Having been in London some 12 hours, it was time we eat solid food. I headed to Maylebone to meet Nick and Emily. I had read about this place in the Evening Standard. I imagine I am not the only one who did so. The cheap bacon butty was surreptitiously taken off the menu and we were left with prodigiously expensive options. This was precisely the reason I avoid most of London. One needs to take a mortgage out on their cat to be able to afford anything, it’s senselessly off-putting.
But at the peril of re-arranging last minute, I took a chance with Boxcar.
As you can see from the above picture, Saturday brunch at Boxcar is exactly as pretentious as it looks. Emily’s delicious breakfast consisted of seasonal berries, lemon, buttermilk, honey & granola, all fresh from the bakery up the road which also belongs to Boxcar. I was allowed a spoonful. The buttermilk and homemade yoghurt was a highlight for me. Of course there is always a lot to be said for fresh fruit, but the underlaying creamy pillow, if you will, is the tethering factor in any breakfast.
St Nick and I opted for the bubble & squeak. That is to say, poached egg, smoked tomato, beer & treacle bacon. As you’ll notice, the bacon was cut most thickly. Cooking anything in alcohol often sets St Nick off. Being an alcoholic, he cannot resist this frothy yeasty water mix, no matter which obstacles you put in his way. He will always find a way to defy logic and sense for a sip of that delicious sickly liquid broth. The bubble & squeak itself is a mix of cooked cabbage and potato, deep fried. Boxcar’s version was made of delightfully fine potato and cabbage. One never gets used to the slightly sour taste this early in the day, but it is well worth it.
In terms of the quality of the poached egg… I shall leave this picture of the smashed avocado toast with the gorgeous thick fennel seeds as evidence. An aerial shot of the same is about to follow.
Boxcar had the courtesy to ask ‘how smashed would you like it?’ which is an extraordinary question in and of itself.
Overall, Boxcar is an eatery of undeniable quality. From the service to the ingredients used, one is guaranteed an excellent experience. I recommend it to those in the Marylebone area. This place is a few steps away from the cultural epicentre of Marylebone, but is far removed enough to avoid the general public. A fateful cocktail indeed.