A Cracking Brunch at Kōpāpā

The Turkish eggs at Kopapa have long been rumoured to be one of London's top brunch dishes but I hadn't had the chance to try them out for myself. But a few Saturdays ago, I found myself with a few hours to kill before joining the returns queue for Les Liaisons Dangereuses. It was just gone noon and Kopapa was, of course, extremely busy but they had a free seat at the bar, which I happily took.

The brunch menu is long and impressive and I did give it due consideration. The chorizo hash with fried eggs, sriracha, shallots and rocket (£9.80) sounded great, for instance, but I couldn't not order the famous Turkish eggs: two poached eggs, with whipped yoghurt, chilli butter and sourdough toast (£9.50). There is a well-chosen selection of brunch cocktails, juices and milkshakes, but I decided to stick to a macchiato (£2.40).

The atmosphere was lively and I enjoyed sitting at the bar watching the barmen mix the drinks. I couldn't help but notice the large and tempting box of Crosstown Doughnuts sitting on the bar. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

My macchiato was very good. Kopapa uses Monmouth Coffee, whose Covent Garden café is just across the road, and the espresso blend was rich and full-bodied. Soon enough, the main event came along and the Turkish eggs were just as delicious as I was expecting. I wasn't exactly sure how to eat them correctly, so I scooped out one egg to place on each slice of toast and then continued to dunk the toast into the spices and yoghurt that remained in the bowl. It was comforting and flavoursome in equal measures: the perfect brunch dish for a cold, grey January weekend.

Although my brunch dish was sufficiently filling, I found myself ordering one of the Crosstown doughnuts that had been calling my name throughout my visit. I tried one of the beetroot, lemon and thyme doughnuts (£3.50), which was excellent and a pretty rose-pink colour that my iPhone didn't capture very well. As well as the lemon icing with thyme and crunchy biscuit on top, there is plenty of oozy lemon-thyme filling in the middle, which made it tricky to eat without making a mess. Perhaps not one for polite company, but the ideal sweet treat to round off the meal.

When I left, Kopapa was still full so I would definitely recommend booking a table, especially for the weekend brunch and/or in a group. Next time, I'm trying the chorizo hash, but even their take on the eggs royale, with yuzu hollandaise, sounds inventive and delicious.

Kopapa. 32–34 Monmouth Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9HA (Tube: Covent Garden). Website. Twitter.