Now it is a commonly accepted tradition that 'breakfast is the most important meal of the day' and that a good breakfast can set you up for anything… but being English, our breakfasts are usually known for all the wrong reasons.
Overdone fried eggs, streaky bacon swimming in grease, all served on an under-toasted piece of white sliced bread is what springs to mind for most people visiting our fair shores. This is not your classic English Breakfast, but unfortunately it’s what we have become known for.
But fear not, there is a breakfast revival under way, and a real breakfast and brunch culture is brewing in London Town to rival the breakfast meccas of Melbourne and Sydney.
I have set my self the task to find a selection of the best, and have hunted out the healthiest options around!. Starting with...
Darwin Brasserie, Sky Garden
For those of you not in the know, Darwin Brasserie is situated up high on the 35th floor of the 'Walkie Talky' building near Monument, in what is The UK’s highest public garden space.
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This not only provides an incredible setting, but the menu is pretty spectacular too: you can customise almost the entire selection, and a really comprehensive buffet is also available for those who like to graze on everything from a continental breakfast through to a pancake stack with Nutella and chopped banana.
I went for the Severn & Wye Smoked Salmon breakfast, served with poached eggs on toasted rye bread and accompanied by the Coconut-Quinoa Porridge with Manuka honey. This was all washed down with a 'Broccoli & The Beast' smoothie, made up from broccoli, spinach, celery and mango.
The smoked salmon is not only a great source of protein but is super high in DHA, EPA and Omega-3 fatty acids (perfect for lowering your risk of heart disease). Also the choice of rye bread is also a very healthy one: rye breads are made with a sourdough starter instead of yeast, and the type of fibre in the rye grain gives the bread a very low glycemic index. This means it will not spike your blood sugar or insulin levels and will stop that post-meal crash in energy.
Then there was the Coconut-Quinoa Porridge: the use of this superfood to replace the usual oats worked really well and also provides you with all 9 essential amino acids (the building blocks of protein and a fast track to recovery).
Wash all this down with a green smoothie giving you a mammoth serving of vitamin B1 and B6, as well as vitamins A, C, E & K, and you will be hard pressed to find a healthier breakfast in town.
Booking is highly recommended, especially on weekends, but it is well worth the effort.
For more information, see https://skygarden.london/darwin
