Sunday in Brooklyn

When aesthetic meets quality, wonderful things happen

Opening Ramble:

This will be the fastest turnaround and freshest takes from weekend brunch to your inbox within 24 hours. Is that because of pure excitement of telling folks about this place? Maybe. Is it because I didn’t have a review ready for this week and sheer unprofessionalism ? You’ll never know, but what is for certain is the fact I’ve been wanting to go Sunday in Brooklyn for AGES. It is nigh on impossible on any sunny day to get a table. They don’t allow pre-bookings for brunch and the queues are always around the corner, so it’s kind of a free for all. Since it’s in Westbourne Grove/Notting Hill, the brunch girlies really do not play around. They’ll always beat me in a straight foot race for a lovely aesthetic. I’m willing to wait for food, but when the queue is longer than the time I’ll spend in a restaurant, puff puff pass on that. Also I’m always slightly concerned about places that look so pretty. I’ve been to Peggy Porschen and EL&N and been severely let down. So when I went out for brunch this weekend, I was actually expecting to eat at another certified delicious spot.¹ But we happened to park up right outside Sundays In Brooklyn…I was feeling lucky so thought let’s try. Maybe it was a Christmas miracle but we finally got in!

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The Order (dishes as described on the menu):

Mains

1. Sunday Pancakes

   Hazelnut maple Praline, Brown butter

   £14 for a single pancake

   Rating : 9.6/10

   

2. Egg Sandwich

   Scrambled eggs, Cheddar, Gochujang mayo, Potato crisp, Brioche bun

   £13.50

   Rating : 8.8/10

   

3. Don Ruben Omelette

   Mole Sauce, Feta, Oyster mushrooms, Butter lettuce salad

   £13.50

   Rating : 8.6/10

   

Drinks

1. Drip Coffee [unlimited]
   £4

   Rating : 6.9/10

   

2. Carrot and Ginger

   Carrot, orange, red pepper, celery, ginger

   £5

   Rating : 7.8/10

   

3. Water²

   £1

Total Bill incl tip: £57.38

Overall Rating: 8.3/10

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Review:

The Vibe:

Y’all can probably guess the vibe already. If I was a proper IG content creator, I would have a field day! It has the perfect amount of decorations to add a festive touch but not be tacky. The colours, lighting and wooden tables combine to create a really airy atmosphere. The chairs are pitched at the right level of comfortable, you’ll be supported but not want to sink into seat. Translation, it’s perfect for a brunch vibe. Stuff yourself or imbibe a bit too hard and you’ll still be able to get out of your seat with composure (hopefully).

The Food - The eggs:

Let’s kick things off with the egg sandwich, which is what I ordered. I ordered it for two reasons; Firstly, it sounded quite good and looked even better at the table across from us. Secondly, in case the pancakes sucked, I wanted to have something that was savoury and had a high floor. Even a crappy egg sandwich can be saved by hot sauce. The SIB egg sandwich is far from that.

My initial bite was underwhelming, at first I only got the cheesy eggs and bun which were fluffy whilst retaining structure but no wow factor. I coveted my partner’s eggs. Then came the second bite, with the gochujang mayo and potato crisp and my opinion went to the opposite pole. The gochujang is pitched at the same level of spicy as sriracha which for me isn’t spicy at all. But it delivers the perfect counter balance and enough spice to cut through the velvety and buttery eggs and mellow cheese. Add in the perfectly baked potato crisp which adds a textural wild card to your bites and it’s really hard to fault the egg sandwich. I would have loved a dash of Tabasco but that might just be personal preference. Next time I might add some of the optional extras like avo and bacon but it’s a perfectly delicious bite on its own. As per the cross section below, it’s also a substantial bite which I respect given the price.

The Don Rueben omelette wasn’t exactly up my street because of the way the oyster mushrooms were cooked. They were pan fried in butter and therefore kind floppy and that’s a texture I can’t deal with at all. The rest of the omelette was delightful however. The mole sauce was fantastic, well spiced and a lovely texture. Despite not really being a fan of mole, I could appreciate this was a good sauce. It paired brilliantly with the buttery eggs. The butter lettuce salad wasn’t spectacular or life changing but it served its purpose of adding some freshness and spicy/sweet red onion to break up the richness. Similarly should you get a bite with feta in, it added a smooth creamy salty wave to the meal which was lovely. The egg sandwich was better, even my partner agreed but you won’t be disappointed with either.

The Pancakes:

On to the star of the show and probably the reason you’re here, definitely the reason I went. They’re the best American pancakes I’ve ever had. As you cut into the frisbee sized dish, you know you’re in for a treat, the middle of the pancake simply relents under any pressure. Mary and Paul would be glowing with praise for this sponge, it has the perfect level of bounce-back and softness.³

The flavour however, is nowhere near as simple. The first thing that I noticed was the deep caramel notes. The maple praline and brown butter delivering large swathes of sweet and nutty caramel almost like a perfect sticky toffee pudding. Imagine the best sticky toffee pudding you’ve ever had, and then throw in some Nutella too. But not as indulgent as Nutella, a much lighter and delicate hazelnut flavour that melds perfectly with the toffee.⁴

However in case you’re one of the foolish people who don’t have a hankering for sticky toffee puddings, I have the solution for you. Try just the edges of the pancake. It’s almost like a different dish. The perfect level of crispy, crunchy and yet still able to absorb the flavours from above. Even my girlfriend, known dessert hater, had to admit they were delicious and went in for multiple bites. I wasn’t exactly happy about it, because it meant less pancake for me but speaks to the power of the pancakes!

I limit my hyperbole to the best American pancakes I’ve ever had because the world of pancakes is so vast. Comparing something like a Japanese crepe cake or French crepe suzette to this doesn’t seem fair. Moods and seasons would really dictate which pancake I think is best. But…if you get that perfect crispy edge piece that has picked up enough of the sauce/syrup with a bit of the brown butter topping, i.e. the perfect bite, it’s hard to think of anything better in that moment.⁵

Conclusion

I’m a very quick convert to the Sunday in Brooklyn hype. The pancakes obviously dominate the review and rightly so, they’re fantastic. But the other breakfast dishes deserve some accolades too. The eggs were perfectly cooked, whether scrambled or omelette. The carrot juice tasted super fresh and well balanced, not overly sweet or bitter as often can happen. The coffee while not spectacular was good enough for the coffee lovers too. Come with a group, come as a couple or dine solo. There is something for everyone at Sunday in Brooklyn. Just make sure you holla at me if you do go, because I want those pancakes in my life as much as possible.

Extra Bits

Thank you to my free subscribers I’ll see y’all next week! For my paid subs, firstly thank you for your support this year, it means a lot. Secondly here’s some extra content as a thank you!