Cookbook Cafe at the Intercontinental Park Lane

Brunch was a new addition to our dining adventures, and we certainly enjoyed our first experience at the Cookbook Café.

 

We were greeted by nice waiting staff who offered us a choice of bellinis to have with our brunch: peach, strawberry and raspberry. I opted for strawberry, and they were topped up regularly for the whole time we were there (about 3 hours.)

 

 

For our first course we had freshly made pancakes, with chocolate sauce and whipped cream, and of course a side order of a twisted pain au chocolat. The pancakes were delicious, not too thick or thin, lovely and warm and the chocolate sauce and whipped cream of course were perfect accompaniments. My friends had eggs benedict and they said they were lovely.

 

 

After this we spent some time grazing from the cold food section. They had many wonderful dishes.

 

Scottish Smoked Salmon with dill mayonnaise
Honey roasted ham with piccalilli and grain mustard
Marinated tiger prawns with garlic mayonnaise
Sashimi of tuna and salmon with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger
Caesar salad with parmesan and crunchy croutons
Mozzarella with oregano, olives and artichoke
Celery and cucumber with dill oil
Couscous capsicum and aubergine salad

 

On my plate below I had some lovely cooked meats, smoked salmon, tuna sashimi, a Mediterranean chick pea salad & couscous salad, and lovely warm olive ciabatta.

 

 

After this we had a roast dinner. There were lots of mains to choose from:

 

Fore rib of Casterbridge beef with Yorkshire puddings and roast gravy
Thyme and garlic studded Shoulder of lamb with rosemary jus
Casserole of Salmon, sea bass, tiger prawns and razor clams
Lightly spiced aubergine and cauliflower with butternut sauce
Slow roasted duck with preserved cherry sauce
Autumn vegetables with roast potato and steamed new potatoes

 

I went for the beef, which was lovely and tender. It was accompanied by a nice crispy Yorkshire pudding, and wonderfully roasted potatoes.

 

 

There was a wide selection of desserts to choose from, for example:

Raspberry crème brulée
Chocolate torte
Coffee ”Profiteroles”, mocha cream
Lemon tart, orange curd
Tropical fruit salad

 

As you can see I sampled a few and they were all delicious. Sometimes, I am wary of buffet desserts, as they can lack flavour, but it was not the case for the selection at the Cookbook Café.

 



 

 

 

Quality & Presentation of  the Food

The quality of the food is very good, considering it was a buffet brunch. We grazed for about 3 hours and were completed stuffed by the end of it. It seemed like we had had all three meals of the day in one.


Service & Ambience

The service was good; we were asked if we were okay a couple times, but then left to enjoy our brunch which was nice. Despite saying that there was a two hour turnaround on the table we were there for over three hours and we did not feel rushed.  Drinks were topped up regularly.

The ambience of the restaurant was okay, it is in a hotel, so had a hotel feel to it. There were lots of people having brunch but it did not feel busy.


Value for Money

For the brunch, unlimited prosecco, tea and coffee the bill came to £59.  In my opinion fantastic value for money. I really recommend the Cookbook Café as a brunch venue. Lovely food and a great place to catch up with friends. My advice would be to book a room at the Intercontinental so you can have a lie-down after brunch!  

Cookbook Cafe