Review: Drunch, Mayfair

Tucked away on a little side lane off one of the busiest streets in London is a little café. No, it’s not a café. It’s more like a restaurant. Actually, it’s probably more of a tea house than restaurant. Well, they do serve tea and cake, but it’s definitely a lounge. Saying that...

Much like it’s name, Drunch – either a blend of dinner and lunch, or drunk lunch, we're unsure which – is a tiny little place right next to Bond Street tube station serving everything from tea and cakes to full-on mixed grills. See why we were hesitant to categorise this place as just a cafe?

The place itself is pretty with gorgeous tea sets and hearty food, and works well as a pre-shopping meetup or post-splurge stop off. As for dinner though? Well, you'll have to read on to see what we thought of this boutique eatery.

When the guys and girls got in touch inviting us down to see what we thought of the newly-opened haunt, we booked a table not really knowing what to expect. After battling crowds of panicked Londoners seeking out a last-minute gift and swathes of tourists enjoying who knows what because all you can see is annoyed people EVERYWHERE we walked in to be greeted by a friendly bespectacled guy, Talar. We were late due to train delays and general busyness, but they'd helpfully held our table for us. Which is just as well, as we arrived literally seconds before a party of ten tourists. First impressions were that the place was tiny, but really well designed. There were two sharing tables, we were sat on one with a couple of Mayfair ladies who lunch. With phone and laptop charging points dotted all over, it's obviously the kind of place they'd want you to spend a relaxed few hours.

After having a look over the menu, we settled with a couple of smoothies. Alas, the smoothies weren't available so a pot of chamomile and a honey, lemon and mint tea, served in cute glassware, were more than enough to take the chill out of us. We literally have no idea how they made it as anything we've attempted has never tasted as good. We were seriously impressed, and at only a couple of quid for a large glass, we could easily see ourselves heading here rather than the local Starbucks.

The food menu had a mix of breakfast options, salads, appetizers and main meals. We went for a Thai-inspired starter of king prawns deep fried in a coconut batter (the mussels weren't available), and superfood quesadillas. Not just normal ones, OH NO. These contained carrot, kale, feta and other goodies. It was pretty clear from the menu the emphasis is on healthy, filling food locally sourced and using the best produce. The food arrived quickly, but we were left a little disappointed. The superfood quesadillas weren't all that super, being quite empty, and the guacamole dip wasn't to our tastes. The prawns were lovely, but the coating's texture was weird. It was almost like when you eat a Bounty and you're left with bits of coconut in your teeth. Lovely flavour, but quite strange.

Mains more than made up for the starters though, and we chose a Drunch burger, and a mixed grill of meat. Basically, this was kofte, kebabs, lamb chops, sausages, and bacon, with flatbread, hummus and tzaziki. The portions were HUGE. Absolutely stacked with food. The burger was cooked medium rare, as we'd requested. Chips and side salads were really good sizes too. So much so, there's no way someone with a fairly small appetite would be able to finish either. We were seriously impressed with it, and the flavours were spot on.

There was no room for dessert because meat sweats, so instead we opted for a tour. And the real surprise comes downstairs. Because down a winding staircase is a dining table, sofas and two arches containing sofas, TVs and PlayStation 2s. So while upstairs was more of a quiet, refined affair, the basement was where the party was really happening. We don't know of anywhere in central London that offers this kind of lounging about space - it's certainly a novelty central London's been missing.

All in all, we probably wouldn't be back for a dinner - London has far too many foodie places to see and experience. But the teas make this a more than suitable spot for a bit of post-shopping relaxation and people watching. And the downstairs snug cellar area is the perfect place to drop off your long-suffering boyfriend so he can play Fifa while you hit the Boxing Day sales on Oxford Street, Regent Street, Carnaby Street... and the rest. Perfect.

Drunch | 1 Woodstock Street, London, W1C 2AA | 020 7495 2020