Score: 8.5
Best for: trendy drinks and a 360º London experience
Best for: trendy drinks and a 360º London experience
As much as my northern father loves hair braiding and metallic tattoos I thought the floral headband making would be just too much excitement for him on a Saturday morning. For that reason whilst the piglets (Annelise and Nadine) were off brunching at the Emerald Street+ Kerb festival I took my parents, who were in town for the weekend, to Radio at the Me hotel.
Luckily on Saturday morning the sun had his hat on, ideal for brunching in the great outdoors - or in this case on the tenth floor of an Aldwych hotel popular with fashionistas due to its close proximity to Somerset House and views of the Thames. It was pretty spectacular, even just walking through the sleek lounge to get to the top floor. As the venue is more commonly known for the bar the décor, once on the rooftop, featured easy wipe surfaces and damaged table tops, which was a little disappointing. The views, however, quickly make up for this.
Aldwych – 25 degrees – 360 views of the city, Radio makes a good first impression. Having finished snapping the sights from the sky we browsed the menu. The poach was the obvious priority, but overall it was a good menu. All the classics were there, each with a quirk or interesting twist. Contenders eliminated, the decisions were made:
The order:
The order:
- Crab omelette with chilli & coriander
- Scrambled egg with smoked haddock & watercress
- Poached egg with avocado purée, baby spinach on sourdough & bacon dust
My parents, after dealing with the confusion of the new stage in dining etiquette (not starting until every dish has been photographed), thoroughly enjoyed their seafood-y brunch choices. The crab omelette had a slight but enjoyable chilli kick, but was a little on the small side… I did not contract brunch envy! The scrambled egg was very basic, lacking a little lustre but ideal for my fussy father! The saviour, however, was the poach. Oh it was good… dare I say it, flawless. On a sourdough bread lay a concentrated, creamy and delicious avo puree topped with delightfully wilted flavoursome spinach and two perfectly poached eggs, topped off with a minimal but tasteful bacon sprinkle. With the addition of a little pepper it was a darn good poach.
To try next time:
Here the vibe is a little snooty in true ‘rooftop bar/ hotel’ style. I would suggest ensuring that you have a reservation (although it did take three e-mail attempts to actually get a reply… high levels of exclusivity even down to email non-response). It does offer some interesting dish options and some of the best outdoor brunch views. Circumstance appropriate, Radio is super for impressing London visitors, however for you hard-core brunchers out there Kerb was where the real action was this week.
- Huevos Benedictos, pata negra, truffled hollandaise
- Ox Cheek Benedict, slow cooked organic hen’s eggs, hollandaise, sriracha
Here the vibe is a little snooty in true ‘rooftop bar/ hotel’ style. I would suggest ensuring that you have a reservation (although it did take three e-mail attempts to actually get a reply… high levels of exclusivity even down to email non-response). It does offer some interesting dish options and some of the best outdoor brunch views. Circumstance appropriate, Radio is super for impressing London visitors, however for you hard-core brunchers out there Kerb was where the real action was this week.
By Rebecca G.