I decided to give the very pretty Élan Cafe a visit on my birthday for brunch. Unfortunately, I regret it. While it's a beautiful spot, the food leaves you wanting.
Élan Cafe: 1 Minute Review
Where: Élan cafe has two locations in London. This review is based on: 48 Park Ln, Mayfair, London W1K 1PR
Price: approximately £20 - 25 per person for brunch.
Cuisine: British / Middle-eastern
Dietary Information: Vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free options are available. All meats are halal.
Overall Rating: 3/10
Perfect For: Brunch
What to Wear: Casual / Smart-Casual
Élan Cafe Review
A lot of you, like me, may have spotted pictures of Élan cafe on Instagram. It looks like a gorgeous spot for cake and tea and all things brunch - basically all of my favourite things in life.
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Me realising my t-shirt matches the decor |
The queue to get a seat was long when I went on Saturday morning and was mostly full of tourists (so I imagine it must be busy any day of the week). Not only that, it's extremely slow moving. One woman told me she had waited 30 minutes just to move one space forward, and she and her friend were 10th in line...so we are talking hours to get in.
However, the line is for people waiting for a seat downstairs, which has most of the floral decor, meaning most people pass on the tables available on the ground floor and outside - leaving them wide open for the taking.
I opted for a seat on the ground floor and I am really glad I did, above is a picture of the downstairs area. While the decor is pretty, it's a small space, with little to it, and so in my mind is not worth the long wait.
Food Review
As for the food, it really wasn't great. For starters, a lot of options on their online menu weren't available. The cafe already has limited options with none of the usual suspects - such as pancakes, scrambled eggs etc - on offer.
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Mocha |
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'Breakfast Plate' |
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'Velvet Latte' |
The 'Velvet Latte' was on the expensive side at £7, and then it completely let me down. It's made with condensed milk - I was vibing Vietnamese coffee - but when it arrived it was room temperature, and had a rose like taste to it. You might love it - but I'd ask for it double extra hot if you do choose to go for this one.
Aside from the brunch menu, the cafe has a number of sandwiches and salads you can try too.
They also do an amazing selection of cakes and pastries which I admit look good.
Especially these stripy croissants.
I suspect their cake is better, but after experiencing their brunch, I was reluctant to stick around for more.
Searching on Instagram you will notice (and you will see when you get there) the place is packed with fashion bloggers mostly, there are limited pictures of the actual food. It seems the cafe has decided to focus on it being a fashionable spot and has let their food standards slip which is a real shame. All in all, if you want to enjoy good food, I'd skip this one.
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