The much celebrated Unruly Pig in Bromeswell launched its brand new brunch menu last weekend. A couple of Saturdays ago me and some fellow foodies were invited along for the preview.
The idea is that you can truly indulge with a full three course brunch. Or you can choose one or two dishes from the three menus; starters, mains and ‘sweets & treats.’ My husband Dan and I ended up going for the full three courses because…..Well, why would’t you?
Simple pleasures
First off I went for a delicious and healthy unruly house muesli with yoghurt & plum compote. While this was fantastic; I couldn’t help feeling small pangs of jealousy at my husband’s plate of Pump Street sourdough & Fen Farm raw butter. According to him it was ‘absolute perfection’ proving that sometimes the simple things in life are the best.
One of the greatest things about this carefully curated brunch menu is that the focus on high quality, local ingredients. The dishes are not complicated, but when you use good ingredients it’s better that they’re not, in my opinion. It gives each element a chance to shine!
The main event
The main course was smashed avocado for me and duck hash croquette for Dan. While I liked that there is the option to play safe and have a fry up, for those keen to stick to brunch tradition; there are also some more unexpected choices on the menu too. I was a millennial moth, drawn to the avocado flame – I can’t help myself. As I’ve blogged about before; maybe I’ll never get on the property ladder but maybe it’s worth it for an avocado brunch like this!
As you would expect, both dishes were beautifully flavoured; well balanced and seasoned faultlessly. My toast was topped with a creamy mixture of avocado, black olives, tomato and foraged wild garlic. Dan’s duck hash was crispy, flavoursome and topped with a perfectly cooked egg as well as some capers to cut through the rich flavours – we were in heaven!
The portion sizes are just right so that if you do go the whole nine yards you will be left feeling satisfactorily stuffed. However if you’re only having one or two courses you’ll definitely not be disappointed.
Say ‘Yes!’ To dessert
I’d like to say it was our brilliant waitress who was the bad influence that led to brunch-desert. In fairness to her, it was with the gentlest persuasion that we ordered a lemon-meringue waffle and pain perdu for our third course. In for a penny…. right?
Of course we’re very glad we did! Though the waffle was a little too sweet for my taste, the pain perdu was light, beautifully spiced and accompanied with an incredible Pump Street chocolate ice cream. In fairness; the only dessert I would ever regret is the one uneaten!
Why not?
The whole point of brunch is to indulge. There is no necessity to any of it: On weekends there’s no need to sleep through breakfast, and you could just wait for lunch anyway. There’s no need to swap the weekday puritan breakfast for anything else at the weekend. There’s no real need for cocktails at 11am and there’s certainly no need for a three course meal for breakfast……but why not, eh?
If you’re looking for an indulgent, unruly treat this weekend it’s worth popping to check out the Unruly Pig’s new venture. It’s true that the whole concept of brunch is bonkers. It serves only as a means to treat ourselves for making it through to the weekend in one piece. But who doesn’t need that every now & then after a hard week?