Cooksister | Food, Travel, Photography

Food, photos & faraway places

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About me
    • Contact me
    • Work with me
    • Legal
      • Copyright notice & Disclaimer
      • Disclosure
      • Cookies and Privacy Policy
    • Press and media
    • Cooksister FAQs
  • RECIPES
    • Recipe Index – by course
    • Baking (savoury)
    • Braai/Barbecue
    • Breakfast & brunch
    • Christmas
    • Dessert
    • Drinks
    • Eggs
    • Fish
    • Gluten-free
    • Leftovers
    • Pasta & rice
    • Poultry
    • Pulses
    • Salads
    • Soup
    • South African
    • Starters & light meals
    • Vegan
    • Vegetables
    • Vegetarian
  • RESTAURANTS
    • British Isles restaurants
    • Dubai restaurants
    • France restaurants
    • London restaurants
    • Montenegro restaurants
    • New York restaurants
    • Pop-ups and supperclubs
    • Serbia restaurants
    • Singapore restaurants
    • South Africa restaurants
    • Sweden restaurants
    • Switzerland restaurants
    • USA restaurants
  • TRAVEL
    • All my travel posts
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Canada
      • Dubai
      • Cruise ships
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Grenada
      • Hong Kong
      • Hotel reviews
      • Italy
      • Israel
      • Jersey
      • Mexico
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Singapore
      • Ski & snow
      • South Africa
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • UK
      • USA
      • Wales
  • PORTFOLIO
    • Freelance writing portfolio
    • Speaking and teaching
    • Photography portfolio
    • Buy my photos
You are here: Home / Restaurants / London restaurants / Le Brunch at The Balcon @ Sofitel St James [CLOSED – now Wild Honey]

Le Brunch at The Balcon @ Sofitel St James [CLOSED – now Wild Honey]

by Jeanne Horak on August 30, 2015 6 Comments in London restaurants

BalconTItle

Do you ever look at other people’s Facebook feeds and feel just a little bit as if you are underachieving in your own life? That your kids aren’t as adorable; your house not as perfect; your pets not as quirky or amusing; your holidays not as exotic; and your life just lacking in good old-fashioned decadence? Don’t worry – I’m not going to tell you that the solution is to go cold turkey and cancel your Facebook account or stop spending so much time on Pinterest.  There is a far simpler way to add some decadence to your life: go out for brunch. There is just something about having brunch that is subtly more decadent than other meals. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all practical, necessary meals, breaking the day into two halves and providing sustenance at the end of the working day.  But brunch – now that’s another story. Brunch says “I have nowhere else to be – I can eat from the morning into the afternoon and no boss is going to fire me”. Brunch lets you have a cappuccino and a cocktail in the same meal and even the Italians would not object. Brunch can take up three hours and still leave you time for a stroll in the park. cocktails and dinner. What’s not to like?

So I was understandably thrilled when one of my favourite London restaurants The Balcon (now Wild Honey) recently launched Le Brunch, their take on the most decadent meal of the week. Situated in the Sofitel St James hotel (a grand former bank and now one of central London’s best kept hotel secrets if you ask me!), The Balcon is a glorious high-ceilinged room decorated in subtle colours with and golds highlights with huge windows overlooking Waterloo Place. Every time I have been there, the staff have been faultless, treating all customers like regulars, and this occasion was no exception.  My companion Andrew and I were seated in one of the tables by the window on a gorgeous curved aubergine leather banquette and were immediately offered a kir from their selection of five, made with house-made infusions and a choice of either Viognier or Champagne to top up the base flavouring.  Andrew chose the rhubarb liqueur with honey and vanilla; while I went for the crème de peche, pepper and ginger infusion (£10,00 each) – both were delicious, although I would have liked mine a little more gingery.

 

BalconRoom

 

BalconTables

 

BalconBooth

 

BalconWines

 

BalconPouring

 

BalconKir2

 

BalconKir1

 

While sipping our kirs, we were also brought some bread – although to call this bread would be a misnomer as both were more like the savoury cakes that the French do so well.  Both came in wedges, like a cake rather than a bread and mine was shot through with veins of richly flavoured blck olive tapenade and topped with cheese, while Andrew’s contained nuggets of ham and cheese.  Both were soft, pillowy and ridiculously good. The small but perfectly formed brunch menu contained many temptations, including a pancake stack with lemon, blueberries and maple syrup; as well as a croque monsieur with raclette cheese and maple-glazed bacon.  In the end, Andrew could not resist the breakfast burger consisting of a sausage and black pudding patty, a couple of slices of bacon and a fried egg topped off with bacon jam plus a mini fryer of chips on the side. The burger was impressively large and Andrew professed it to be equally delicious and bonus points were scored for the collection of miniature condiment bottles that came with the burger. I, on the other hand managed to resist the temptation of raclette croque monsieur and chose the duck eggs Benedict with Bayonne ham and green asparagus. I loved this twist on the original for the added umami of the excellent Bayonne ham; the green crunch of the asparagus and the outstanding hollandaise sauce.  The duck eggs themselves were runny-yolked perfection – an altogether excellent dish.

