Breakfast at Pavyllon, London W1: Does fine dining have to wait for lunchtime? Here’s a fresh take on the restaurant review.
For early risers like me, the Four Seasons’ latest offering—London’s first Michelin-starred breakfast—lands at the perfect moment. We can now savor a five-course tasting menu, priced at £70, served beside a counter in a refined, softly colored dining room. If a reservation isn’t possible, you can still opt to sit a little farther from the counter and order nearly the same dishes from the standard breakfast menu, just without the extra explanations.
Chef Yannick Alléno is clearly nudging the world toward a more vibrant morning scene, tempting us with lobster flatbread and a bespoke “amuse juice” while acknowledging that some of us can be a touch demanding in the pre-dawn hours. Picture an early-morning WhatsApp anthem in the making—a voice note at 5.46am, or the sound of me rearranging furniture or powering along on a walking desk. Yes, people like me can be a bit of a nuisance, and we probably need to be contained so the rest of the world can sleep. From a business lens, though, selling high-end, “snooze-proof” breakfast items—like a refined chia pudding—feels surprisingly clever. It sets the stage for colleagues to meet and impress over salted maple pancakes and luxe French toast. In short, does fine dining have to start at noon, or could breakfast be the new main event, especially as Gen Z shifts away from late-night revelry?
Practically speaking, who will staff these posh, high-standards breakfast experiences? The Four Seasons seems to have it covered with a compact team dressed to the nines, guiding the moment at 7.45am. My coat is hung, a stool for my handbag arrives, and my tea and a crisp orchard juice are served. A glossy, freshly baked pain au chocolat arrives as a welcome opener, paired with a small jar of upscale Maison Laurin jam. The pastry gleams with a refined chocolate fill—delightful, though not earth-shattering.
By 8am, I’m seated beside a renowned investor capturing headlines. He’s enjoying eggs royale, perched on a solid English muffin with flawless hollandaise and careful plating. As a veteran breakfast diner, I avoid poached eggs because they’re almost always cold, but these are perfectly warm. The menu also offers eggs Benedict or Florentine, with an optional 5g caviar upgrade for £25.
To my right, a Saudi family with three children samples mango chia while staff shower them with attention. Across the counter, chefs guide an influencer through a chicken samosa topped with a fried egg and a delicate nest of fried vermicelli. I’m unsure about that dish—it nods to Malaysian mee goreng but may feel heavy this early. The coconut-based chia pudding, however, is a joy—fruity and lively, albeit reminiscent of frogspawn in texture.
The showstopper is the French toast: a seemingly modest slice of grilled brioche that reveals itself as a sublime, custardy, vanilla-egg flavor profile with a wafer-thin, crispy crust. It’s paired with citrus-whipped cream, a thoughtful touch but not essential—the toast already sings on its own.
Admittedly, this breakfast is firmly carb-centric, deeply filling, and not exactly the sprint-start you’d expect for a productivity day. By the time the French toast arrives, I’m almost plotting a nap back home to recover. Tasting guests even take home a small sweet baked gift for elevenses.
Regardless of the hype around the Four Seasons breakfast, this isn’t the first to push early-morning luxury dining—nearby Hide and Cedric Grolet at the Berkeley offer equally impressive experiences. Still, the upscale breakfast trend is certainly gaining momentum. The real question remains: how will venues recruit and retain staff who can sustain such bright, fine-dining service at 6am, maintaining ingredient-driven chatter as if it were dinner at a celebrated restaurant? Three cheers for the 5am Club—those who rise ridiculously early, stay upbeat, and keep challenging the rest of us to redefine the day.
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Breakfast at Pavyllon, Four Seasons Hotel, Hamilton Place, Park Lane, London W1, 020-7319 5200. Open daily 6:30–10:30am (7am Sundays); tasting-menu option available Saturdays and Sundays. From about £40 per person; tasting menu £70 per person for five courses with tea or coffee, plus additional drinks and service.
