Food: Hoi Polloi (Rooftop) Brunch Club, Ace Hotel, Shoreditch

The clever folk at Hoi Polloi have been holding rooftop brunch clubs at the Ace Hotel over the summer, collaborating each time with a different fitness concept.  It is held on the 7th floor rooftop of the hotel, with sweeping views over the city. 

On the menu:

Stone fruits, goats curd, elderflower, nuts and seeds

Crispy duck egg, girolles, asparagus

Hot smoked salmon hash, peas, spiced creme fraiche

Strawberries, creme fraiche ice cream, almond crumb

All of the food was excellent, combining fresh ingredients and impeccable presentation. The goats curd and plum dish in particular was delicious. 

Perfectly ripe plums with a light, light goat's curd

I've been twice to this gig already. The first class, led by 1 Rebel, a high-intensity RESHAPE class, made us work hard for our brunch, which, being lazy as hell, left me hugely resentful and furious every time the lovely, lithe and (obviously) super-fit instructor cheerily yelled out the command for more burpees.  This is not an indictment against 1 Rebel, as the rest of the group seemed to thoroughly enjoy the hour of pain.  

Crispy duck egg, girolles, asparagus

More to my style, yesterday's brunch was hosted by the Stretch Dynamic Yoga studio, and it was brilliant. Oliver took us through a gentle Sunday morning paced yoga session, with wit and clarity. 

Hot smoked salmon hash, peas, spiced creme fraiche

The brunch is held in the Britannia room, on long communal tables, inviting conversation amongst new friends. Our group tumbled into the room noisily, crying out for immediate refills of Bloody Mary's after our work-out. Convivial laughter, fresh flowers, endless slices of buttery toast and bottomless filter coffee. The perfect Sunday afternoon.

Strawberries, creme fraiche ice cream, almond crumb

Details:

Hoi Polloi Rooftop brunch, contact them directly for details but they do the brunches about once a fortnight. Sign up to their mailing list for updates here.

Ace Hotel: 100 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JQ

Food - Istanbul's best breakfasts Part 1 - Mangerie in Bebek.

Turks in general, are pretty good at the whole brunch thing. I'm sure the Ottomans had it all worked out centuries ago that lazing about on a Sunday morning with the papers, an endless supply of coffee, and little meze dishes of delicious morsels of olives, fresh vegetables, bread, honey and clotted cream was truly the only civilised way to spend one's precious leisure hours.

Here is a low-down of the our best brunch places in Istanbul, starting with:

Mangerie - Bebek

Mangerie is an über-hip place in the affluent suburb of Bebek. If coming from central Istanbul, a short bus or taxi ride down the coast will take you to this hidden oasis. It is actually really quite hidden, as Google Maps does not help. You need to walk down the high street towards the intersection and find a small flight of stairs that takes you up to the top floor. If in doubt ask the nice lady at the homewares and design store, who will point you in the right direction.

Upon arrival, we were seated on the balcony, facing directly into the view below.  After we quite got over ourselves at how cool we were for finding this place, we perused the menu and opted for the a standard Turkish meze style breakfast, or as we have now coined it, the 'full Turkish'. Out came generous portions of bread, fresh clotted cream with honey, cheeses, nutella, jams, and a bowl of fresh tomatoes with thyme. In addition we also ordered some eggs with Turkish sausage. All of this with some pretty stunning views. The restaurant itself, with long wooden communal tables, fresh flowers and bookshelves along the walls, invites its customers to stay awhile - not least because their breakfasts are so delicious.  If you're not in the mood for breakfast, Manger also serves a range of Western and Turkish style salads, sandwiches and quiche.

Breakfast with a view

Mangerie Bebe

A delectable spread at Mangerie Bebek

Trendy interiors with an assortment of mid-century furniture and George Nelson lighting

Bebek itself is interesting to have a walk around; it is clearly a suburb for the well-to-do.  Continue down the Bosphorus coastline heading back in the direction of Istanbul, as there is a footpath leading directly to the next town, Arnavutköy, whilst, being slightly less fancy than Bebek, holds its own in terms of interesting side streets and traditional architecture.

Perfect day for a stroll in Bebek

Arnavutköy

The ornate and brightly painted exteriors of homes in Arnavutköy