L'Escargot, Soho: Brunch Review ★★★★★

In a nutshell: Brian Clivaz's newly redecorated restaurant and members' club has recently commenced a Sunday brunch offering, and we can't get enough. We'd wager this is one of the best brunches in London, served in the loveliest of atmospheres – a true hidden gem in the heart of Soho.

The welcome: Walking up Greek Street to the railings within which L'Escargot resides you might be tempted to take a seat on the restaurant's sunny veranda – complete with turf and french café-style tables. It's inside L'Escargot however, that the magic lies. Drifting away from the Soho bustle through the doors of L'Escargot's residential townhouse immediately offers a sense of calm. Offer your coat to the ever-so-French but friendly attendant and tread the wooden floors through to the main restaurant.

The room: Light, spacious and lavishly decorated, the interiors at L'Escargot are its biggest appeal. Guests are greeted by artworks from the likes of Miro, Warhol and Picasso hanging from wood-panelled walls, and lavishly upholstered chairs invite you to recline with a cup of coffee and a newspaper (Sunday papers fan out invitingly on a table by the entrance). Everything is set up to invite hours of whiling away your Sunday all the way from breakfast through to dinner.

The food: The menu is another big sell: you can have as much as you can eat from either the kitchen or the buffet – for £25 including all tea and coffee. À la carte offerings range from eggs Benedict to croque monsieurs, French toast and omelettes. There's a crèpe bar where you can have everything made to order. And that's just the 'breakfast' portion: in pride of place, of course, are L'Escargot's signature snails, but there's also a whole Sunday roast beef with Yorkshire pudding. Salads, from Tabbouleh to goat's cheese and beetroot, and delicious, buttery croissants, line the buffet table. And to finish, there's a selection of cakes and pastries from the in-house pastry chef. We think that's about as comprehensive as brunch can possibly get.

Would we go again?: In a heartbeat.

Anything else?: In true Parisian style, L'Escargot welcomes dogs of all shapes and sizes, both on the terrace and indoors.