Restaurant Review- The Delaunay

From the moment that the doorman welcomes you inside, revealing the luxurious interior of the bar area, to the moment you reluctantly shuffle away, The Delaunay experience is just pure class. Every detail from the amazing interior design, to the smart, formal attire of the staff, to the beautiful customised crockery is precise and thoughtful and makes for a truly immersive experience. The dining room evokes a feeling of Edwardian class and elegance, the walls bedecked with dark wood panelling.

The Delaunay is of course, the latest venture by Corbin and King, the restaurateurs formerly behind The Ivy and now, most famously, The Wolseley on Piccadilly. This new restaurant certainly has a similar feel to their current celebrity-packed hangout. The restaurant concept is the same with all-day dining (open from 7am-midnight) meaning that the kitchens are producing breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner all day, every day. I went on a Sunday to enjoy what their weekend brunch menu had to offer.

Where The Delaunay strikes out more on it's own is its menu's focus on German and Austrian options, combining the classic French offerings more often found in The Wolseley with the feeling of grand central European coffee houses. The menu features schnitzel and wiener as well as plenty of classic cakes such as sachertorte.

Black and White Pudding with a Fried Duck Egg

We began with black and white pudding with a fried duck egg (£11-75) and buck rarebit (£8). The black and white pudding was served on a thin tile of fried bread, which I usually find overly heavy and greasy. This was perfectly thin and light- the best I have ever tried. It was done, like everything they do, with a lot of finesse. The buck rarebit is basically Welsh rarebit with poached eggs and again, was simple brunch food cooked and served perfectly on beautiful crockery. Maybe it's a little superficial to focus on the crockery that a restaurant uses but I feel it's important. Whilst poor crockery or glassware might not ruin a meal, the right kind of equipment certainly helps make the job easier and more enjoyable. Not that you could call the idea of sitting in a restaurant, dining on fine food a job; not by anyone's definition.

Buck Rarebit

We followed these with sachertorte(£5-50) and a coffee and stroh rum cake(£5-75). The former was rich in chocolate and nicely balanced with the fruitiness of the apricot jam. Another charming touch was that "sachertorte" had been piped on each individual piece. The flavour of coffee and rum was prominent in the latter whilst still retaining the necessary sweetness.

Sachertorte

The meal was finished off nicely with a pot of earl grey tea. Again, the tea service was a beautiful design. It may be the case that The Delaunay is on the more expensive side of dining, but, in the context of how great the food, service and design are, I feel it's certainly worth it. Although I can't personally vouch for dinner or lunch service (I have heard that they are similarly impressive), I would definitely recommend that you take a little detour onto Aldwych to enjoy breakfast or brunch here. Of course, it's an extravagance but worth it; you'll feel definitely be made to feel special.

Coffee and Stroh Rum Cake

The one thing I should really say, is don't wear chinos, because the fibres from the tablecloth will stick to them. You know somewhere is good when that's the only word of warning someone can give you.

Rating- 8.5/10

The Delaunay, 55 Aldwych, London WC2B 4BB

http://www.thedelaunay.com/


GastroTom

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