The Cinnamon Club at the Old Westminster Library has opened its entire restaurant for breakfast from the beginning of July.
While many breakfast places may offer a nook and crannyish charm, the available space is often a bit cramped and tight, with little room for a couple of laptops, let alone coffee and croissants. This is not the case at The Cinnamon Club, which has always been notable for its airy grandeur, surrounded by expanses of parquet floor and books – a throwback to the days as the Westminster Library.
The Cinnamon Club has served breakfast for a while, but sensing the growing popularity of the first meal of the day and the demand from breakfasting groups, they have not only opened up the whole restaurant, but its private spaces too. “The suitability of The Club for groups, be it in the main dining room or in one of the private dining spaces, meant that we felt we should commit to running the restaurant at full tilt for breakfast,” says executive chef and CEO Vivek Singh.
From 1 July, the kitchen has broadened its offering while also making it more flexible. For around a fiver, you can enjoy a selection of pastries or fresh fruit with Greek yoghurt. Alternatively, up the ante with a variety of omelettes or scrambled eggs with Loch Fyne smoked salmon. You can also push the Indian boat out with very good (but not too spicy) Bombay scrambled eggs and layered paratha or Kedgeree with smoked haddock and poached egg. “There’s also Uttapam, which is a vegan dish of fermented rice pancake with lentil broth and coconut chutney. It’s very popular!” says Singh.
While the restaurant does not do bottomless brunch in the normal sense, many of the dishes including full Continental (£11.50) or English breakfasts (£15.50) are served with freshly squeezed juice, coffee or tea, including top-ups.
While the private rooms, seating up to 60 and 30 respectively, can be booked for formal breakfast meetings (a minimum charge applies), the variety of cheaper options means that you can enjoy the setting without a large outlay.
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Words: Mark de Wesselow
Images: Johnny Stephens