The Undisputed Duke's of Hackney...

There is a standing joke that when Antipodeans roll into Heathrow they don't have enough money to make it past Putney.

 

I have to confess that for my first six years of living in London, I did think that you need a Schengen Visa to travel to Shoreditch. It was only having spent six months living in Stratford last year, that I finally learned what cool Londoners have known all along. East beats West. Hands down.

 

If you want the true grit and quirk of London, head to Old Street, jump off the tube and follow your nose. Or be a lazyass like me and drive (I am happy to report that unlike the esteemed borough of Westminster, Hackney has a more relaxed attitude to parking permits.)

 

Duke's Brew and Que has been on my hit list for ages having  been spotted by Missy (eponymous breakfast partner of this blog)  and I last year. It is famous for old fashioned American Bar-B-Que, but, during a Cheesecake raid we staged there last year, we noticed a brunch menu and promised ourselves that we would go back.

 

It's been too long since we had a brunch ramble and we needed something special to drag us out of our desperate will-this-damn-winter-never-end blues. I vaguely remembered something involving stuffed French Toast on Duke's menu and like Pavlov's dog to the bell, it was enough to get me to shift my pasty self Eastwards.

 

Duke's is everything you would expect from an East London boozer slash eatery. Cool cat hipster staff. Brickery Brackery in every corner. Noise. Smells. Miniature Hackneyites colouring in and bathing themselves in the quirky tin can basins downstairs.

 

But.

 

Somewhere in that smoky, mental kitchen, hides a real gen-oo-ine 'Merican, cranking out US of A sized feasts. Now if you have read this Blog at all, you will know how much I respect American breakfast and brunch sensibility. Elegant Cappuccinos and pastries are fine and well, but when you have a breakfast sized hole to fill, you need foods from the groups Butter, Syrup, Bacon and Egg. And supersized.

 

I have eaten many, many decadent breakfasts in the past few years, but today I discovered the Mecca of Moreishness.

 

Before I continue, it's worth explaining that I have a slightly strange breakfast palate. I blame my Mum. When you grow up with lunchbox regulars including bacon plus peanut butter or bacon and banana sarnies, you learn that bacon is remarkably versatile. Bacon and eggs? Far too predictable for our family I'm afraid.

 

So imagine my delight when I located the stuffed french toastie thing I remembered seeing last year.

 

Enter Mister Frenchie's Ravioli. It's oozy. And salty. And sweet. It's far too good not to attempt to eat the whole thing, but two monster sized French Toast sandwiches packed full of bacon and cream cheese defeated me.

 

Missy had the Buttermilk Pancakes. Also gigantic. Also fantastic.

 

And they humour coffee heathens and make it milky (if you ask nicely).

 

Plain and simple. Duke's Brew and Que?

 

Hell yeah.

 

 

Duke's Brew and Que

33 Downham Road
De Beauvoir Town
Hackney
London N1 5AA

How to Get There

Website and Menu