London’s most enviable Sunday side dish menu: 108 Brasserie

108 Brasserie withholds one of London’s most enviable central locations. In the heart of Marylebone, and steps away from the glamorous high street, it’s one of the best spots to spend a lazy Sunday. Known for its sophisticated cocktail offering and buzzy evening trade, it also serves up one of London’s yummiest Sunday roasts.

The space is grand and large, lending itself to the packed out weekend vibe, Décor is stylish and understated, with a grandiose bar central to the venue. Upon entry, you may spot the famous Bloody Mary Trolley. Designed to be wheeled around on Sundays, for your convenience, the team serve up a range of fierce and boozy Bloody’s – designed to make everything feel alright again. I should know, I kicked off with one.

We were seated on the right flank of the restaurant, with prime people watching access from both sides. The attentive wait staff served up our Mary’s with a flourish and then it was onto the menus. Never have I ever, apart from a recent visit to Farrier in Camden, seen such an impressive menu of side dishes.

From Spiced Red Cabbage with Granny Smith apple & crispy onions; Cauliflower Cheese with Pitchfork Cheddar crumb; Pigs in Blankets with mustard jus (they aren’t just for Christmas) and 108’s signature sage & onion stuffing balls. Suffice to say, we ordered them all, but we’ll come back to that.

To start, we went for the Devon White Crab with toasted soda bread, watercress and apple salad which was seasonably vibrant and very fresh. Alongside, we went for the Chapel & Swan Suffolk Smoked Salmon with dill crème fraiche, caper berries, lemon & Guinness bread. The breads on both starters were a real highlight and were clearly made in-house.

For mains there was an almost impossible choice between the day’s three succulent specials which included: West Country minted lamb rump; roasted rib beef; or half roasted thyme and rosemary corn fed chicken, all served with ever-replenishing Yorkshire puddings & roast potatoes, plus buttered root vegetable mash, spring vegetables and plenty of gravy. As lamb lovers, myself and guest went for the lamb and were astounded with the portion size and tenderness of the meat.

Back to the sides! We may have over-ordered. For the sake of the review though, we had to try everything. Highlights for me were the dense, but flavourful, stuffing balls and the red cabbage which was reminiscent of the classic Christmas dish. We couldn’t finish it all, but the team were very accommodating and allowed us to take home our leftovers, which by the way, tasted equally as epic the next day.

We were fit to burst, but naturally had to squeeze in a Classic Vanilla Crème Brûlé, served with English shortbread, which was just the right balance of sweet and creamy. The wine list was superb and there was a range of dessert cocktails, but we really were full to the brim.

With the roast served until 8:30pm – rare for this neck of the woods – guests can even enjoy a later style roast as a refuge from the busy shopping streets of central London. Definitely give it a visit.

Find out more at > www.108brasserie.com