so, annalies is leaving. in a few weeks. for ever. well, maybe not for ever, but for a while. and before she does, she's determined to get through as many london bucket list items as she can that she hasn't already ticked off in last eight years in this big, bad city. on that list: bottomless brunch at hotbox in spitalfields; something i was more than happy to help her accomplish, because i'm such a good friend.
so we headed down nice and early on saturday, which was a liiiiittle early for me to get on the booze (who even am i anymore), so i stuck to flat whites and diet coke while she jumped straight on the mimosa bandwagon. i will admit i may have had a few sips. a few times. of her bottomless booze. because: i'm such a good friend. (the bottomless drinks run at £25 per person, for two hours of unlimited bloody marys, prosecco, or mimosas. that's a greeeeat deal when the cocktails are nine quid each anyway!)
i'd perused the menu prior to heading down, and was pleased to see not a lot had changed since the last time i'd been there - about a year ago. then i'd gone with a fried chicken waffle (£9), and didn't really love it. i'm not a fan of buttermilk chicken - or truffle salt (or anything truffle, actually), and that dish has both in it. instead, i knew exactly what i was going for: roast corn and crushed avocado on crunchy sourdough toast with feta and poached egg (£7) - with a side of belly pork (£4).
the pork was tasty and fatty, and perfectly cooked, and the whole dish was exactly what the doctor ordered. the avocado was the exact amount of ripeness that i like on toast (not too much, definitely not too firm), and was piled high on the toast. though the poached egg was pretty small (such a hit-and-miss procedure), it was perfectly cooked and once the yolk was broken, there was more than enough to go around. for seven quid (plus the pork), i was pretty damn happy with my lot!
the restaurant was totally heaving, and we were there just before midday. i remember checking out hotbox at the street feast they were at a few years ago, so it's awesome to see that their restaurant in shoreditch is still going strong after their trader-market start. if you've not been before, i can highly recommend it if you're a fan of craft meats, a buzzing atmosphere, and something a little different that the normal smashed avo for brunch. check the full menu out here!
