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| The Interior (Bakery to your left, Coffee Bar straight ahead...mhm). Photography by Kai Hendry |
Ok, so things haven’t been quite the same since I’ve stopped doing regular Friday latte and almond croissant time at the Terrace Café at the Southbank Centre. Unfortunately, there’s been a pretty big brunch shaped hole in my life and when Yi-Bin suggested we go to Princi on Sunday morning, I instantly perked up.
Uncharacteristically, on Sunday morning, Yi-Bin and I managed to wake up before our alarm clock went off, an amazing event I feel I should take care to record for posterity. After the usual, dazed morning confusion which usually consists of me staring into a mirror and wondering what it is that makes me resemble a reanimated corpse, we perused the papers and then made our way to Soho, the land of lost dreams.
Despite the fact that we’d gotten there super early by Sunday morning in London standards, Princi was already packed and bustling with the morning crowd – an interesting mix of families, couples, bachelors poring over copies of the FT and the occasional hipster. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted a potent and welcoming smell – a heady mix of freshly baked bread, smoky hot coffee and herbs.
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| Photography by Suziedepingu |
The interior was simple and tasteful. Super clean lines, dark woodwork and a ridiculously cool marble bar with a hovering mini water feature perched alongside it means the décor gets a thumbs up from me. It was obviously another Alan Yau creation – the minimalist interior was a little similar to Busaba and we also spotted three Buddha idols tucked behind the coffee bar. We managed to grab some seats at the marble bar and wandered off to order.
Being naturally indecisive, I’d already figured out what I was going to have when we checked the website last night– the usual latte and almond croissant. But when I reached the bakery, which was teeming with every type of bread imaginable - lustrous, golden mounds of deliciousness as well as palm sized, fluffy milk rolls decorated with a rustic smattering of poppy seeds, I was totally spoilt for choice. This wasn’t the only fare on offer– butter rich, flaky crescents and pastries encircling amber pools of jam were also displayed in the counter.
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| Major drool. Photography by Kai Hendry |
After uselessly gawping at the counter for what seemed like a lifetime, I decided to do something completely wild by Renie standards and instead of going for one of the delicious baked goodies, I decided to order the Princi Breakfast and a soy cappu.
The coffee bar is separate from the food displays and pay points and is manned by a team of ridiculously slick Italian baristas. My cappu appears almost instantly and the unmistakeable scent of good, strong coffee overwhelms my nose. Topped with a thick, coffee infused foam, it’s the perfect antidote to the hangover acquired having too much fun at LSJN awards.
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| The mini fountain - (I poked this). Photography by Mark Hillary |
I gaze at the water feature at the bar while Yi-Bin goes off to order and await the arrival of my Princi breakfast, staring longingly at the other clientele who seem to be digging into their breakfasts with gusto. And then suddenly, it appeared.
Before I launch further into this review, I have to point out that I don’t like eating breakfast. It’s my least favourite meal of the day (I can just about stomach a coffee), I stopped bothering years ago and I usually skip it because it makes me feel oddly uncomfortable. However, upon seeing the waitress approaching me, I had a mini-epiphany and in a fit of confused teenage angst, fell in love with the concept of eating breakfast all over again.
As the Princi Breakfast was placed before me, I paused to marvel at the sheer awesomeness of it. It was all pretty simple actually – perfectly creamy scrambled eggs, Tuscan sausage, crispy pancetta, deliciously spiced cannellini beans with an onion and tomato sauce, slow roast tomato flavoured with garlic and rosemary, Portobello mushroom infused with rosemary oil and two thick, toasted chunks of freshly baked wholemeal bread.
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| Cappuccino! Photography by Katie Tang |
All the flavours were simple, clean and most importantly fresh. I had a great time slathering the velvety smooth eggs onto the thick slices of wholemeal goodness and relishing the deliciously rich flavours of the pancetta and sausage. The spiciness of the beans and the tangy, garlicky tomato was just enough to cut across the richness of the meat, ensuring that breakfast was satisfying and refreshing as opposed to being too heavy and cumbersome.
Yi-Bin had the same breakfast as I, but opted for a refreshing mint tea which came in a plain white china teapot. Although her serving of scrambled eggs were slightly overcooked and dry as a result, breakfast was definitely a success – the food was exceptionally fresh and delectable and service was faultless and fast.
It is therefore, not a surprise that Princi is becoming one of Soho’s new hotspots – opening early and closing late, it caters for a wide range of people and with its impeccable service and food, I’m already planning my next trip there for dinner.
