villandry is not the cheapest breakfast option in town. it had been on our list of things to do in london for over a year now, but we never managed to fit it in our student lifestyle, no matter what our foodie heart was telling us. finally, the other morning we elected it as the location of a debrief meeting to celebrate an eventful week. it was clear from the beginning, we were there for the eggs. the menu was simple but classy, as one would expect from a rather fashionable place such as villandry. i ordered scrambled eggs and bacon, m went for poached. twinings tea was a slight disappointment, as you would expect something rarer from a restaurant attached to a fancy grocery store, but no one is perfect so we welcomed our beautifully arranged plates with true excitement.
the eggs were, indeed, perfect. just the right amount, the ideal texture and colour, resting on crunchy brown bread. m’s eggs looked like a work of art, smooth round balls with a bright orange liquid heart, it was hard to resist the temptation of stealing them from her plate. my bacon was abundant and perfectly cooked, crispy on the edges but not crumbly, a rarity in most english breakfasts today. up to this point, we were delighted by villandry’s famous breakfasts and we were already planning our next visit.
but then, we decided to order dessert. getting the attention of a waiter proved an exhausting ordeal, although there were only three occupied tables in the restaurant. asking for a menu, ordering a (scrumptious) croissant and getting the bill required three long waits, a lot of pointless gesturing and tons of patience. after the bill was paid, we waited another fifteen minutes for our change, as service was included in the bill, but instead we were asked for more money as we were putting our coats on because the slowest waitress in the world had given us the wrong bill.
villandry’s breakfasts are certainly something worth considering, but the delicious food might actually not be worth the steep bill and theterrible service that come with it. if you would do anything for perfect eggs, then at least bring a good book to read...
