta salads, hot and cold smoked salmon, eggs, even crayfish (love!), crostinis with rocket crème, Insalata Caprese with lovely mozzarella and so on.

The cheeses were great too! I ate a lot but preferred the cold nibbly bits to the cooked more substantial food, but I can assure that was very nice too as my dad sampled it all. The only hot dish I tried was a lovely mash with pancetta and rosemary.

There were three puddings to choose from so we chose one each and tried them all. The chocolate torte was dense and very chocolatey like it should be, the pannacotta was very smooth and the tiramisu almost perfect!

Strangely I was positively surprised. Although I have been here before – at an amazing wedding with great food for example – I didn’t expect the brunch to be this good. Maybe perhaps because brunches in general aren’t. But I am very happy Idala Gård is at my parents’ doorstep, I will definitely visit soon again.

Idala Gård, 231 91 Trelleborg, Sweden

Brunch: purple sprouting, poached egg, dijon and tarragon crème, parmesan

Published on April 1, 2014 by Hanna1 Comment

When spring has sprung my body just craves greens and other healthy things it wasn’t interested in much during the winter months.

That’s why I made this healthy brunch dish last weekend. The combination of broccoli, poached egg, a lovely crème with dijon mustard and tarragon and some salty parmesan certainly hit the spot on a sunny spring Sunday.

Purple sprouting with poached egg, dijon and tarrgagon crème, parmesan, serves 1

4-6 stems purple sprouting broccoli

1 egg

50 ml creme fraiche

1 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp dried tarragon

To serve: parmesan shavings, grassy olive oil

Combine creme fraiche, dijon mustard in a bowl. Add salt and pepper and set aside. Cook the broccoli in salted water for 2-3 minutes. Then drain and return to the dry pan to keep warm while poaching the egg.

Bring water to simmer in a sauce pan. Add a tsp of white wine vinegar. Crack the egg into a mug (or small bowl) and lower into the simmering water and pour out the egg. Let it simmer for 3 minutes (set a timer). Once done remove with a slotted spoon and put the egg into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. Place the broccoli on a plate, place the poached egg on top. Drizzle with the crème, scatter parmesan shavings and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

Brunch at Rosen Bar and Dining, Malmö, Sweden

Published on May 15, 2013 by HannaLeave a comment

When I was home visiting I had quite a lot of friends I wanted to meet up with. I went for dinner with some of them and the rest I gathered for a late Sunday brunch in Malmö at Rosen Bar and Dining, the restaurant in Malmö’s only five star hotel.

It is nice here, but not too swanky and at 2pm we almost had the dining room to ourselves, which we quite appreciated as we were twelve adults and two children.

As this, especially with Swedish standards, was quite late in the day for brunch, we were really happy with the substantial spread of non-breakfast items.

At the hot plate you could choose between broccoli quiche, tender ribs, potatoes, chicken drumsticks, the obligatory scrambled eggs and bacon as well as order your own dish straight from the kitchen. The menu, consisting of several omelettes and Eggs Benedict (or Florentine actually as it was ham free), was scribbled on a black board just next to the kitchen and it was nice with a little interaction from the kitchen.

I had the Eggs Benedict (Florentine) which was really good. The English muffin was homemade and very tasty, the hollandaise rich and velvety but the egg slightly overcooked. Still really good on the whole.

At another station you found gazpacho, several cured hams (including a local spickeskinka), wild boar sausage and a few cheeses.

At another (chilled) station you found small pots with seafood in a mayonnaise dressing, small portions of Caesar salad, hot smoked salmon and cold smoked, even herring if I remember correctly.

There were also plenty of pastries, both French croissants and Swedish cinnamon buns, several bread rolls and breads. All the sweets were gathered at one table offering yoghurt and granola, lots of fresh fruit, mini cupcakes, brownies and rhubarb pie with custard.

Something we all really liked was the thought behind all the small portions, which made it so much easier to taste a wider spread and not to plate more than you could eat and therefore it much lead to less waste.

Also tea, coffee, sparkling and still water and four types of juice were included which I think is great. We will definitely be back, probably next time I am home to visit.

Rosen Bar & Dining, Mäster Johansgatan 15, Malmö

Brunch at Incontro, Gothenburg

Published on April 28, 2013April 24, 2013 by HannaLeave a comment

Sunday was my last day in Gothenburg and I started with a lie-in while my host went for a run. Then we went to Incontro for an epic brunch.

After being seated and served with drinks it was time to queue up by the different stations and help yourself to the big spread of food.

