They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day but I’m guilty (officer) of quite often skipping menu and heading straight into midday lunch (unless I’m sneaking a piece of toast when I get a few minutes at work).   When I was offered to swap my breakfastless morning for brunch at the London based Foxcroft & Ginger, I jumped at the chance.

Foxcroft & Ginger Soho is one of three branches from the husband and wife owned F&G.   We visited the Soho cafe, a glass fronted number tucked away in a side street in the bustling area of Soho, just a stones throw from the hustle and bustle of Piccadilly Circus and surrounded by a number of kitsch cafes and bars which make me wish there were more designated hours in the day to enjoy a belly busting  meal. With exposed brick decor meeting industrial chic, the cafe has a cosy and homely feel with little touches such as old English teacups and glass milk bottle water jars.  The intimate environment is only enhanced by the warm and friendly welcome from the staff who are only happy to oblige your every need (almost, although they do help you to pick the biggest of the selection of cakes).

The brunch menu at Foxcroft & Ginger is a nice little fusion of traditional brekkie items with a bit of a twist. There’s not an eggy bread with a dollop of tomato sauce or overcooked bacon on anaemic toast in sight on the F&G menu, you’re more likely to find Eggs Benedict, Ricotta Gnocci, Poached Eggs on Sourdough bread and Herb Roasted Mushrooms with truffled hollandaise.

With our chosen “wake me up” hot drinks on the go, a Chai Tea for Lilly and a Mocha for me, we perused the brunch menu and pretended that we hadn’t already spent one Monday afternoon drooling over the menu on the internet (everyone does that right?).  I already knew that despite feeling the lull of my regular “breakfast out” choice, Eggs Benedict and its tempting creamy hollandaise, my heart belonged to either the Lavender Smoked Pancetta and Poached Eggs or the sweet and sumptuous looking French Toast with Poached Pear and Mascarpone.

I think there’s an unwritten rule that prevents me from ordering the same meal as the person I’m dining with, so when Lilly indulged her sweet tooth in the French Toast, I plumped for the Smoked Pancetta dish which was a welcome twist on Eggs Benedict.  A tasty treat of lavender smoked pancetta served with caramelised onions, a poached eggs and potato rosti served a top of a muffin drizzled with a helping of Hollandaise.  The smoked taste of the pancetta complimented the sweetness of the caramelised onions and the poached eggs were a yolk explosion worthy of a mention.

I always seem to over face myself when I do eat out for breakfast and I was unable to leave a clean plate let alone polish off one of the infamous F&G Cruffins (a croissant baked in a muffin tin and filled with sweet goodness such as chocolate or honeycomb) as intended, so we left Foxcroft & Ginger with full morning bellies and a paper bag full of freshly baked pastries and muffins to enjoy and afternoon nibble (or two).

* Foxcroft & Ginger kindly invited myself and a +1 along to sample their menu, but as ever my review is completely honest and in no way biased