The Church Key Bistro-Pub... Again

Sunday Brunch! Back in London for a quiet weekend between the chaos, we headed to our favourite restaurant in the city. I know I have shared about The Church Key before, but honestly it is amazing, you need to go now. Every Sunday is a fabulous list of options accompanied by a basket of tasty pastries. We have never had the same thing twice, and never been disappointed. Today brought with it some serious choices. I settled on the Blanquette of Salmon, always a sucker for salmon at breakfast with poached eggs. Everything about it was delicious, but that béarnaise sauce was incredible. I would buy it by the jar if that were an option. My brunch niche is clearly in the rich and creamy area of any menu. I made so many mistakes trying to eat this whole thing that has left me full for the entire day, but it was so, so good!

Blanquette of Salmon - toasted olive oil brioche and Italian style sliced salmon ceviche of brandy, lime, mustard and dill.  Surrounded with white wine veloute, fennel & black olive soffrito, poached eggs and béarnaise sauce

Scott went for the BBQ'd Pork Buns, and was also in heaven. The bun was soft and moist, while the pork belly just melted in your mouth. The miso squash puree was the real surprise for us here. It was so nutty and rich, an interesting combination that I would love to try again. At this point we were both in awe at how lovely the eggs were. Mine were poached, his was soft boiled, and both were perfect.

BBQ'd Pork Buns - traditional steamed Mantou Bun with soft boiled egg, pickled mushrooms, miso squash puree and Wuxi barbecue sauce.

Finally, the pastry basket! What an exciting time to be alive. Some of the favourites were back. Scott describes the Coco-Nutty Bar as legendary, and his all-time favourite. I love the jalapeno cheddar cornbread and the sticky cinnamon roll is so sweet and satisfying. This basket is clearly the reason I have been full all day. The pumpkin muesli wasn't sweet or spiced enough for me, but followed by the completely decadent chocolate bouchon it was forgotten. We are excited every time about what a great idea having the pastry basket at the start of the meal is, and we spend the whole time raving and savouring each bite.

Pastry basket - Blueberry muffin, Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread, Poppy Seed Lemon Loaf, Butter Croissant, Sticky Cinnamon Roll, Muesli Pumpkin Loaf, , Chocolate Bouchon, Coco-Nutty Bar, & Maple Pecan Financier

Likes: Service is great, presentation is fabulous, and the food was always impressive
Dislikes: The butter croissant was a little under baked this time around
Food: 4.5/5
Service: 5/5
Would I go again?: I will resist going next Sunday, but the one after that? No guarantees! Okay maybe we will take a few weeks off...Go here!