The Delaunay
55 Aldwych Covent Garden London WC2B 4BB
We 're big fans of the Wolseley, so when the same guys opened the Delaunay we were excited to try it. Also we rather admired their ambition to create an authentic European dining experience on such a grand scale. In this they've succeeded pretty well, having re-created a dining room that serves all day from morning till night and has all the feel and bustle of a Viennese café or French brasserie of the fin-de-siecle era. As for the food, breakfasts are fab – the best in central London – with sublime Viennese pastries, the Full Austrian (ham, cheese, boiled eggs, that sort of thing...) and naturally an excellent (if rather expensive) Full English. They serve an al la carte menu all day from 11.30am till midnight, which features, salads, sandwiches and burgers, schnitzels and main course fish and meat dishes and a special that changes each day; they also serve brunch at weekends and afternoon tea, and you can enjoy much of what they serve in the café – 'The Counter' – out the front. Do we like it then? Well, all in all the food and service are both pretty good, and the extensive menu means you can always find something to tempt you; plus they've made it into somewhere that always feels like a special place to eat. If only it was a tad cheaper!