The cold food, which we started with, consisted of lots and lots of vegetarian antipasti, a large wooden board full of cold meats, olives, freshly baked bread with truffle cream (amazing!) and big chunks of parmesan to enjoy with either a tangy orange marmalade or with a strong balsamic vinegar. (I preferred the latter). Oh, and we had smoothies too.

After a little break we started with the warm spread. Eggs and bacon, naturally, but I actually skipped the a bit too dry-looking scrambled eggs. The bacon was nice and crispy, the ribs succulent, the pizzas very good and so on.

Another break. Longer this time, and then the obligatory breakfast pancake with cream and warm blackberries.

And yet again a longer break before we embarked on icecream, hot chocolate sauce and meringues.

At the pudding table you also had pannacotta, Belgian waffles, strawberry crumble with custard and lots of pastries.

Needless to say I wasn’t hungry for the rest of the day.

The brunch was very good in my opinion. Sure, everything isn’t perfect when sitting on a hot plate, but the staff were great at topping up the food and changing it if it had been out for a while. Our waitress was also very attentive to clearing plates and topping up our drinks.

And it occured to me how great this place is for vegetarians. Most dishes were actually vegetarian and it was a good spread of that too. Most of the antipasti was vegetarian, same for the pasta and they also had a vegetarian pizza.

Incontro
Mässans Gata 24
412 51 Göteborg, Sweden

New York: Brunch at Norma’s

Published on September 3, 2012 by HannaLeave a comment

When I ask my ex-New Yorker friend Caroline what she’s been up to at the weekend or when she’s been in New York, I always get the same answer: We went for brunch. So I understand that this is a big thing in the Big Apple. Located in the same hotel as Burger Joint, you find the restaurant Norma’s who offer of course, brunch.

We went to Norma’s at 09.05 in the morning, as we had a table booked for 9am, but it wasn’t ready until 15 minutes later. The staff was apologetic and we were not the only ones waiting. but when starving after a night out the day before, waiting was the last thing we wanted to do.

The waiter was then quick to offer us tea, coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice and a complimentary mini blueberry smoothie. We ordered our food and then the waiting began. It took the kitchen about 40 (!) minutes to get our food on the table. It was nothing complicated or something not on the menu, so we still wonder how it could take so long.

And for the kitchen to be backed up at 9 in the morning, that just shows that something isn’t right. The waiting staff was very apologetic, and quite embarrassed but it was out of their control.

The food was actually very good, but it couldn’t make up for the bad experience we had here. I really do hope it gets sorted out as Norma’s has great potential.

But back to the food. Emma’s granola with berries and yoghurt was a huge portion with the yoghurt on the side and lovely homemade granola. The boys had Belgian waffles that were huge, served with whipped cream, berries and a caramel sauce. I wanted something savoury first thing and had a breakfast quesadilla with crambled eggs, crispy bacon, cheese, avocado and salsa. Really yummy!

To summarize: greta food, good waiting staff, nice ambiance, but very slow kitchen and way too long to wait.

Norma’s

Le Parker Meridien Hotel

119 West 56th Street

New York, NY 10019

Carrot cake pancakes

Published on March 21, 2012 by Hanna4 Comments

It is not the first time I got so inspired by a Smitten Kitchen post that I had to try it straight away. Yesterday I saw Deb’s latest post on carrot cake pancakes and last night I had it for supper.

These pancakes are of course even better for a lazy weekend breakfast or at a brunch with friends. Either way, you just have to try them. And of you’ve had a substantial lunch they’re pretty good for supper too (evidently).

The original recipe is from Joy the Baker but Deb at Smitten Kitchen made a few changes and I made some. My only change really was to omit cinnamon to the cream cheese topping and instead add lime zest to it, which I normally have with a carrot cake. To me it was the perfect touch of freshness the pancakes needed.

Carrot cake pancakes, makes about 15-16

Adapted from this recipe.

Pancakes:

1 cup plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground ginger

1 egg

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 cup butter milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups finely grated carrots (about 3 large carrots)

butter for frying

Cream cheese topping:

115 g Philadelphia

1/4 cup icing sugar

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

grated zest from 1/2 lime

Mix flour, bicard, baking powder and spices in a large bowl. Mix butter milk, egg and sugar in a smaller bowl. Add the grated carrots to the wet mixture then transfer to the large bowl and mix it all together. Leave to rest for a few minutes whle preparing the topping.

Beat the cream cheese until smooth in a bowl. Add the sugar, vanilla and lime zest and combine.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Use about 2 tbsp mixture per pancake and fry 3-4 at the time. Keep the fried ones warm in the oven until you’re done with all the pancakes. Serve with a generous dollop of the topping. Dig in!

