milk

"where on earth do you live" - curious acquaintance
"balham" - me
"so you know know m1lk" - curious acquaintance
"yes" - me

the above conversation is one i frequently take part in. this is because the popularity of m1lk far out weighs the history of balham!
situated on bedford hill you can normally spot the entrance by the tail of breakfast punters awaiting their hangover fill. if you are fortunate enough to gain entrance you are greeted by an array of home made cakes and bearded personal. the service is upbeat and welcoming with full descriptions of weekly specials. a genuinely friendly/refreshing approach.

although the interior is compact it lets in light which really fits in with what they are trying to achieve overall, ergo 'it works'.

i would recommend ordering 'the convict' - a notable breakfast dish packed with sausage, bacon, hash brown and scrambled egg. the coffee is amazing, 60% columbian & 40% bolivian, order a tall black without sugar for an authentic taste. as a side try the kasekrainer sausage a slovenian meat packed with chorizio!

my only one qualm with the whole dining experience is the metallic dishes with a high edged rim - imagine a kidney dish. it is difficult to gain any sort of traction with a soft edged knife, it can make for a high elbowed affair in a canopied corner.

overall it is spot on, mi1k has grabbed hold of the standard breakfast/lunchmenuand added overwhelming flavours to all its dishes, in a unique setting. job done!

awesome and very popular cafe. lovely modern, airy and pleasant whitewash interior. despite being very busy we were seated promptly and not rushed at all during the entirety. themenuis on point, with just enough options to satisfy everyone without being overwhelming. we had the corn fritters which were delicious but could've happily enjoyed anything else on the brunch menu! will definitely return.

perhaps the best eggs benedict or rather eggs betty as milk have opted to call it on themenui've had in london. i'd tried to go for brunch one saturday at milk but alas the queue snaking down the street was a little too long for my rumbling stomach.

as luck would have it my friend and i were looking for a breakfast spot near home and it seems a thursday morning is prime time to grab a table at milk.

starting the day with a flat white for me and an earl grey tea for my pal we eagerly awaited out eggs betty mine with dry cured bacon and his with smoked salmon, draped in a butter hollandaise with perfectly poached eggs, it's easy to see why the weekend brunch crowds flock to milk. i'll definitely be back, though probably again on a weekday!

i’ve heard all about the brunch service at m1lk - i’ve heard about the great coffee, quirky twists on classic dishes, and the legendary line that spills down the street. this all made me very curious and so on a lazy london sunday, a certain someone and i made the short trip to balham to quell my curiosity. from that excursion i can only confirm that the ridiculously long line spiralling down hildreth street is not stuff of legend, it most definitely exists and is fairly slow moving. so as people who don’t share the english’s love of queuing, we decided to give it a miss and i was still left wondering. that is until earlier this week when i had the good fortune to meet a friend for lunch, in balham, on a weekday- what are the odds?! as soon as you walk in you’re hit by the undeniably hipster decor, but also the size, no wonder the lines are out the door because this place is cosy! despite it being a miserably cold day, m1lk still had a steady flow of customers and we were lucky to nab a little table when we did. while themenuis pretty short, we did engage in a lot of umming and ahhing as a lot of it appealed but in the end we went for a hot chocolate and ‘sweet maria’, and a ‘lois’ smoothie and ‘young betty’. first up, the drinks were excellent- my hot chocolate was actually dark and rich, unlike so many pitifully milky ones i’ve had in london, and i was emphatically informed that the lois smoothie of blueberry, banana, and apple was amazing. we were however, less emphatically impressed by the food. the ‘sweet maria’, sweetcorn fritters, haloumi, avocado, kasundi and lime, was probably a little heavy handed on the kasundi. that tangy, tomato-based relish covered everything, and those poor limp little fritters had no chance, soon disintegrating into a bit of a battery mush. thank goodness they had the good sense to provide a generous dollop of smashed avo and that wedge of lime to cut through the rich oiliness. the ‘young betty’, poached eggs and drycured bacon on

as soon as you walk in you’re hit by the undeniably hipster decor, but also the size, no wonder the lines are out the door because this place is cosy! despite it being a miserably cold weekday, m1lk still had a steady flow of customers and we were lucky to nab a little table when we did. while themenuis pretty short, we did engage in a lot of umming and ahhing as a lot of it appealed but in the end we went for a hot chocolate and ‘sweet maria’, and a ‘lois’ smoothie and ‘young betty’.

first up, the drinks were excellent- my hot chocolate was actually dark and rich, unlike so many pitifully milky ones i’ve had in london, and i was emphatically informed that the lois smoothie of blueberry, banana, and apple was amazing. we were however, less emphatically impressed by the food. the ‘sweet maria’, sweetcorn fritters, haloumi, avocado, kasundi and lime, was probably a little heavy handed on the kasundi. that tangy, tomato-based relish covered everything, and those poor limp little fritters had no chance, soon disintegrating into a bit of a battery mush. thank goodness they had the good sense to provide a generous dollop of smashed avo and that wedge of lime to cut through the rich oiliness. the ‘young betty’, poached eggs and drycured bacon on grilled sourdough with burnt butter hollandaise, looked lovely when she arrived but really let down the team with overcooked eggs. bottom line, poached eggs need to have runny yolks, and these ones did not.

i really wanted to love m1lk but based on this experience, i was pretty underwhelmed... but perhaps they were having an off day?

read the full story over on the blog!

back home in nz, brunch was my favourite meal - for those who don't know, that's the meal between breakfast and lunch and usually had in lieu of one or both. there was nothing more satisfying than a sunday spent laying in, getting up at 10 then making my way to a food joint to consume a hearty meal guilt free because it counted as 2.

