Fickled Londoners are spoilt for choice when it comes to bottomless brunch options: Japanese buffets, unlimited Champagne, traditional roast lunches. What shrewd Londoners are crying out for are fresh ideas and new concepts like KuPP, a place where Scandinavian designs and the culture of great Scandinavian cuisine are embraced in a uniquely British way.
It is situated in the once promising area of Paddington Basin, gleaming flats still sit empty in that area along with empty retails spaces. However, the one shining beacon in this area of unfulfilled potential is KuPP. It might have a warehouse feel with its high ceilings and spacious look, but it never feels cold or uninviting because like all great Scandinavian brands, the design is everything here. The aqua blue chairs and lights, along with the soft wood and large floor to ceiling windows give the whole venue a modern, relaxed look. Guests happily work on their laptops, sipping on coffee or having a more substantial meal.
In terms of value, you will be hard-pressed to find a better offer than their £30 per person bottomless brunch over the weekends. There are a choice of 3 bords (Swedish spelling for boards) to choose from, which you can re-order during your 90 minutes seating time, as well as unlimited Krusovice beer, Aquavit bloody Mary or Scandi-Collings.
The fiske bord was our favourite out of the 3 options. The highlight includes Hansen and Lydersen smoked salmon, which is smoked in a true Norwegian way using a recipe that dates back to 1923 in a traditional smokehouse based at Stoke Newington. It has an appetising piquant aroma, as it is smoked in a unique blend of beech wood and juniper. Their home cured Norwegian gravadlax, Atlantic prawn Skagen and home smoked trout are all fresh seafood of the highest quality. People who think Scottish seafood are better than Scandinavian ones might have to reconsider their opinions.
The KuPP bord is also filled with numerous delights from our Northern European friends. The strong-tasting aged Västerbotten cheese from Sweden is a must have for cheese lovers. It has a salty, Parmesan quality and goes surprisingly well with the seafood from the fiske bord. Like all their ingredients, the potted rabbit was incredibly fresh tasting without any gamey flavours to the meat. The house smoked pork meatballs were some of the best Swedish meatballs you will find in Central London.
The smokin’ roast. bord was probably the least surprising of the dishes offered and quite similar to Sunday roast dishes offered elsewhere, although the ligonberry jam did add a welcome Swedish touch to the dish. All the side dishes accompanying the bords were faultless with the butternet squash and roasted beetroot our personal favourites.
Rather than offering a bottomless sparkling beverage, I do enjoy the fact they have gone for something different in offering a carefully hopped Czech Pilsner Krusovice, which has a crisp, clear taste and a sharp finish. We also tried the aquavit bloody Mary, which has stronger fruity notes compared to traditional bloody Marys elsewhere.
Even if you don’t live in the Paddington area, this is a unique brunch offering that is definitely worth travelling across town for.