Full English Breakfast at Fork & Bottle

Full English Breakfast. Having grown up in the UK I have had a few of these. Personally, however, this dish symbolises shopping on the weekend with my mum and is therefore a real nostalgic comfort food.

We would go to our local supermarket, which also had a little restaurant/café, and I would be able to have this greasy treat, which we would not really eat as much at home. To this day, when I go to visit, my mum and I still follow this ritual of going for breakfast and then food shopping together.

In hindsight, eating that meal before the shop was not only a treat, but also a good idea because when you shop hungry you always buy way too much.

Now I have to admit that while I love the nostalgia of that “unrefined” breakfast back home in the supermarket, the Full English at the Fork & Bottle is on a whole other level.

Not only is the quality of the ingredients fantastic, but also there is so much of it. Two big ticks behind quality and quantity. The pictures I took don’t tell the full story, because hidden under the eggs and potatoes was a whole bunch of bacon as well as some mushrooms. I think it shows how much a restaurant values the customers when they don’t load a plate with “filler ingredients”, but instead they give you more of the expensive items.

I had so much bacon that there was plenty to give to my girlfriend, who was having the pancakes and wanted to try them with bacon and maple syrup (something we have often done with our pancakes at home). A note on the pancakes: they were huge and fluffy and we really enjoyed those too.

Drinks were great as well. We had a freshly pressed orange juice each, my girlfriend had a soya chai latte (tasted great) and I had an espresso, the perfect way to finish most meals. What I also recommend checking out is the extensive beer menu, which includes breakfast beers, but also a large selection if you choose any other time of the day.

Before this visit, Fork & Bottle had been a summer location for us, which we love for sitting in the Biergarten under the trees with the fairy lights, but therefore never inside. We have been many times – especially for the 10 Hour House Smoked BBQ Pork Ribs, which are to die for – but going in had previously only been the place to use the bathroom. Well that has now changed.

The atmosphere was really full and lively, with a lot of families and a feeling between mountain lodge and pub. Nevertheless, it felt peaceful. You are a stone’s throw from Sihlcity, but the F&B has a real countryside feeling to it, letting you unwind from the troubles of the week. Due to the great location, it also means that you can go for a leisurely stroll after to digest your food or before to get your appetite going.

The staff there are really friendly and all speak English. Everything was served very fast, but we never felt rushed, like you do in other brunch places around Zurich. We also made sure to book a table in advance, because we had tried to go the previous weekend and there had only been seats at the bar left that were unreserved.

Price wise we both thought that it absolutely reflected both the size of the portions as well as the quality of the ingredients and the taste. I absolutely recommend it if you want to wind down and eat some great food in a location that has both a rural feel and is 10 minutes from Zurich HB.