 

BalconBread1

 

BalconBread2

 

BalconBurger

 

BalconCondiments

 

BalconEggsBenedict2

 

As our kirs were finished, the waiter enquired whether we’d like to try something from the alcoholic milkshake (!) menu, to ease us into dessert – obviously a rhetorical question! Andrew was swayed by the presence of gin and chose an alcoholic milkshake composed of gin, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, strawberry ice-cream and cranberry juice (£8,00).  It arrived pretty as a picture – a pale pink confection garnished with raspberries and an edible flower – but contained enough of a kick that you knew it was for grown-ups only. I tried the Black Russian which is made with dark rum, Mozart chocolate liqueur, chocolate ice cream and milk (£8,00) which was deliciously chocolatey and garnished with two-tone chocolate curls.  Both were definitely worth every penny and were attractively served in lovely cut glass whisky tumblers.

 

BalconMilkshakes

 

And so to that other essential element of brunch: dessert! Having already eyed up the dessert menu when we sat down (I can’t be the only one who does that. right??), I pretty much knew what I was going to have:  the warm chocolate and ginger tart with milk ice-cream. This was one of the nicest sweet dishes I have had in a while – a featherlight and crumbly pastry case filled with a gingery chocolate fondant that was cake-like on the outside but revealed an irresistibly liquid centre when you broke it open.  I also loved that the ginger was pronounced enough to balance the sweetness of the chocolate, and that the ice-cream was subtly flavoured but deliciously rich and creamy. After some debate, Andrew chose the butterscotch spiral coffee cake, which was deliciously butterscotch scented and with a light and fluffy texture.  Let’s just say neither of us had menu envy as both dishes were so good.  We finished with coffee served with deliciously French Gavotte crispy crepe biscuits. And when we finally waddled walked out after three hours, we also managed to get a look at the kir “buffet” where all the base flavourings for the kirs are prettily displayed alongside the restaurant’s selection of craft beers.

 

BalconChocolatetart1

 

BalconChocolateTart2

 

BalconCake

 

BalconCoffee

 

BalconKirTable

 

BalconKirTable2

 

It had been a glorious three hours, spent eating really rather wonderful food, soaking up the lovely surroundings of the elegant room, being superbly looked after by the friendly and efficient staff, and watching the comings and goings on Waterloo Place. This is probably my fifth of sixth visit to The Balcon and each time I am reminded of how well they do what they do in providing an elegant room and haven of calm just off the chaos of Trafalgar Square; putting together an excellent menu of classics and soon-to-be-classics without ever veering into the senselessly exotic; and treating each visitor like a regular and valued customer.  If a 3 hour brunch in a pampered setting seems like just what you need to up the decadence levels in your life, then head for The Balcon next Sunday.  Le Brunch at The Balcon is priced at £20 per person for two courses (excluding alcoholic drinks) and is available from 12pm to 4pm every Sunday.

For two other perspectives on Le Brunch at The Balcon, have a look at my friends Andrew’s post and Neily’s post, or check out my previous post on dinner at The Balcon.

DISCLOSURE:  I enjoyed this meal as a guest of Sofitel St James but received no further remuneration to write this post.  I was not expected to write a positive review – all views are my own and I retain full editorial control. 

Cost: £30 pp for 2 courses plus a kir cocktail
Closest Tube: Piccadilly Circus

The Balcon (now Wild Honey)
Sofitel St James
8 Pall Mall
London
SW1Y 5NG

 

Let’s keep in touch!
You can also find me tweeting at @cooksisterblog, snapping away on Instagram, or pinning like a pro on Pinterest.  To keep up with my latest posts, you can subscribe to my free e-mail alerts, like Cooksister on Facebook, or follow me on Bloglovin.

 

 

More deliciousness for you!