Brunch at Soho Village, Gothenburg

Published on September 1, 2011 by HannaLeave a comment

After all the cocktails on Saturday we decided a brunch was the perfect day to recover the next day. Linus suggested a cosy place called Soho Village and we walked there in the rain. The café was really big with a few different rooms to sit in, and although we arrived soon after they opened for the day it was really full up. Always a good sign.

The buffet was really big, so we took a few things at the time, instead of trying to cram it all onto one plate. I started with bread that was still warm from the oven, creamy butter, cheese and salami.

I then moved onto smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, pizza slice and a croissant. (I definitely had my carbs for the day…)

And finished it off with a pancake (they were quite big), maple syrup, whipped cream and raspberries.

I love going for brunch, especially if it is a varied buffet like here so you have plenty of things to choose from.

Linus went here three weeks ago with his brother, and thought it was actually better then, and although I really enjoyed it, there are always room for improvement.

They could perhaps have a larger selection of cold meats, and all the cakes seem to come from the same sponge batter. Maybe mix it up a little and offer cookies or something as well.

And the eggs, only one variety? I know I’m not in the UK, but please. Or if there only is one variety, make it extra good. These scambled eggs where too dry and not seasoned enough.

With that said, it was still a nice brunch and everything was nice and fresh, and it offered a good balance between healthy (cottage cheese, wholegrain bread, fruit and vegetables) and indulgence (croissants, cakes with custard, pancakes with whipped cream and cheeses)

Brunch and Henley Royal Regatta

Published on July 6, 2011 by Hanna2 Comments

In England some happenings are bigger than others. The Ascot’s, Goodwood and Henley Royal Regatta are a few of those, and so far I have only been to Henley.

Last year we had a picnic with friends there, but in the afternoon so many people arrived that we no longer could see the river although we were meters from it.

To avoid such nuisance we bought tickets to the Regatta enclosure, and this is (at least for us) the way forward. When we ventured out of the enclosure to look at the shops etc., it was too many prople everywhere.

Malin and Martin, Jess and Chris and us, started the dat with a brunch at our flat. We had champagne, scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, croissants, mini quiches, blueberry muffins, bread, ham and cheese and things. It was a lovely start to the day and we all enjoyed it. But then again, who does not enjoy champagne?!

To brighten up the train journey out of London we had some more bubbly, then we switched to Pimm’s at the regatta. I love events like these, when you sit by the river, watching fit men row, looking around at all the pretty (and some horrible ones) dresses, Panamas and stripy blazers.

We enjoyed the early evening best though. When the serious people started to leave and the party crowd had not yet arrived. It was quiter and we could sit front row watching the rowing.

When the enclosure closed, we walked over the bridge into the village and had a nice meal. We must have been very lucky, walking in the six of us and managed to get a table!

Back at the train station, it was mayhem. There had been an accident on the tracks and several hundred people were fighting over the few taxis. Jess managed to find us one, and waiting for it we escaped the chaos and had a drink in a pub.

It was a perfect day with nice, but not too warm, weather and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. Thanks guys!

Perfectly creamy scrambled eggs, serves six on a buffet

6-8 eggs

100 ml single cream

knob of butter

salt and pepper after taste

Heat up a teflon frying pan or sauté pan on medium heat. Add the butter. Beat the eggs with cream and season. Pour into the pan and lower the temperature. Stir the whole time with a wooden fork or a spatula, and watch the eggs slowly thicken. Remove from heat when a bit undercooked and keep stirring. Adjust the seasoning and serve.

Mini-quiches with Saint Agure and leek, 12 stycken

80 g softened butter

200 ml plain flour

1/3 beaten egg

100 g Saint Agure in cubes

10 cm leek, sliced

2 + 2/3 eggs (left over form the dough making)

300 ml cream

100 ml grated cheese

Mix butter, eggs and flour to a dough. Line 12 aluminium cases with it. Place blue cheese and leeks in the pastry cases. Sprinkle grated cheese on top. Mix eggs and cream, season with salt and pepper and divide between the cases. Bake in 200C for 20 minutes. Serve cold, luke warm och warm.

Blueberry muffins with almonds and lemon, makes 12

Oroginal Swedish recipe here. I made mine into larger muffins than the recipe suggests.

200 ml blueberries

125 g melted butter

150 g ground almonds

1 tbsp lemon zest

400 ml icing sugar

80 ml plain flour

5 eggwhites (about 160-170 ml)

Mix almonds, zest, icing sugar and flour in a bowl. Add the egg whites and mix. Add the melted butter and mix thoroughly. Place a few berries in each cake case, divide the mixture between the cake cases (fill them to 2/3). Bake in 200 C for about 15-20 minutes.