Breakfast at Rick Stein, Barnes
As a nation, we seem to be going out for breakfast more than ever before; from bottomless brunches to all-you-can eat American-style buffets, the most important meal of the day is well and truly earning its title.
On a normal day I usually grab a banana and go, so a leisurely breakfast out always feels like a treat. When I heard that Rick Stein, Barnes had started morning service at the weekend I was curious as to what the king of Cornish seafood might have to offer by way of breakfast. We arrived early one grey Sunday morning, but despite the dull weather the panoramic river views through the restaurant’s vast windows were still a sight to behold, complemented by a soothing Sunday brunch style soundtrack.
Service was impressive as ever – welcoming, friendly and efficient. A perfectly sweet, freshly squeezed orange juice and an expertly made flat white quickly arrived whilst I was busy perusing the menu. The much-loved usual suspects are all there; a Full English, consisting of Clarence Court eggs, Cornish Tywardreath sausage, bacon, mushroom, black pudding and toast, Eggs Benedict, Eggs Florentine, porridge and fresh fruit, and then there are the more Stein-inspired options; kippers (poached or grilled), fish of the day (which when I visited was grilled hake with tomato salad) and kedgeree. All mouth-watering stuff.
We opted for the granola to start, which was perfect really. Beautifully spiced, crunchy nutty mouthfuls layered with fresh natural yoghurt and a good dollop of sweet strawberry jam on top, which we quickly devoured whilst watching rowing boats serenely glide by. Next up was smoked salmon and scrambled eggs – always a risk when eating out as we all seem to have our own idea of what the perfect scrambled eggs should look and taste like, but this version hit the spot. Perfectly creamy and beautifully orange (thanks to the Clarence Court yolks), with a generous helping of melt-in-the-mouth smoked salmon, and a pile of chopped onion to add a bit of zing. The avocado on toasted sourdough was also delicious – the avocado perfectly ripe, drizzled with balsamic and served on good, grilled sourdough, with a few sweet and succulent roasted cherry tomatoes on the side.
Everything we ate was excellent and noticeably well priced too - two eggs on toast (poached, fried or scrambled) will set you back £4.50, fish of the day £7 and the Full English £9.95. One more coffee and we were more than satisfied, although reluctant to leave the beautiful views and five-star service. It’s safe to say that we’ll be back for more next weekend – they do say it’s the most important meal of the day, after all…
Breakfast is served on Saturday and Sunday from 9am-11am at Rick Stein, Tideway Yard, 125 Mortlake High Street, SW14 8SN. Book online at rickstein.com/eat-with-us/barnes. Published online at Essential Surrey and SW London
