Milk, Balham
Breakfast is something I don't often indulge in, mainly because I don't wake up on time, don't want to eat anything other than coffee and tea, and then force some vitamins into my system to start the day. By the time I want to eat, it's a very late lunch or an early dinner.
Which in hindsight...I need to sort out my eating or life schedule.
But let's be honest, breakfast food is great all day, any day, and I love brunch. With something to celebrate in my personal life, I've finally decided to try Milk, a popular brunch spot in Balham.
I kept seeing this place all over my TikTok and Instagram for their bottled iced coffee and creative spins on brunch dishes, and, luckily for me, it was a short train ride away.
With a rather fussy mother in tow, we arrived at Milk on a rainy day. Thankfully, we didn't need to queue, as it was already 2 PM, and boy, I could already smell the frying of fresh hash browns and the deeply nutty aromas of burnt-butter hollandaise sauce.
The space is nice, with plenty of natural light, though slightly cramped with tables and stools standing side by side, likely due to a desire to seat and serve as many customers as possible.
As we were seated and thoroughly read the menu, I somewhat regretted not getting the 'Young Betty' a dish of poached eggs on toasted sourdough with burnt-butter hollandaise and the banana bread with halva butter + pumpkin-seed tahini.
But it's all good, so here's what we've tried.
I started with the Bottled Iced Coffee. Rich, deliciously smooth, and not bitter at all, it was very enjoyable, although I wasn't able to finish the entire bottle. I would order it again.
I ordered the Folded Cackleberry Farm Eggs on Sourdough with Dehydrated Miso Dust, and we added a side of smoked salmon. It's pretty standard, and I liked the swirly look of the folded eggs, which reminded me of a fancy omurice; however, I did find it quite salty and dry. Not bad, not my favourite.
I have a soft spot for the Filet-O-Fish. The aesthetically pleasing Fish Sando with catch of the day fried in panko, fukujinzuke daikon, housemade tonkatsu, Japanese mayo, togarashi, nestled in toasted homemade shokupan, was not bad. Still, it needed more seasoning and was quite greasy. I barely finished one half, as it's quite hefty. Great for sharing if that works for you.
This dish was pretty much on everyone's table. The Poacher hash is a trio of freshly fried hash browns topped with a mountain of Poacher cheese shavings. If you don't like cheese, I am sure they're okay with you opting it out. I had to take the cheese off my mum's hash brown, but like most normal people who like enjoyment, you can't go wrong with fried potatoes and cheese!
I was suggested to get the banana bread. Still, I really wanted to try the Nutzilla French Toast, a thick slice of their own brioche with tonka chantilly, candied pecans, poached Yorkshire rhubarb, lambo crumb and their Nutzilla sauce. My mum found it confusing and dense; I found it deliciously delightful. It was not too sweet, the egg-bread was fluffy and not overpowering with cinnamon, and had many great textures from the candied pecans and flavours from the tangy cooked rhubarb to the subtle vanilla chantilly, which I couldn't get enough of.
And it only took me writing this blog for me to realise that three out of four dishes involved bread, which, lowkey, I may be intolerant to gluten. I did wonder why I was uncomfortable all day, and no joke, it makes me a little sad.
I also paid via the EatClub app, where you link your bank cards and can save up to 50% off your bill, and in my case, 40% (it's now 31%, which isn't bad!), and what a great hack, especially if you like to eat out but want to save a bit of money.
It's a good brunch spot, and the vibes and service were pretty impeccable. I see why there are long queues on the weekend. I would go back for the Young Betty and the Banana bread.
Address - 18-20 Bedford Hill, London SW12 9RG