“A meal without wine is called breakfast”
– Zack Charilaou
Prior to the first arrivals during the breakfast service, there’s a hushed tranquillity in the restaurant. The staff ‘string out’ the room, aligning all of the glassware, tables and cutlery with long twine; nothing short of immaculate symmetry will do. They walk the perimeter of GRILL and RAW, arranging the cushions in the booths, adjusting the chairs so the spacing is equidistant, before returning to the waiting station and preparing the breakfast couverts – cast-iron teapots and slate trays bring an exotic, rustic feel to the table. After taking stock of arrivals, the kitchen staff begin their prep work for the day, chopping onions, sautéing mushrooms and whipping eggs in quiet concentration. It’s not long before the doors swing open, waiting staff receive the first orders of the day and relay them to the chefs. The day at M is underway.
Throughout this book, you’ll find recipes that cater to both the saintly and sinful sides of dining. Anyone who has visited the city of Melbourne will know what a key role healthy breakfasts play in the average day of the modern Australian, and Michael brings this ethos to London. Working first hand with Shannon Bennett, he learned the best ways to prepare organic, sustainable and nutritionally rich food. The menu you’ll find at M offers many nutritious, wholesome dishes that are packed with flavour and interesting to eat.
Take, for example, the porridge, optimised with quinoa, flavoured with coconut and studded with oats, bananas and hazelnuts. This superfood take on a breakfast staple is not only friendly to the taste buds, but very kind to the waistline. It’s been configured to maximise energy, whilst minimising caloric intake. In short, it’s the perfect meal to prepare you for a big day in the boardroom, and not terribly difficult to make at home either.
Where one may follow a path of virtue another may follow a path of vice, and M caters for this as well. There’s quite an explosive arsenal available for the decadent eater. Take, for instance, The M Breakfast – a fusillade of smoked baked beans, coal-cooked tomatoes, hash brown, pork sausage, pork belly rashers and slow-cooked 62°eggs – which is enough to lay any hangover to rest during a long weekend brunch.
Michael hopes you have as much fun preparing them as the M chefs do. Saint or sinner, the most important thing is that you’re well fed.