Brew (Bar, Restaurant)

Top 10 things you need to know about Café Brew, Putney:

1) Three things we know about Australians: they love their coffee; they love their brunches; and they hate British winters. Café Brew – the fourth of these Antipodean-influenced café-restaurants in London – caters perfectly to all of these.

2) Putney’s Brew Café – the largest of the four – is cosy-cool and makes every effort to feel independent (they firmly insist that they are NOT a chain).

3) A typical Aussie, Jason Wells – who owns the Brew Cafes and who began his career as a butcher – isn’t one for winter. So much so that he has pretty much weather-proofed the restaurant’s terrace (which hosts film nights every Wednesday).

4) In fact, you can all but wake up on said terrace: punters can lazily enjoy brunch in one of the Bedouin-inspired beds complete with Bollinger Champagne and a waiter to serve you your personalised breakfast menu. Think poached Turkish eggs or Brindisa chorizo scrambled eggs on sourdough toast.

5) They whipped me up the best Bloody Mary (the perfect accompaniment for the aforementioned breakfast in bed) that I have had in a long time. It had the perfect kick and came with a Vegemite solider, naturally.

6) The varied menu is inspired by Jason’s world travels. He’s particularly interested in combining elements of Brooklyn-ite and Israeli grub, as well as some from his home turf.

7) All manner of eclectic wood fire pizzas (curried monkfish or chorizo and king prawn) are made in their handmade clay oven – from which freshly-baked breads also emerge – including their famous dessert pizzas.

8) Meat fan? You're in the right place. In a nod to Jason's first trade, this Brew branch has a butcher’s shop with a dry-aging fridge for every conceivable kind of steak. You can choose the exact cut, weight and size of your steak before it’s grilled on the BBQ.

9) And as with any Aussie place, care has been taken over the coffee: it's all from their partners Allpress, freshly roasted in Shoreditch daily.

10) So aside from coffee, brunch and meat-aplenty, what else do Aussies love? Keeping fit. And in somewhat a bizarre twist, Brew are launching a new health and fitness club where they can enjoy 45 minute boot camp style classes. Perfect for burning off all that tucker. ...read more