Fulham Market Hall brunch review: Eyes bigger than your belly

Food halls are a new way of eating out, and of course, that includes brunch. But with so much excellent choice on offer, it's easy to be greedy

(Jim Stephenson)

Brunching out...

It’s the first of three regeneration projects around the capital that reclaims a historic building – in this case the Edwardian Walham Green ticket hall in London’s Fulham Broadway. It’s lovingly been brought back to life and is changing the face of the high street. Next in line is the old Pacha nightclub in Victoria and then the BHS building on Oxford Street.

Fulham Market Hall retained the station’s old ticket booth, which has been turned into a bar, and the incredibly high ceilings and beautiful and ornate stone cornicing. The rest is all brand spanking new.

Modernity has moved in, with huge pendant lights, large wooden benches and 10 kitchens around the outside. It’s an open plan space, great for groups (especially those who can’t make decisions) and post-work dinner.

Although it opened in May, the hall only started brunch from early July, every Saturday and Sunday from 10am-3pm. Of the 10 kitchens, four are open at this time: Claude’s Deli, American barbecue specialists HotBox, Fanny’s Kebabs and the fried chicken vendor Butchies. Even the bar is open first thing for brunch. Great news.

The pork belly burger from HotBox was a serious case of eyes bigger than my belly after a bacon roll... (Market Halls)

It’s essentially a self-service system for food. Menus are on tables, you go up to the vendor you like, order, get given a buzzer to take back with you, that obviously buzzes when you’re food is ready.

So of course, drinks are first and up to the really rather beautiful bar it is. I go for the Fulham pink spritz (£8.50), a light and fruity prosecco-based drink (with a little gin) that feels as acceptable as it can be to drink so early in the morning (I did go for a flat white first from Press Coffee: short and punchy).

For me, a Saturday morning is not quite complete without a bacon sandwich. Claudes’ Deli serve them (£4). But there’s also a smoked salmon or a veggie avocado option. It’s an offshoot of the local Claude’s Kitchen restaurant just round the corner in Parson’s Green. I’m specific about my bacon and ask for crispy. Thankfully, it’s served like that, in a brioche bun, with a little (wonderfully melted) gruyere cheese and their own tomato relish that has a delicate heat to it.

The roll at Claude’s Deli comes with gruyere cheese and a little tomato relish (Market Halls)

I’m feeling pretty greedy, and also go for the pork belly benedict (£9). As soon as I see it on the menu, I knew it was for me. After retrieving it and swapping in my buzzer, I see it’s huge. Two English muffins with oh so perfectly cooked bright orange yolks and a thick covering of hollandaise just sits on the eggs. And the pork: two slabs of smoky barbecued meat. It’s incredible. But, it defeats me. I eat one, attempt the other. But I can’t. Eyes bigger than belly etc… but when there’s so much choice, it’s hard not to.

We also try Calude’s Deli’s plums and honey dish. It’s a little granola pot with Greek honey that’s annoyingly served in plastic, which is its only real downfall. While the avo’bab wrap from Fanny’s kebab is a dream: avocado, pomegranate, mint, coconut, Middle Eastern spices along with tomatoes and peppers.

The bar serves cocktails, including DIY bloody mary’s and fruit smoothies (Market Halls)

You do need to do a little (very little) leg work as it’s not table service, and it’s best to go in a group larger than two as one needs to hold the table and the others can order etc. Don’t expect to be eating exactly at the same time, but your plates are cleared away by the great dedicated team.

It’s a gorgeous, light and airy space that’s fun, and ultimately, it’s all about the choice. Go feeling greedy, and you’ll leave feeling pretty pleased with yourself. Just have a bit more self-restrain than me

472 Fulham Rd, Fulham, London SW6 1BY; 020 3773 9350; markethalls.co.uk/market/fulham; open daily

Brunching in...

(Dan Jones (Dan Jones)

Picture perfect eggs meurette

A traditional dish made with a sauce from Burgundy that, without doubt, has THE most traditional cuisine in France, which incidentally is THE most traditional country when it comes to cooking. And ME, what do I do? I cheat the thing. Am I crazy? Perhaps... but what the hell, it’s so good!

Serves 4

2 glasses of full-bodied red wine​
350ml beef stock
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp oil
6 small shallots or the white parts of spring onions, halved
175g lardons
175g button mushrooms, quartered
2 tbsp butter mashed with 1tbsp plain flour
Salt and pepper
A dash of vinegar
4 mega-fresh eggs
5 slices of bread
1 large garlic clove, halved
A few chive stems

Put the wine and stock in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the sugar and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half. If you want to have a bit of fun (and you know how to do this sort of thing safely), flambé the wine.

In the meantime, heat the oil in a pan and fry the halved shallots or spring onions, the lardons and mushrooms for about 10 minutes.

When the wine and stock have reduced, whisk in the butter and flour mixture until you have a smooth and shiny sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Bring a saucepan of water, with a dash of vinegar added, to a gentle boil. Break 1 egg into a ramekin and slide it gently into the water. Repeat with the other 3 eggs and leave to cook for 3 minutes, turning the eggs over carefully. Drain the eggs from the pan using a slotted spoon and place on a sheet of kitchen paper [paper towel].

Toast the bread slices. Rub 1 slice with the cut sides of the garlic clove and cut into small croûtons. Place an egg on top of each of the remaining slices and spoon over the onions, lardons, mushrooms, the sauce and the croûtons. Snip some chives into short lengths with scissors, scatter a few on top of each serving – and that’s it!

Why picture perfect?

The traditional recipe tells you to mix the sauce with the toppings and also to poach the eggs in the wine. That sounds fine, but if I’d made it like that for the photograph, you’d have been disgusted and never, ever tried the dish. #babyvomit

Extracted from ‘Just a French Guy Cooking’ by Alexis Gabriel Aïnouz (Quadrille, £15) Photography © Dan Jones