the english restaurant, spitalfields / bye bye s&m

My sister stayed with me over the weekend and before she went to catch her train from Liverpool Street we thought we'd go for a spot of breakfast to help our poor bodies recover from the night before.

Left: The English Restaurant, Right: S&M

For a few years, whenever I've needed my Eggs Benedict fix pre or post train journey, I've headed to S&M on Brushfield Street by Spitalfields Market. So imagine my horror today when my sister, my boyfriend and I turn up to an empty shop and a message confirming that they have closed. I already knew that their other branch on Essex Road in Islington (which I'd also been to a few times) had shut, but I hadn't assumed that both cafes were going :( !

I love love love Eggs Benedict and S&M had never disappointed me. Perfectly poached eggs, nestling on warm toasted buttered muffins with lovely thick cut ham and PLENTY of buttery rich hollandaise sauce - and a free mug of tea! Nom nom.

Anyway, after a few minutes of crying we decided we had to move on with our lives and chose to try out the cafe next door, The English Restaurant.

The decor was lovely: old dark wood and little dimly lit booths to lounge in and read the paper on a Sunday morning. Very nice. So expecting good things we sat down and ordered 2x Eggs Benedict with a bacon sandwich for my sister. Then the food arrived... Instantly I saw there was not enough hollandaise sauce for starters (I like an ocean). Then after tucking in I realised that  the eggs were a bit wobbly still, undercooked and sad and that my muffins were not toasted enough and therefore cold. So I ate my Eggs Benedict in disappointed silence.

Breakfast finished but plate not licked clean. Bad sign.

There wasn't really any difference in price apart from having to pay for tea but I don't think we'll be going again. We'll now have to search for another place to fulfil our hollandaise-y needs.

RIP S&M :(

x