Breakfast at the Wolseley

Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day and nowhere is that fact more appreciated than at the Wolseley restaurant in London&#39;s Piccadilly.The brainchild of Jeremy King and Chris Corbin - celebrated restaurateurs and founders of three of London&#39;s most iconic dining destinations: The Ivy, The Caprice and J Sheekey - the Wolseley is a cross between the traditional robustness of the Parisian brasserie and the gloriously grand but cosy comfort of the Viennese cafe.Breakfast is an institution at the Wolseley and whether you want a healthy breakfast of fruit, cereal and yoghurt, or a full no-fuss English, every need is catered for using the finest ingredients from the best of British and European producers. Breakfast at the Wolseley serves up the ultimate guide to producing and enjoying a superb breakfast in the Wolseley style.There is a host of delicious recipes, whether it&#39;s fresh fruit and crisp croissants or a full English with steaming high-grade Arabica blend coffee. You can also learn more about the background and ethos of the Wolseley with a description of the building and how it became the icon it is today, including an intriguing look at how breakfast service is run at the Wolseley both at front of house and behind the scenes.

A. A. Gill was born in Edinburgh. He is the author of two novels, Sap Rising (1997) and Starcrossed (1999), books on two of London&#39;s most famous restaurants, The Ivy and Le Caprice, a travel book, A. A. Gill is Away and most recently, The Angry Island. He is the TV and restaurant critic for the Sunday Times and is a contributing editor to GQ, Vanity Fair and Australian Gourmet Traveller magazines. He lives in London and spends much of his year travelling. Previously at Langan&#39;s Brasserie and Joe Allen respectively, Chris Corbin and Jeremy King are probably still best known as the restaurateurs behind the celebrity-studded Caprice and The Ivy. Their Caprice Holdings Company also resurrected J. Sheekey, the seafood restaurant in the heart of London&#39;s theatre district. After selling the group in 1998 for over GBP 13 million, they waited patiently for exactly the right premises to come along for their concept of a &#39;grand cafe&#39; for London. The Wolseley opened in 2003 and immediately became the place to see and be seen. 
In a highly varied career, Lewis Esson, as well as having run both the Pan Bookshop and a Mayfair delicatessen, is recognized as one of the country&#39;s most experienced editors of food books. He is also author or co-author of several books, including The Gate Vegetarian Cookbook (with Adrian and Michael Daniel), Cowboys &amp; Cookouts: A Taste of the Old West, Quick Cuisine and Fast Food for Friends (both with Marie-Pierre Moine and Henrietta Green), and was Contributing Editor of the English language edition of Larousse Pratique. Lewis contributes occasionally to magazines such as Waitrose Seasons, BBC Good Food and Olive, and is currently Chairman of the Guild of Food Writers.

A. A. Gill

Traditions and Recipes from a Grand Brasserie

Think &lsquo;grand caf&eacute;&rsquo; and the image that immediately springs to mind is a decadent, smoke-filled place populated by coffee-drinking thinkers, writers and artists in 1930s Europe. Along with the brasserie, the grand caf&eacute; combines an opulent setting exclusively for the everyman. Z&eacute;del is such a place. Housed in a 1915 hotel off London&rsquo;s Piccadilly Circus, it was restored to its former grandeur and re-opened in 2012 with all the charm and distinction of Art Deco Paris.In this book, A. A. Gill explores the origins of the grand caf&eacute; and pays homage to the character of Z&eacute;del. Much more than just a restaurant, Z&eacute;del houses a bustling caf&eacute; leading to a sweeping marble staircase, at the bottom of which are the Crazy Coqs cabaret, the Bar Am&eacute;rican cocktail bar, and the magnificent brasserie itself.Forty iconic brasserie recipes are included in the book, such as Soupe &agrave; l&rsquo;oignon, Moules marini&egrave;res, Boeuf bourguignon, Profiteroles and Tarte au citron.Period photography and artwork help to capture the mood of this remarkable and fascinating venue.

A. A. Gill

Books by A. A. Gill

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