  • Spicy rainbow chard on creamy polentaSpicy rainbow chard on creamy polenta
  • Passion fruit mini pavlovas for A Taste of Yellow 2009Passion fruit mini pavlovas for A Taste of Yellow 2009
  • EoMEoTE#10 – The Cat in the Hat editionEoMEoTE#10 – The Cat in the Hat edition
  • Salsa verde with green tomatoes and the illusion of controlSalsa verde with green tomatoes and the illusion of control

Never miss a Cooksister post

If you enjoyed this post, enter your e-mail address here to receive a FREE e-mail update when a new post appears on Cooksister

I love comments almost as much as I love cheese - so if you can't leave me any cheese, please leave me a comment instead!

« Very berry white chocolate chunk muffins
Review: One Aldwych Hotel »

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Krista says

    August 31, 2015 at 12:42 am

    I think you are absolutely right about brunch feeling downright special. 🙂 I love brunch, love it. Especially with a good mimosa to start things off. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Andrew says

    August 31, 2015 at 9:19 am

    I had forgotten just how excellent that brunch was; I couldn’t really fault anything. Am now though hankering for eggs benedict or that burger!

    Reply
  3. Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says

    September 2, 2015 at 7:08 am

    I certainly look at people’s houses in my Facebook feed and blog posts and think how are they so tidy? I would love to just jump on a train, get to London and take my very own Le Brunch. The food looks gorgeous.

    Reply
  4. Nazima says

    September 2, 2015 at 12:51 pm

    I’m a huge brunch fan. What a way to pass a weekend morning. Le Balcon sounds amazing. And your pictures give a wonderful glimpse of the stunning interior as well as the delicious food.

    Reply
  5. Margot @ Coffee & Vanilla says

    September 2, 2015 at 1:46 pm

    What an amazing place!! And how adorable those chocolate spirals in the Black Russian are 🙂

    Reply
  6. Kit says

    September 2, 2015 at 7:41 pm

    What a simple solution to Facebook envy! Sounds like a fantastic brunch, I wonder where in Cape Town does something similar – I know loads of fantastic breakfasts.. but a true brunch? Not that I am currently suffering from Facebook complexes after the fantastic birthday August I’ve been having (and not sharing on Facebook!)

    Reply
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Never miss a Cooksister post!

Get my latest recipes delivered by e-mail!

Search over 500 recipes

Recently on Cooksister

  • Perfect broccoli and Stilton soup [keto, low carb, GF]
  • Masalchi by Atul Kochhar – Indian street food in Wembley
  • Barbecued salmon with blood oranges and capers
  • Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta, pomegranate and pine nuts [GF, V]
  • Love Yourself healthy meal delivery [Review]
  • Antillean
  • Festive roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
  • Rustic blood orange and pistachio galettes

Archives by month

Archives by category

Popular posts

Oxtail and red wine potjie
Peppermint Crisp fridge tart - a South African treat
Nigella's Bakewell slices & the Big Bakewell Taste-off
Jan Ellis pudding - a classic South African dessert
Gem squash 101: how to find them, how to grow them, how to eat them!
Roosterkoek - a South African braai essential

Featured on

Also available on

The wonderful Museum of the Moon installation - a The wonderful Museum of the Moon installation - a 7 metre diameter scale model of the moon suspended in the Painted Hall at the  @oldroyalnavalcollege in Greenwich this week, by @lukejerramartist. A surreal and fabulous sight!
Do you enjoy free art installations? Then you need Do you enjoy free art installations? Then you need to get down to @canarywharflondon between now and Saturday 28 Jan to catch the free Winter Lights 2023 event, back for the seventh year.

My favourites include @lukejerramartist ‘s Floating Earth; Tom Lambert’s Out of the Dark; Fluorescent Firs; Toroid by This is Loop; and the surreal and mesmerising Anima by MEATS - a tunnel filled with hundreds of thin optical fibre lights that change colour and move in the breeze 😍 

Have you been to Winter Lights? What was your favourite?
“When we look down at the Earth from space, we s “When we look down at the Earth from space, we see this amazing, indescribably beautiful planet. It looks like a living, breathing organism. But it also, at the same time, looks extremely fragile.” - International Space Station astronaut Ron Garamond

To experience the “overview effect” (a phenomenon experienced by astronauts viewing the earth from space), head down to Canary Wharf in the London docklands this week where you can see @lukejerramartist ‘s beautiful Floating Earth installation as part of the Winter Lights event. 

This giant 10m diameter installation is created using high resolution NASA images to create a floating scale model of the Earth, lit from within so that it glows from its current home on the Middle Dock, surrounded by the headquarters of international banking and finance corporations.

