This brasserie is the third offering from the Raoul’s chain, opened in spring 2011 on a corner of leafy Hammersmith Grove. The original Maida Vale branch of Raoul’s and the second in Notting Hill have each proved especially popular for brunch, which they serve until 6pm every day of the week. The youngest sibling follows suit and has an adjoining deli.
Both deli and café have tables outside to catch the morning sun and specialise in ingredients with a Mediterranean flavour. An awning protects the fairer-skinned and roomy interior beckons with banquets and booths.
The extensive café menu covers crowd-pleasers of burgers and crunchy salads, soups and daily specials that rotate through the week. On our visit, despite the recent opening and a busy buggy-bearing crowd making demands on the kitchen, everything came out swiftly and was served with friendly efficiency.
All the well-executed egg dishes glowed with a deep orange hue. However we can’t help wondering why Raoul’s makes a speciality of importing caged eggs all the way from Italy – especially when our home-grown eggs can achieve the same brilliance of colour.