More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Whether it's a birthday, a hen party or just a Saturday the bottomless brunch has become a staple of many a female friendship.
You can get dressed up, have a delicious meal, get a bit drunk and be home with a cuppa by 9pm before sleeping through the hangover. Perfect!
Searching for such an offering in Kent proved difficult and I couldn't justify heading to London for a review. As is often pointed out, this is KENTOnline.
So when Facebook put an advert for Madisons' new bottomless brunch offering (thank you creepy algorithm) it felt like fate.
The restaurant opened in January 2020, just a few months before closing again thanks to lockdown.
It replaced Strawberry Moons and has a completely different vibe. Dare I say, classier?
The toilets and the stairs up to them are the same but the rest is almost unrecognisable to the days of cheesy music and staff dancing to Gangnam style on the bar.
The layout gives each party some privacy without spreading the tables out so far you feel isolated.
We'd booked for noon. As a restaurant and bar known for its night life this may have been a little early.
We were the first and only ones in for about an hour but that just meant we got extra special attention from the staff.
The front of house even asked us how we'd like the lighting.
On to the Prosecco. I'd like share the number of glasses or bottles we got through but the waitress was so efficient at topping up we never quite made it to the end.
A solid four times over three courses our glasses were filled and not once did we have to ask or awkwardly shake our glasses in her general direction with a smile and a please.
Whenever you tell someone you went to a bottomless brunch the 'how much alcohol did you actually get though?' is a routine question.
And Madison's scored a solid 11/10.
For starter I had the garlic mushrooms and chargrilled bread. The mushrooms were not too garlicky and just the right texture - there's nothing worse than a slimy mushroom.
The bread to fungus ration was a little off for me - but that's only because the bread was so tasty.
My sister had the salt and pepper squid with a green chilli and Wasabi mayo dip which came with chopsticks.
She would have preferred them a touch crispier but would certainly order them again.
The starters were followed by a palate cleansing sorbet in a shot glass. It's not something I've had at a restaurant before and was a really nice touch while we waited for our mains.
We both opted for the buttermilk chicken breast which came as a deconstructed burger with all the trimmings. And if you pick the right company it comes with extra gherkins....
The piece of chicken was tender, flavoursome and quite frankly huge. If the burger had been assembled there would have been no way to eat it elegantly. And this is a classy place.
And the chips were thick, soft in the middle and nice and hot. My favourite.
By this point I could feel the bubbles were making it to my head. I've never been known as a lightweight so it's fair to say this is ideal for a boozy brunch.
The only option for dessert was churros with a toffee apple dipping sauce.
The lack of choice might be an issue but you can't really go wrong with churros.
Having once scoured the streets of Barcelona on a mission to find the Spanish treat, I'd class myself as a semi expert and these were the best I've ever had. The sauce was hot - which was a nice surprise - and was sweet but not sickly.
The dough was smothered in cinnamon and left plenty of dust on your fingers for when you'd finished. Under cooked churros are always a disappointment but these were crispy.
The final touch was the cocktail taster shot. It was advertised on the menu as between main and dessert but came out last.
Starwberry Daquiri in a shot glass. Again, a nice addition to the meal.
Endless Prosecco, delicious food, aesthetics worthy of more than just a nice top and jeans and happy and friendly staff makes Madisons the perfect place for a bottomless brunch. Whatever the occasion.
Ratings
Food: It came out quickly and was hot and tasty and they offer a few twists on some classic dishes ****
Drink: We may have been lucky considering how quiet it was but the Prosecco was lovely and very much bottomless *****
Decor: Sleek, classy and the tables are nicely laid out ****
Staff: Could not have been more helpful. I got the feeling they were genuinely happy to be working there *****
Price: It'd be rude to complain about £40 for three courses and a lot of Prosecco *****
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