L’ETO Café Brompton Road – Our Review
Written by Martin Seymour | Editor, The Mayfair Foodie | About Me
Well, dear reader, sometimes you have to venture beyond my familiar Mayfair haunts to discover something rather special. L’ETO Brompton, the latest addition to this growing London chain, has just opened its doors at 215 Brompton Road – and having watched L’ETO quietly expand across the capital over the years, I thought it high time to pay them a visit.
I’m not one to pigeonhole restaurants or cafés, but it is my job to let you know what to expect from a visit to L’ETO. For me, based on my experience, it is a smart continental café that is very much in vogue in London – and about time too, as we have been behind the rest of Europe in this regard for years. Visit Paris or Vienna, and you will find cafés catering for the luxury end of the market on nearly every street.
L’ETO describes itself as “too formal to be a café, and not formal enough to be a restaurant” – which I get – but L’ETO to me offers a lot of different reasons to visit: lunch, breakfast or brunch, pop in for a cake and tea or coffee, a celebration or just fifteen minutes of me-time. All of this in very nice, relaxed surroundings. As you can see from the pictures, L’ETO is luxury personified in terms of décor.
The Story Behind L’ETO
I like to know the story behind the name. With nine branches now in London making a total of 42 branches globally – the others based in the Middle East – it was time to find out more. The café was founded by Artem Login, who comes from a family of restaurateurs in Siberia, Russia. The name “L’ETO” is a play on the Russian word for “summer” (лето/leto), with the apostrophe added to give it a French-European feel. As Login explained in an interview, he’s from Siberia, where they have eight months of winter, and London doesn’t get enough summer either – so the name is an ironic play on the idea that “summer always goes on here.”
The family moved to London in 2009, and Login started the first café in Soho’s Wardour Street in 2011, initially focusing on cakes.
L’ETO Drinks Menu
Before we dive into the food offering at L’ETO, let’s take a look at the drinks menu. In keeping with the continental theme, drinks share equal star billing with the food.
As you would expect, they offer a large range of speciality coffees. The tea menu is equally interesting, with a range of artisan teas – if you fancy sea buckthorn, passion fruit and ginger tea, you are in the right place. The loose-leaf selection runs from Japanese green teas to English Breakfast, while the body and mind selection and healthy matchas complement the healthy eating menu.
If you are celebrating, look no further than the cocktails on offer, along with wines and beers.
So what did we go for – was it a coffee or maybe a green tea? No. As it was lunch (any excuse), I enjoyed a nice glass of Albariño and my guest a glass of Prosecco. No surprise there.
Our Lunch at L’ETO Brompton
We kicked off with an ever-popular brunch classic at L’ETO: the halloumi and crushed avocado bagel, served with fried egg and a chilli jam. The perfect brunch dish, and no wonder it is so popular – it tastes as good as it looks. Instagrammers must love it here, and it’s good to see the chilli jam was not just on the plate for appearance; it has a lovely kick. As you can see from the picture, even my questionable photography skills show the bagel in a good light.
Once eaten, you feel healthy yet full enough to last you through until dinner.
As it was lunchtime, we moved to the “Plates” section of the menu, which covers more substantial dishes such as king prawn linguine, smash burger and Caesar salad. We went with a grilled spring chicken served with roasted potatoes and a garden salad. We also ordered the Russian-influenced beef and pork pelmeni dumplings.
I should mention that the menu also contains a range of sides and add-ons. As we were tempted to have a brunch starter, we refrained with one eye on saving room for dessert.
The grilled spring chicken arrived, again well presented and a perfect lunch dish in terms of size – and with healthy eating in mind. The chicken was soft and tender with a slightly crisp texture from grilling, the roasted potatoes were lovely, and served with the salad, it was the perfect combination.
I’m a sucker for all types of dumplings, whether dim sum or pierogi, so it was time to try the traditional Russian pelmeni. They were served in a luxurious butter sauce which coated the dumplings, accompanied by a sour cream dip. I think the combination of pork and beef works well, with the pork giving a little more fat content. The seasoning of the meat was simple – I’m guessing onion, maybe a little garlic and pepper. The dumpling casing was delicate, as you would expect, and the butter sauce and sour cream lifted the dish to another level. The portion size was large; I counted fifteen dumplings, which is sharer territory – or for the very hungry.
L’ETO Cakes and Desserts
Anticipation was growing, as L’ETO does not have a dessert menu. Instead, there is a beautiful counter display that you visit and ogle, choosing your dessert from the array in front of you. I should say a lot of fellow diners were in L’ETO simply for a coffee and a pastry, and looking at the options, I can see why L’ETO is noted for their cake selection.
For us, after a big lunch, we decided to share a Napoleon cake. It was a close-run thing – other contenders were the carrot cake, lemon meringue pie and the glorious-looking Snickers cheesecake. They all looked seriously good.
The Napoleon cake consists of multiple layers of puff pastry (or sometimes a crisp, biscuit-like pastry) sandwiched with pastry cream. It looked like a French mille-feuille; however, I’m told the mille-feuille typically has three layers of puff pastry with two layers of cream, while the Russian Napoleon often features more numerous layers. Apparently, this delight was created to celebrate the centenary of Russia’s victory over Napoleon in 1812 – some way to celebrate! Our version was topped with fresh strawberries.
I have to admit, on appearance, it looked like it could be heavy. Quite the opposite – it was as light as a feather, and the Russian version of a mille-feuille was an absolute delight.
Conclusion
So that was our lunch at L’ETO. If you are looking for a little bit of affordable luxury, L’ETO ticks all the boxes: beautiful restaurant, a menu full of options from healthy eating to delicious plates, and attentive service. On that note, a special mention to Jenisha – her natural charm made a lovely lunch even better.
L’ETO has found a sweet spot in London’s café scene, bringing a touch of continental elegance that we’ve been missing. Whether you’re popping in for one of their stunning cakes, settling in for brunch, or enjoying a leisurely lunch with friends, L’ETO Brompton is well worth a visit.
Where to Find L’ETO Brompton RD
L’ETO Brompton
215 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London SW3 2EJ
Check other branches on the website
Nearest Stations:
South Kensington – Piccadilly, District and Circle lines
Knightsbridge – Piccadilly line
