Violas - Restaurant in Covent Garden

Post

Subscribe

The Best Place to Eat Breakfast in Covent Garden

This little number, hiding in plain sight in the vibrant and bustling centre of Covent Garden, could easily be mistaken for a high-end clothes boutique or even a florist’s if you were quickly walking past on your way to a show or doing a spot of shopping.

In truth, however, this uniquely decorated building with its charming and eccentric faux-flower garland and black and white parquet flooring is an absolutely must-visit culinary experience – an absolute gem, in the Heart of London, with possibly the most Instagrammable décor known to man-kind – Viola’s.


Getting there couldn’t be easier (if you count for the aforementioned possibility that in the writer’s humble opinion, you could easily mistake Viola’s for something else, were you not in the know) as Viola’s is only a five-minute walk from Covent Garden tube station and 15 minutes from Temple tube station.

Covent Garden, with its cobblestone streets, historic piazza, and eclectic mix of boutiques, theatres, and market stalls is one of London’s most iconically vibrant areas so it’s easy to see why Viola’s nestles perfectly against this spirited and energetic backdrop. Colourful bright flowers adorn the outside of the building (as well as the ceiling throughout the restaurant) and the interior décor with pink walls and polka dot bar is somehow simultaneously eclectic and classy, despite the brasserie’s diminutive size and space. With all of these visual delights, on paper, it would be easy to say that this place sounds like… too much. But in true reality, as soon as we stepped foot inside this enchanting little eatery, we were immediately enveloped in a feeling of relaxed calm and tranquillity.

The interior design effortlessly combines modern sophistication with classic charm. The flowers (although faux) are really breath-taking. A combination of sumptuous velvet teal seating booths with mint green velvet chairs, a black and white pattern-fade parquet flooring, and a shade on the wall that is neither pink nor purple really should not work, but somehow, it does. This interior design choice (which, when described, sounds like a Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen acid trip) actually creates a calm and elegant atmosphere that is perfect for any occasion, whether it’s a casual dinner with friends, a romantic evening, or a special celebration.

The atmosphere at Viola’s is one of relaxed sophistication. It is a place where diners can enjoy a fine dining experience without the formality often associated with upscale restaurants. The ambience is chic but unpretentious, offering the perfect balance between modern style and traditional warmth. And that’s great – everyone loves a nice setting to eat in. However – the food (good lord, the food) is where it’s really, really at with Viola’s.

In one word – stunning.

Heavily influenced by traditional Italian and Mediterranean ingredients and techniques, Viola’s menu contains the essence of European cooking that is clearly evident in every dish - from the use of rich olive oil, fresh herbs, and locally sourced produce that evolves with the waxing and waning of the seasons, Viola’s dishes are reminiscent of sunnier climes on the continent.

We were there at breakfast time, so we focussed on brunch (although a quick Google seems to suggest that the evening menu is just as delicious as the fare we ordered). I had the Levant Eggs ( Herbed labneh, topped with semi-dried cherry tomatoes, pan-fried chorizo, poached egg, aleppo chilli butter and toastsed pitta, £16 ) and my partner had the Rosti Royale ( Potato rosti, smoked salmon, herbed labneh, chives, dill, £17 ) and – even though it makes very little sense on a breakfast table – but specifically because we are greedy, and because it sounded so good, we also got the fried chicken with pecorino ( Crispy buttermilk chicken tenders with Yorkshire pecorino cheese ‘snow’ and confit garlic aioli, £10 ) which is listed “for the table”. This choice of action might have been more forgivable if there were more than two dining, but we have zero regrets about our greed.


The Levant Eggs dish was creamy, savoury, unctuous and nicely picante, without being too much. The poached eggs were done to absolute perfection – fluffy and gooey in all the right places. My only criticism was simple - there wasn’t more of it. Not at all because it was in any way a scrimped-on portion, just because it was THAT good!

The Rosti Royal dish was much bigger than we both expected, had some of the freshest, nicest smoked salmon we’ve ever eaten (because yes, we both always have a mouthful of one another’s plate!) and the potato Rosti cake itself was honestly a thing of pure magnificence – crispy on the outside, fluffy on the middle, and seasoned just right.

The fried chicken, although a completely unnecessary addition to our “breakfast” was also amazing. A heavenly flavoursome, crispy coating on the outside with firm-but-tender chicken on the inside – and the Aioli? Simply “chef’s kiss”. I cannot recall from memory fried chicken as good as Viola’s.



Something also suitably inappropriate for our early morning lunch was the six cocktails we drank. Between us both, we polished off the Unicorn Tears Gin Spritz (Sparkling pink raspberry gin liquor, Prosecco, rose lemonade) the Espresso Martini (Coffee liquor, vodka, espresso shot) a Porn Star Martini (Passion fruit, vodka, Prosecco shot) and Passionfruit Mojito (Bacardi, crushed passion fruit, mint, lime, brown sugar, club soda). All I can say is, whatever they are paying their Mixologist – it isn’t enough. Every single drink came out looking like a work of art. Many had edible flowers on them, and one even had consumable glitter on it. They were absolutely, lip-smackingly delicious – so much so that even though we (only) tried four different drinks (at 10am) we had to go back for seconds on our two favourites – the Unicorn Tears and the Passionfruit Martini.

To top it all off, the staff were attentive, polite and subtle - helpful, without being overbearing.

The only real downside is – it is SO good and SO popular, that you will absolutely HAVE to book in advance – during our (timed) slot, we saw a member of staff turn around 3 different couples, trying to get a seat. Me and my better half cannot wait to get back in there (for dinner or lunch next time… and almost CERTAINLY happy hour!)

For food lovers and anyone seeking a special dining experience in central London, Viola’s is undoubtedly somewhere you must go.

Viola’s, Covent Garden - 38 Tavistock St, London WC2E 7PB
Happy hour is 3pm-5pm any day, Mon-Fri.
Booking is absolutely ESSENTIAL.

Booking can be done here and is absolutely essential to avoid disappointment.

%wnlondon
#covent_garden
#brunch
#restaurants
#food_drink