Breakfast At Pavyllon, London W1: ‘does Fine Dining Strictly Have To Wait Until Lunchtime?’ - Restaurant Review | Grace Dent On Restaurants

For 5am Club group specified arsenic myself, who emotion to beryllium up, caffeinated and scribbling connected Post-it notes pre-dawn, nan Four Seasons’ caller motorboat of London’s first Michelin-starred breakfast is perfect. Now we tin do each that complete a £70, five-course tasting paper served astatine a antagonistic successful a genteel, pastel-shaded eating room. If, that is, you tin get a booking, successful which lawsuit good done; otherwise, you could simply beryllium a small farther from nan antagonistic and bid almost nan aforesaid nutrient disconnected nan normal meal menu, only without each nan explanations.

Regardless, chef Yannick Alléno is intelligibly doing nan world a favour by luring each of america early risers to 1 room and distracting america pinch lobster flatbread and a bespoke “amuse juice”, because we are intelligibly immoderate of nan astir annoying group connected Earth. Have you ever heard 1 of my bumptious 5.46am WhatsApp admin sound notes? Or woken, blearily, to nan sound of maine rearranging furnishings aliases stomping astatine a walking desk? People for illustration maine are a menace. We request to beryllium contained truthful nan polite world tin sleep. Not only that, but, from a business constituent of view, nan thought of offering snooze-averse diners pricey, Michelin-starred chia puddings is alternatively genius. We tin now each meet and entertain arsenic up-and-at-’em colleagues complete salted maple pancakes and fancy gallic toast. After all, does good eating strictly person to hold until lunchtime? Perhaps now that gen Z is eschewing booze and all-night raves, we’re moving into a hospitality era erstwhile nan big, posh meal whitethorn good beryllium nan main event.

‘From a business constituent of view, alternatively genius’: Pavyllon’s exotic chia pudding.

But, being practical, who is going to unit these fancy-schmancy, forlock-tugging flash meal offerings? The Four Seasons seems to person that conscionable astir covered, pinch a mini brigade successful afloat primped attire going done nan motions astatine 7.45am. My overgarment is transferred to nan cloakroom and a stool is brought for my handbag. My lapsang souchong and “orchard juice” requirements are catered to, and a voluptuously glossy caller symptom au chocolat is delivered arsenic an opening snack. The pastry is delightful, if not rather earth-shattering, and is filled pinch an elegant but not over-generous information of chocolate. It comes pinch a mini jar of upmarket Maison Laurino jam.

By 8am, I’m eating alongside a world-famous investor who is presently splashed each complete nan media. He’s having nan eggs royale, which are heroically oozy and travel connected a very bully English muffin; cleanable hollandaise and prettily plated, too. As an aged manus astatine this game, I don’t bid poached eggs for meal anywhere, because they’re always, ever cold, but not present they’re not. They besides do benedict aliases florentine, and each travel pinch nan connection of an optional 5g caviar for an other £25.

‘Heroically oozy’: Pavyllon’s eggs florentine.

To my right, there’s a Saudi mates pinch 3 kids eating exotic mango chia and being cooed complete by staff, while astatine nan antagonistic chefs talk an influencer type done a chickenhearted samosa typical topped pinch a fried ovum and a delicate highest of fried vermicelli. I’m not excessively judge astir this crockery – true, it has astir it pleasant shades of Malaysian mee goreng, but it strikes maine arsenic perchance a tad dense for truthful early successful nan morning. The coconut-based chia pudding, connected nan different hand, is simply a full delight, moreover if it’s fundamentally conscionable fruity frogspawn.

The absolute showstopper, however, is nan gallic toast: a sweet, custardy, structural activity of creation that turns up each discreet and unassuming. “I’m conscionable a humble, beige portion of grilled brioche topped pinch a fewer toasted hazelnuts,” it says, but then, pinch nan first forkful, it reveals itself arsenic a sublime flavour explosive of vanilla milky-egginess pinch a perilously thin, crunchy outer surface. It comes pinch immoderate citrus-infused whipped cream, which is simply a bully gesture, but unnecessary, because this toast needs nary backup.

The ‘work of art’ gallic toast is Pavyllon’s ‘absolute showstopper’.

• Breakfast astatine Pavyllon Four Seasons hotel, Hamilton Place, Park Lane, London W1, 020-7319 5200. Open each week, 6.30-10.30am (7am Sun); meal tasting paper Sat & Sun only. From astir £40 a head; tasting paper £70 a caput for 5 courses pinch beverage aliases coffee, positive other drinks & service