Hélène Darroze at The Connaught (Mayfair)

• Well I've only gone and found the best brunch in London
• The Connaught is a prestigious five star hotel nestled in a quiet corner of Mayfair Village and is home to the two Michelin starred Hé
• In the dark wood panelled room with carpeted floor and Damien Hirst originals
• The first and final course are self serve buffets
• Take any preconceptions associated with the dirty b word
• A menu is available to make a single selection from and this is prepared and delivered whenever you are damn well ready for it
• Ham seasoned with Espelette pepper sliced 'a la minute' on the antique Berkel machine
• Assortment of fresh salads including a Mariette with orange citrus dressing
• My favourite was a beautiful pink beetroot and buffalo mozzarella of which I kept returning to
• Smoked halibut and smoked eel with the choices of garnish from
• Scrambled eggs with Royal Bortago (cured fish roe)
• These were Maldon oysters from Kent served with shallot vinegar
• These were not the best oysters I've had (the reigning title holders are those from The Wright Brothers Oyster and Porterhouse)
• September April) and we are indeed a whole four days into May
• I doubt my palette is that attuned to the changing tides of seasonal produce
• I find the slippery bastards difficult to resist when they flirt so outrageously with me from the menu
• The hot porky balls of goodness served on a square of slate were delicious though
• The burger was delivered in a package smaller than a usual burger
• The braised cheek patty was thick and intense with the concentrated flavour from the prolonged low cooking and with the slab of fatty duck liver astride
• The combination delivered wonderful rich and meaty flavours laced with a hint of iron
• In addition was a pot of chips which were essentially a single potato cut into four large wedges and an espresso cup filled with home made tomato sauce
• Some might say the chips were an unnecessary addition to the already hefty burger bundle
• They went well with my oysters
• Other options from the main menu included eggs Benedict with York ham and black truffle from Perigord (£
• Macaroni and cheese with an aged Comté
• My third plate consisted of sourdough filled with hazelnut and raisins enjoyed with the assortment of cheeses
• The nutty sheep's cheese of Manchego is one of my favourites and I indulged in a couple more visits back to the board
• A wonderfully friendly French man of statuesque Amazonian proportions guarded the dessert corner tables laden with fresh fruit
• Say hello to freshly made waffles with your topping of choice at the wink of an eye
• Matt built up such a rapport with this gentleman that after a huge first portion
• Also available was quince jam
• The coffee was not only of superb quality
• The silver service and heavy deep cut crystal water glasses were touches of finesse that helped sharpen the whole experience
• A special mention must be given to the front of house staff as they were without fault
• To the waffle man they were all attentive and smiling and raconteuring with the clientè
• We were there for around three hours and at no point did we feel rushed we were positively encouraged to make further visits to the buffet bars
• I was fully indulged when I requested to photograph the displays with responses of 'please madame
• The whole experience as you would hope from a double starred venue was exceptional
• The room quickly filled with an array of first time diners
• The hours of service are from 11am 2.30pm
• Liked less people on neighbouring tables chewing with their mouth open
• I usually have control of the TV remote and because of that there is normally some cooking show or other on the box
• Afternoon tea has become really popular here in London and there are lots of places offering some very quirky teas
• The one that I chose was Espelette at The Connaught Hotel
• The only dishes of note were the asparagus soup from the starter buffet
• The waffles for dessert were also worth mentioning
• The restaurant wasnt half full and yet the majority of the serving staff were inattentive
• No adjustment was made to the bill regarding the hair/burger incident
• Even when questioned the only adjustment made was to take off the £
• I doubt I would return here to try the dinner even with someone else picking up the bill
• Ne Darroze last night hoping I'd still be able to say it is my favourite restaurant in London
• I am happy to report I was not disappointed
• Our (French) waitesss arrived with the menu an innovative affair that looks like a game of marbles
• Cheese croquettes (delicious) and a confit tomato tuile with freshly cut ham from the South West of France (where Hé
• They also have amazing artisan bread and two types of butter (one of them with chilli pepper
• Was nicely presented in a bowl with tiny beautiful garnishes
• My foie gras starter was beautifully presented and was also very tasty
• It was placed in a jelly with cherries and wild berries
• We both went for the smoked eel this was really good and we wished there were more of it
• My choice of lobster was a bit less inspired
• We both went for the fillet steak (which is only served for two diners)
• Cut in half at our table and presented to us with a minced snail crust on top
• We were also served macarons with salted caramel and blackcurrant jelly and some choux with a tonka bean cream
• The wine list is impressive
• While my wife was sipping on a fresh mint tea
• One of them returned a little later with a fresh box of ibuprofen from the pharmacy amazing service
• It is definitely worth it for a special occasion (and ours was a double special one
• Ne Darroze is a fourth generation chef in her family and according to Wikipedia
• Helene Darroze is a 2 Michelin Star restaurant located in the Connaught hotel
• The restaurant offers the ultimate weekend Brunch where starters and desserts offered are buffet style
• While the main course is chosen from the menu
• My boyfriend is a firm lover of hotel buffet breakfasts
• The Connaught Bar plays a very strong martini game and they definitely have the best dirty dry tipple here
• Ne Darroze who had won best female chef and had multiple accolades so we decided to try her Sunday Chicken Dinner Le Poulet du Dimanche
• The roasted chicken was one of the tastiest ones I have ever tried and the entire experience was delightful
• Darroze decided what she'd do is introduce Londoners to the joys of Landes chicken from her homeland of south west France
• It seems that people are keeping tally of where I eat
• They remark with surprise (some of you are rather bad at acting) that I had not yet been to Helene Darozze
• When they offered the best poultry in town
• Try the restaurant and see if their boasts of the best chicken in the world were true
• Such as the tortilla stuffed with chicken confit leg
• When you see extremely creative menu presentation you know you are in for a great treat
• We had a 5 course menu with wine pairing the lobster and Ravioli was a fantastic choice
• The Japanese Wagyu beef was good (but perhaps a tad bit too fatty/oily for me) and I'm surprised I had a full stomach by the end of the meal (with 6 glasses of wine as well)
• Getting up close and personal with the lunch menu at 2 Michelin Star London restaurant
• Helene Darroze was voted &lsquo

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