The European

The great coffee, fabulous fine dining and the fact that you can find authentic Eggs Benedict is almost enough to make this reviewer contemplate moving to Victoria. Now if only the weather were in the same league!

The European on a Saturday mid-morning is a heaving brunch venue. If, like us, you find you can't get in then leave your name at the door and head next door to get an excellent coffee at the Supper Club, which appears to be owned by the same people.

The Supper Club will be a stop on our next visit for an evening drink as it has a tempting evening menu of tapas like tastes and an excellent wine list.

After we had waited about 20 minutes we were collected and ushered through an adjoining door into the European next door. This venue is aptly named and has a very Parisian brassierie feel about it. We sat down and ordered the Eggs Benedict and some excellent (loose leaf) tea.

The Eggs Benedict arrived fast which is always a plus when dealing with poached eggs. The eggs were on authentic no fuss English muffins and lay on top of some decent (if not fabulous) ham. The yolks were perfectly soft when touched with a fork and the hollandaise, whilst it could have benefited from a little more lemon or vinegar, was quite acceptable.