Beautiful Brunch at Harry’s Bar, London

Harry's Bar, London, Covent Garden, Brunch, Restaurant, Food,
Harry’s Bar is a beautiful Italian restaurant in St Christopher Place, just off Bond Street and when my friend Vicky suggested meeting up for brunch, I was just so excited. Because although I had to bring Alfie with me, she only recommends nice restaurants, so I knew it would be good! It turns out that there are so many restaurants and hotels that don’t allow babies or children for brunch, especially at the weekend, and while Harry’s Bar don’t have rules in place and were accommodating, I would recommend going sans-child/ren. During our brunch, there was a family with toddler maybe slightly older than Alfie, but there was just the two of them in the restaurant. However, the staff were friendly, looked after him and kept him entertained. When his meal arrived, they even tied a napkin round him, which was super cute and kept his smart shirt clean.

Vicky had requested a highchair and we were sat on a table for two, which was fairly cramped anyway. Throw a little person into the mix as well as a round of drinks and meals for all, and there was very little table space or room for manoeuvre. The restaurant oozes Italian glamour, with banquette seating, which was so comfortable; artwork from a bygone era and large mirrors on the walls. The bar area at the entrance was well-stocked and totally 1950s inspired – in my opinion, it wouldn’t look out of place in a gangster movie. It was just very classic.
Harry's Bar, London, Covent Garden, Brunch, Restaurant, Bellini, Cocktails
I’d clocked the menu beforehand but didn’t know what to order. There was the usual a la carte menu as well as the brunch offerings. One thing was certain though, and that was that I was going to order a Bellini! The glassware was beautiful, although I’ve never been served a Bellini in anything but a flute before. I was slightly envious of Vicky’s drink of choice: the Amalfi Royale; it came served with sprigs of thyme and lavender and I could just imagine drinking that on a cliff-top bar or hotel while holidaying on the Amalfi coast!
Harry's Bar, London, Covent Garden, Brunch, Restaurant, Food,
Ordering for Alfie was easy. Obviously being a nice restaurant that doesn’t typically attract little people, there was no children’s menu. However, lucky for us, Alfie isn’t a fussy eater. I ordered him the waffle & bacon. Needless to say, he left the streaky bacon, which was underdone to my taste anyway. Thankfully, each element came in a separate dish and I was able to choose his waffle toppings. As he didn’t eat the bacon, I left the chives and sour cream, opting for maple syrup and blueberries instead. He loved it and ate it all (nearly) before moving on to help us with our meals!
Harry's Bar, London, Covent Garden, Brunch, Restaurant, Food,
To start, Vicky and I shared the calamari fritti, which was so beautiful. The polenta coating was so light and crisp, while the squid inside was cooked to perfection. The dish came served with a lemon garlic aioli which was to die for! I could have eaten two portions of it alone... the squid I mean, not just the aioli!

To follow, Vicky chose the truffled chicken, which definitely didn’t disappoint. She was umming and ahhing over it and I decided not to order it as I didn’t think I’d be able to eat half a chicken. When it arrived, it was deboned and didn’t look as big as I’d been expecting, so I think I’d have been able to manage. It looked delicious, with a mascarpone truffle sauce and sautéed mushrooms. Vicky ordered two sides: the garlic & rosemary chips (which I think Alfie had the majority of) and the green beans with chilli, garlic & olive oil. Yep, I got food envy and ended up regretting my choice.
Harry's Bar, London, Covent Garden, Brunch, Restaurant, Food,
After much deliberation, I went for the pollo Milanese, with asparagus spears, shaved parmesan and herb hollandaise. The portion was huge, with two pieces of breaded flattened chicken  and a large asparagus ‘salad’, as well as lashings of hollandaise, which I actually enjoyed (I’m not usually a fan). I struggled to eat it all, but luckily Alfie was on hand to help with the chicken. I found it a little bit dry and do regret not also going for my original first choice, the crab Benedict.
Harry's Bar, London, Covent Garden, Brunch, Restaurant, Food,
Vicky had been to Harry’s before and on the previous occasion, sampled Harry’s Toadstool for dessert. She recommended we share it, which was an excellent choice as not only would I have struggled to eat it all myself (yes, even with my sweet tooth!) but it tasted just as good as it looked. It’s definitely up there with the Instragrammable desserts of London! It really was a spectacular piece of art, almost too good to eat! The variety of textures and flavours balanced each other nicely and it was just a perfect end to a lovely brunch and catch-up.

The brunch was on the pricy side, but that was to be expected. The food was excellent, the cocktails went down easily and the staff were friendly – not overly intrusive but ensuring that Alfie was okay and we were happy with everything. I would without a doubt return to Harry’s in the future, maybe just minus a toddler-in-tow!

Love, Lucy xx

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