Breakfast at the Savoy, the Ritz and Simpson's
I FORGET which worthy it was, if indeed I ever knew, who suggested that to get the best from British cooking one should eat breakfast three times a day, but I can cer- tainly see what he meant. Breakfast is a meal which the British kitchen invariably produces extremely well — at whatever price or social level — and there is some- thing undeniably comforting about con- suming it. British breakfasts are popular with overseas visitors, and our hotels thrive on providing them. Even for those of us who live here a five-star-hotel break- fast can offer a special treat, and it is cer- tainly a way of obtaining top-quality ambi- ence and service at a much lower price than usual. The Savoy offers English breakfast for £17.25 in its River Restau- rant. The Ritz charges £17.75. Before you snort 'What a ridiculous price for break- fast!' just reflect on what a standard lunch or dinner would cost in either of those establishments, and think again.
With this in mind I decided to test the breakfast service at these two great hotels, and then to compare them with the break- fast menu that has recently come to be served in the Grand Divan Tavern on the ground floor of Simpson's-in-the-Strand. My first stop was on a Sunday morning at the Savoy, where the financial analyst and authority on the Schlieffen Plan, David Damant, joined me in the River Room. This proved an ideal time of day for the room: the light perfect, the tall windows showing the River Thames through the trees, not too many people and the atmo- sphere pleasantly relaxed. Damant put the Savoy to his China-tea-at-breakfast test — the pot's contents to be decanted, once it has stood, into another pot, without the leaves — and was pleased to discover that it passed. He was also happy with his squeezed grapefruit juice and his compote of dried fruits with low-fat yoghurt. I was similarly happy with my fresh orange juice and compote. Damant continued with China-tea-at-breakfast and three poached eggs on toast, correctly prepared, and I ate some excellent poached smoked haddock, the fish commendably of the uncoloured variety and in a good, buttery gravy, sur- mounted by poached eggs. Toast was good, the almond croissant after it impec- cable and my filter coffee, served in a ther- mos jug, of adequate strength. Service was attentive and Sunday papers had been laid out at the entrance. For £34.50 for the two of us this breakfast was a happy experi- ence.
The following Sunday we moved on to the Ritz in Piccadilly. Here the restaurant is an even finer room, Second Empire with a gorgeous ceiling, looking out onto Green Park. On a pleasant early spring morning there was an agreeably country-house — maybe one should say chateau de la Loire — atmosphere. Another Ritz asset is the magnificent table at the top of the room which holds the buffet of juices, fresh fruits, compotes, cereals, yoghurts and assorted home-made breads: good to look at, deli- cious to eat. Damant repeated his China tea test, and ate the same breakfast, both with equal satisfaction. I took as my 'main course' an impressive assembly of buttery scrambled eggs with grilled ham, good black pudding, mushrooms and tomatoes. Toast was excellent, as were the rolls; cof- fee-pots were replaced as they cooled. It should be noted that at both the Savoy and the Ritz as well as the set breakfast there are various attractive specialities at a range of prices. Thus omelette Arnold Bennett at the Savoy will cost you £8.45 extra, and poached eggs Benedictine £7.90, though kedgeree is included, whilst at the Ritz kedgeree costs a massive £19, the same price as charged for smoked salmon with creamed eggs and chives, and a swingeing £22 for sirloin steak with fried eggs, mush- rooms and tomatoes.
The Ten Deadly Sins at Simpson's-in- the-Strand are of a more inclusive nature. I went there on a Thursday morning, joined by the editor of The Spectator, who was feeling peckish after a hard day's electoral campaigning in Grimsby. Following my orange juice and stewed fruit I chose the Ten Deadlies, a formidable assembly of sausage, fried egg, bacon, black pudding, lamb's kidneys, fried bread, bubble and squeak, baked beans, lamb's liver and fried mushrooms and tomatoes. The editor, though hungry, was of a more precise mind and ordered just four fried eggs, four rashers of bacon, one sausage, one tomato and two slices of fried bread. It's good to see a man who knows exactly what he wants. Both dishes, though unquestionably high on cholesterol, were blessedly ungreasy, done to a turn and much enjoyed. Toast and coffee were both satisfactory, service quietly efficient and the room's atmosphere appropriately peaceful. Break- fast comes more cheaply at Simpson's: £13.50 for the Ten Deadly Sins, £11.50 for the editor's selection: with service, just £28 for the two of us. One could almost call it a bargain.
Savoy Hotel, River Restaurant, Strand, Lon- don WC2; tel: 0171 836 4343.
Ritz Hotel Restaurant, 150 Piccadilly, Lon- don Wl; tel: 0171 493 8181. Simpson's-in-the-Strand, 100 Strand, Lon- don WC2; tel: 0171 836 9112.
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