To celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary, Hubby and I decided to have breakfast at the famed Wolseley in London. Originally, what is now the Wolseley restaurant, was designed as a very over the top Art Deco car showroom in the 1920s, after that it was a Barclays bank, and then in 2003 it became a very special place for breakfast and movie star spotting. It was in this marbled and lacquered edifice that Hubby and I enjoyed a most magnificent breakfast. One that truly befits Moi.
Before going to the Wolseley, I was reading about how the seats in the restaurant are structured. There is basically a type of “inner circle” of seating. According to my book, this is where they seat all the “important” people. And can you guess who got the best seat in the joint???? That’s right! It was the housewife herself! Was it because I’m so beautiful? Or was it because we got there kind of early and the place wasn’t really booked up at the time? I don’t know, but all I can say was I was feeling rather important *wink*.
The first thing we were served was our drinks. Hubby ordered some coffee, which he said was very good, and I had a delicious and rich hot chocolate with a good thick layer of whipped cream. That was definitely a good start! Next, Hubby got 2 fried eggs with baked beans, tomatoes, and mushrooms. It was a kind of vegetarian version of the English Breakfast. I only really tried the mushrooms, which were very tasty. This was served with a toast rack full of toast. I ordered a herb omelette with a side of toasted baugette (which came with jam and marmalade). The omelette was lovely, the baguette was well toasted and crunchy, and the marmalade was absolutely awesome, the best marmalade ever! I asked our waiter what brand it was, and we were informed that it was made in house. Make sure you ask for it if you go!
Following our breakfast we also had a fantastic basket of viennoiserie, which are also made on the premises. This consisted of a miniature (but not too mini) croissant, pain au chocolat, danish, amandine pain sucre with Normandy butter and cannele bordelais (which Hubby particularly enjoyed)–that’s the one in the middle in the picture. This was languished over with a pot of English Breakfast tea.
The service was impeccable and friendly. I would have thought that it might have been a bit pretentious in a place like the Wolseley but that was far from the case. Our waiter was attentive, helpful and efficient.
Having breakfast at the Wolseley is not a cheap affair. We ate well (as we like to do, and hey, it was our anniversary breakfast, after all). The bill came to about £55 with the gratuity, but we felt that it was worth it. Eating at the Wolseley is a real treat. You feel special, and you eat in the most beautiful surroundings. Hubby and I definitely plan on visiting again, and next time, maybe we will try lunch or dinner, or even afternoon tea.
P.S. I don’t think I saw any celebrities, but I did see at least two very “interesting” surgically enhanced women with orange skin in baseball hats. Celebrities? Oompa Loompas? I don’t know.
P.S.S.Part two of our anniversary comes at the end of this month when Hubby and I go to Barcelona for five days. Its going to be fab. Watch this space darlings!
