Breakfast with a Westminster classic

The Cinnamon Club, 30-32 Great Smith Street, SW1P 4BU

Breakfast: £13 on a special offer

Located in the former home of the Westminster Library, the Cinnamon Club has an inordinate amount of old world charm: beautiful architecture, walls lined with books and thick, white linen tablecloths. For ten years now, it has been a fixture of the Westminster culinary scene, serving up refined Indian food to journalists wooing politicians in the hope of an insight into the latest intrigue. Being neither hack nor expenses-fuelled parliamentarian, I had to wait for a Time Out special offer.

The service and the environment are impeccable. Smartly dressed waiters gave the sort of discreet but attentive service you would expect in a place used to accommodating the grandees of British Government, even when faced with a semi-scruffy table of discount hounds. 

It was a slight shame, therefore, that the breakfast did not live up to the otherwise flawless polish of the Club. An interesting menu includes Anglo-Indian choices such as kedgeree alongside traditional British, all boasting top quality ingredients. Even so, the kedgeree was a disappointment: dry fish and rice with a fairly boring spice mix. The poached egg on top was odd, managing to be both undercooked and overcooked at the same time - soft white, hard yolk. As Mr Fork is fond of observing, I am an egg fascist, however, who struggles with anything short of oozing and golden perfection. It wasn't that it was actually bad, and the toast, marmalade and tea were all great, but the main event was dull and disappointing given their reputation.

The Cinnamon Club is almost next to my office, and at special offer prices, even with disappointing food, I would still go back for the rare treat of breakfasting at one of the grandes dames of Westminster.  I just wish the old girl hadn't let herself go.