The artist hopes that viewed in this context, the installation will make visitors and the bankers working in surrounding buildings question how their money in savings and pensions is invested, and whether investments can be greener.

Aside from being a thought provoking piece, it is also mesmerising and surreally beautiful, so make sure you visit the free Winter Lights event before ends on Saturday 28 Jan.
Happy lunar new year! [Invited] To celebrate the Happy lunar new year! 

[Invited] To celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Rabbit, why not head over to @mamachensdumplings currently doing a residence at the @thegantrylondon in #stratford where you can feast on prawn & chive dumplings; pork, Chinese cabbage and shiitake mushroom dumplings; pork & prawn wontons with Mama Chen’s chilli oil; vegetable dumplings; smacked cucumber salad; and spicy noodles coated in garlic and Szechuan pepper oil.

And afterwards, make sure you head up to the @unionsocialoc bar for a cocktail - I loved the Moreish Fashion with bourbon, PX sherry, chestnuts and mandarin orange bitters!
Got leftover Stilton (or any blue cheese) from Chr Got leftover Stilton (or any blue cheese) from Christmas? Turn it into this super simple and super indulgent broccoli and Stilton soup! So easy to make and soooo delicious to eat - and it is low carb and GF. What more could you want?! Click the link in my bio for the full recipe. What’s your favourite soup?
CELEBRATE. So the fireworks are over, the champag CELEBRATE.

So the fireworks are over, the champagne is finished and the leftovers are all eaten. We are one week into 2023 and I have had some time to think about what my intent is for the year. 

In 2022 my brother had a life saving kidney transplant. Since the operation, he has had a Peanuts cartoon as his WhatsApp profile pic, where Charlie Brown and Snoopy are sitting on a pier talking. Charlie says “Some day, we all die Snoopy.” And Snoopy replies: “Yes - but every other day, we will live.”

Waking up in the morning is a gift, every day, and it is so easy to forget this. The last few years have been difficult for so many people and the coming year promises its own challenges. But every day that we don’t die is a day to live, to celebrate life in some small way.

So my intention in 2023 is to celebrate. Celebrate our achievements however small. Celebrate our friends and family. Celebrate small things. Celebrate life.

Did you make any resolutions or goals for 2023? I would love to hear them in the comments! Wishing you all the very best for 2023 🥂
Happy new year, everyone! Here are some scenes fro Happy new year, everyone! Here are some scenes from last night with friends in Deptford. My deconstructed avocado ritz; @twinkleparkstephen ‘s bobitie; Giles’ Ottolenghi tomato salad; and Jean’s clementine trifle - and the London night sky ablaze with fireworks!  How did you spend your evening? 🥂🎇🎆
Merry Christmas to all those celebrating - I hope Merry Christmas to all those celebrating - I hope your day was merry and bright, filled with family, friends and love 🎄🥂. Mine was spent alone at home - my choice and the result of a combination of Covid (not mine!) and rail strikes 🤦‍♀️ but very relaxing and indulgent!
Looking for a stylish and easy Christmas starter y Looking for a stylish and easy Christmas starter you can make ahead? Look no further than my individual smoked salmon terrine! Hot smoked salmon, cream cheese and chives wrapped in cold smoked salmon in a ramekin. Still one of the most popular Christmas recipes in my blog, it looks cheffy but is soooo simple to make - and will save you time and effort on the day! Get the recipe by clicking on the link in my bio.

How is your Christmas meal prep going? Are you entertaining at home or going to friends or family? 🎄🥂🎄🥂🎄
Load More... Follow me on Instagram

Follow Jeanne Horak-Druiff's board Recipes by Cooksister on Pinterest.

Cooksister

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

Latest Recipes

Bowls of broccoli and Stilton soup
Salmon with blood oranges dill and capers
Brussels sprouts with feta and pomegranate
Roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
Blood orange & pistachio galettes
Cauliflower topped steak with melted cheese
Plate of potted smoked salmon with slaw and a glass of champagne
bowls of pistachio pomegranate bircher muesli

SITEMAP

Home

Contact

About me

Recipe Index

Restaurant Index

Copyright & Disclaimer

Cookies & privacy policy




blog counter

© 2004 - 2023 · Jeanne Horak unless otherwise stated - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You may not reproduce any text, excerpts or images without my prior permission. Site by RTW Labs

Copyright © 2023 · Cooksister on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Cooksister cookie consent
We use cookies to ensure you receive the best experience on our site. If you continue to use this site, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions. Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT