Recommended breakfast place?

Collecting old - attractive, intelligent, funny, charming - friend from LHR
after an overnight flight from Sarth Efrica. Need to find somewhere stylish
for breakfast, west or south-west of the airport [1] [2]. Said friend is
unfortunately dying rather quicker than the rest of us, and this may well be
our last 'date', so I would like to find somewhere she's going to be relaxed
and happy. And no, we won't need a room!

[1] Was going to drop in on darsy's sister, but she hasn't moved to Hook
yet!
[2] Greasy spoons won't work in this instance [3].
[3] Not even for their quaint period charm.[4]
[4] Trust me on this.

 

Hm. You could try someplace in Windsor, like Brown's, but most of those tend
to be tourist traps, ime, having worked there. Actually, Brown's isn't bad.
I'd go for one of the better LHR hotels, acksherley. The newish Marriott is
good, as is the Edwardian - Marriott is a bit more funky, and has a nice
open atrium. Also, the staff are sweet and the breakfast is good. Damned
expensive, but good. I'd go for that, I think.

Ali

 

Great. Thanks. I was looking a bit further out - sorta country-house
hotelly places in a bit of greenery - and hadn't really considered the
airport hotels. But yes, the good ones are very good, realising that
proximity to the tarmac doesn't mean there isn't also a more discriminating
clientele! I don't know if the Excelsior is still there, but it used to do
a superb dinner, for example.

 

Shame it has to be west or south west.

Otherwise I would have suggested

The Wolseley or Fortnums on Piccadilly.

I've had breakfast here

http://www.cinnamonclub.com/menub.cfm

which was jolly nice. That's Westminster though.

All suitably upmarket.

 

Frimley Hall was nice, though I haven't been there for ten years:

http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/frimleyhall

 

Oh, very yes. Thanks.

 

I had only clocked the first half of the URL to start with, and thought:
"Hmm, it didn't take long for the jokers to join in." Thanks. That also
appears to fit the alternative bill.

 

Still there, but it changed its name, I think. I'm racking me brains a bit
on the country house type thing, which would, be super if one can be found.

Ali

 

http://www.waterside-inn.co.uk/Index.aspx?Id=2

Not open for brekky, but lunch starts at 12 - weds to fri.

A real treat, been there more than a few times myself and have always loved
the food and the welcome.

20 mins from LHR up the M4.

 

I'm taking my best friend there for lunch this very Saturday. They do a
forty quid three course job, but we're going for Le Menu Exceptionnel. Yum.

Ali

 

Agreed. Wonderful place, and I'd love to try Heston Blumenthal's place.
The flight gets in at 6.00, however, and we will want breakfast.

 

http://www.exclusivehotels.co.uk/home.asp?hotel=pennyhillpark&Lang=EN

 

Possibly a bit further northwards, but the Burnham Beeches Hotel is quite
nice.
http://www.corushotels.com/bars.asp?hotelID=36

or, alternatively

http://www.clivedenhouse.co.uk/

--
Dan L (Oldbloke)

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