I m not a brunch fan, in fact I never had brunch until this time. Maybe I am old fashioned, or I am not keen on following the trends but when I saw Hotel Grande Bretagne having brunch on Saturday and Sunday for a limited time, I thought, this is my chance to see what's what.
This emblematic hotel in the Constitution square dating from 1874, is one of my favorite places in Athens. There are 3 restaurants and 4 bars inside including one on the rooftop with Acropolis views. Near the lobby you can also find a pastry shop having pastries from Arnault Lahrer and Evgenios Vardakastanis alongside luxury goods from Brunello Cucinelli.
We went on Saturday at around 1pm for brunch, or may I say lunch. The executive chef is Asterios Koustoudis and the talented pastry chef Evgenios Vardakastanis. There is a set brunch menu priced at 42 euros per person, which may be the priciest in the city but also the best value for money.
We started with a selection of mini breads and viennoiseries. Butter croissants were very good having intense butter flavor, hazelnut praline swirls were great (the best I have ever had) with homemade crunchy praline of the highest quality, that I will remember for years. Mastiha scented sweet bread or as we call it in Greece ''tsoureki'' was very good, the lemon cake was moist and flavorful while the benoitons with Corinthian raisins had nice yeast flavor. This level of quality in a bread basket is hard to find in Greece. There were accompanied by two homemade marmelades of seasonal fruits. We had chestnut and cassis marmalade which was stunning and quince jam which was also top notch. Chestnut tree honey, fresh local butter and vanilla scented creme patisserie completed the first course.
Alongside the first course we had coffee and fresh juice. I chose a freddo espresso and the so called ''Green'' juice having celery, spinach, cucumber, lemon and ginger. Intriguing combination but did not work well for me.
A two course menu with luxury ingredients followed. My appetizer was king crab, avocado, emmer wheat and celery. Refreshing with nice flavors and generously portioned.
My main dish was organic farm-fresh eggs Benedict with citrus flavored hollandaise sauce and lobster. The eggs cooked on time, the hollandaise sauce having amazing buttery flavor and the lobster a bit firm but succulent and flavorful. The other option was black truffle risotto or soft boiled organic farm-fresh eggs with balik salmon and caviar.
With our appetizer and main course we had a complimentary glass of Champagne, Veuve Cliquot.
To finish our brunch we had some excellent pastries and seasonal fruits. A tart with raspberries and amaretto flavoured cream was very good. Fruits (not seasonal as described on the menu) were of high quality, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, pineapple and blueberries. On the lower level, granola biscuits with Greek yogurt and mango-passion fruits jam, hazelnut chocolate cake and choux like in a paris-brest filled with pistachio cream and caramelized pistachios were all stunning. The pistachio choux was one of the finest desserts I had lately.
The salle is stunning with natural light, well spaced tables, nice tablecloths, flowers, Versace china and Sambonet silverware. Service is as you might expect from Grande Bretagne, attentive and professional. Brunch or lunch, it surely is a meal not to be missed.
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