on arriving in the uk however, i was saddened to discover that this trend had not yet developed on these shores. places did breakfast and lunch but no one really offered that 'brunch' menu. what is a 'brunch' menu? this i find difficult to explain but once you see it, you just know. they are dishes which are more substantial than breakfast, but not as substantial as lunch. wow i am useless. told you, difficult.

anyway thankfully over the past couple of years, the culture is changing as the london food scene continues to develop and for many (like me), brunch is now a religious thing and when asked for some of my favourite places, it's hard not to mention m1lk in balham, one of the first true brunch places i knew in this city.

m1lk takes the quintessentials of brunch and nail them in delivering amenuthat is as delicious as it is creative with dishes such such sweetcorn fritters with halloumi, goats cheese and honeycomb in sourdough and the unmissable baked eggs. couple this with a perfect brew of coffee and you will quickly understand why the place is constantly busy.

the place is rather small though so to avoid disappointment, go early - they do open at 8 after all. enjoy!

also follow me on twitter @wetrykai and @annixontong and on instagram @annixontong.

i went there for casual get togethers with friends, so basically for munchies and to my surprise it was wonderful. the food they serve is so delicious. their presentation is actually quite appealing. that can also be because of the good ambiance they have which invokes a lot of good vibes within.
i would suggest you to go for breakfast since theirmenuis something which is very different yet tasty.
and don't forget to order the coffee too, they serve superb coffee blended very well.

...i decided to up my game in london starting with highly-rated m1lk in balham, located on work-in-progress hildreth street. the "no reservations"  queue was in full flow by the time i arrived at 11.20, but their superb workshop coffee was available and the sun was shining - so far, so williamsburg.  the atmosphere was buzzing, and with good reason judging by the look of the food being brought out.  before too long we had a table for five indoors and were eyeing up themenuand the striking décor. view themenuand follow matt the list on zomato 3/4 pint of lois smoothie & pot of tea brunch isn't a meal for messing around sharing everything on the menu.  it's about getting a massive portion of something delicious (potentially with hangover cure benefits if necessary) and keeping it all to yourself. this led to three of us ordering the same wonderfully named convict muffin (did i mention m1lk is run by australians?)

i recommend people this place for its supreme quality food, especially the breakfastmenuwhich is truly incredible and well worth a taste. the place is quite popular and you should expect a long queue on the weekend. the only letdown would be the small interiors. the triangle style seating arrangement is pretty uncomfortable.
but other than that pretty good!

after many a fine brunch in the states this summer, i decided to up my game in london starting with highly-rated m1lk in balham, located on work-in-progress hildreth street.

the "no reservations" queue was in full flow by the time i arrived at 11.20, but their superb workshop coffee was available and the sun was shining - so far, so williamsburg. the atmosphere was buzzing, and with good reason judging by the look of the food being brought out. before too long we had a table for five indoors and were eyeing up themenuand the striking décor.brunch isn't a meal for messing around sharing everything on the menu. it's about getting a massive portion of something delicious (potentially with hangover cure benefits if necessary) and keeping it all to yourself. this led to three of us ordering the same wonderfully named convict muffin (did i mention m1lk is run by australians?). it was a criminally good choice - english muffin, drycure bacon, m.moens sausage, burford brown egg, poacher hash, hangover sauce - £7.90. i don't know what hangover sauce is, but i want it every sunday.

non-convicts went for billy the kid (red clover honeycomb, goat's cheese, sourdough, flowers - £6.90) and young betty (poached eggs on woodfired sourdough, drycure bacon, burnt butter hollandaise, with young spinach & chinese chive - £7.80 + supplement), both of which looked smashing. next time...
and brunch is as simple as that. no starters. nomenuexplanations. no small plates. isn't it great? i should write about it more, it's a lot quicker. m1lk stands up to the best that new york & co. have to offer, and i expect i will be back again very soon, not least because there is a brand new beer & homebrew store round the corner called we brought beer.

one place that might soon compete with m1lk for my affections is fields café, their sister joint which is currently taking shape in the building next to the skate park on clapham common. get a load of these potential dishes:

- coal-grilled sausage bao, kewpie, pickled shallot & iceberg
- peat-smoked mutton & beans, garden herb butter & sourdough
- smashed peas, hay-smoked goat’s curd, garden herbs & sourdough
- sticky rice pudding, apple, soured cream ice-cream & sake
- banana bread, nesquik mascarpone and salted panela

exciting. keep track of their progress on twitter.

n.b. m1lk is open 8am-5pm monday – saturday, and 9am-5pm sunday - so brunch isn't limited to the weekend! no reservations.

i totally like this place. the quality of food is always impeccable though themenuis a small one but every dish is executed in a perfect way. i had halloumi cheese which was delicious. the atmosphere is always really nice and you must try this restaurant sometime. trust me people, it is definitely worth a visit.

this place was outside my standard central london eating area.but it was an awesome experience overall. the place is pretty popular and therefore there is a long queue outside , but let me tell you the wait does not go to waste as the food is pretty delightful! the ambiance is very casual and chilled out.
themenuin my opinion is very extensive and one might get a little confused but not to worry , the efficient staff is at your service! the staff was well informed and the dishes were served promptly.the prices too are very reasonable.
i loved it and am going to rush back!

i went here expecting a great lunch with my partner and was not at all disappointed. the food as well as the drinks here are delicious and quite appetizing. themenuis not that extensive, but the food is well-prepared and packed with flavors. the staff is efficient on busy days as well and are extremely welcoming. there is usually a queue to get seated, so expect to wait. i would definitely recommend this place.