Bottomless Boozy Brunch at Avenue

If you think that Manhattan is the only place to go for bottomless boozy brunches, then think again. More and more venues here in London are now offering this much neglected American institution. This Eater weekend, my friends and I went to The Avenue in St James where we rang in the long weekend in style with a free flowing prosecco brunch.

Avenue is located just behind St James' Park. super central, but bear in mind that brunch time is also Changing of the Guards time and the chances of getting stuck behind a queue of guards on horses is very high. Great if you're a tourist, not so great when you're missing out on valuable free flowing prosecco.

When I finally got there, my friends were waiting for me at an egg shaped table in the back of the elegant restaurant which was flooded with daylight. In the middle was an impressive chandelier made out of wine glasses and champagne flutes and there were lots of mirrors all over giving the restaurant a very spacious feel. 

The menu was no less impressive. There are lots of different dishes that you can order in small or large sizes. You can order two courses for 20 pounds and three courses for 25. Add to that the free flow of prosecco or bloody Mary's for 25 quid and brunch is sorted.

While I sipped on my first glass of prosecco (which was regularly topped up throughout) I tried to make up my mind of what to eat. Not an easy task at Avenue as everything sounded and looked really good. In the end I went for the small egg Benedict with a slice of ham on toast as a starter and the large Waldorf salad with gorgonzola cheese for a main. My friends' eyes were bigger than their stomachs and they went for large portions all the way. 

Both my dishes were delicious although the eggs were a tad on the vinegary side, albeit only slightly. The salad was fine. Not feeling as stuffed as my friends, I tried a corner of the waffles they had let on their plates; They tasted nice, especially with the whipped yogurt cream, but I noticed they were a bit on the chewy side. That aside, I loved the atmosphere and the service and of course the fact that the prosecco just kept coming. I do hope that this fine American tradition is here to stay.