Church on a Sunday to me means sitting in my Sunday best, singing a long to a few songs and drinking refreshments with the locals at the end. Well, that’s kind of how I’d describe my experience at Amazing Grace’s bottomless brunch.
Yes, that’s right: bottomless brunch in a church. Amazing Grace is housed inside a 17th Century church, just around the corner from London Bridge.
Now a bar and live music venue rather than a place to pray, the Grade II listed building hosts an amazing Gospel Bottomless Brunch. Obviously, they had me at the promise of flowing prosecco, live music and delicious food alone.
As soon as I walked into the venue, I was impressed by my surroundings. The original, untouched woodwork of the altar frames a live gospel choir who belt out Motown classics gorgeously.
READ MORE: ‘I tried Gino D’Acampo’s £19 Full English breakfast at his London restaurant and it was better than Gordon Ramsay’s’
(Image: MyLondon)
At first, my friend and I are seated right at the front of the room, extremely close to the stage. This felt like an awkward place to be, as the thought of downing prosecco in direct proximity of the choir seemed a little too unholy.
Swiftly, the friendly staff moved us from the large, daunting table to a lovely little spot on the upper terrace. From here, I could look over at the stage, admire the stain glass windows and happily drink my prosecco in sin.
I clink my prosecco glass with my friend and enjoy that familiar first hit of bubbly fizz.
Whilst the choir may have been singing Lean on Me by Bill Withers when we first sat down, they moved on to the raunchier Pony by Ginuwine. An interesting mix of music, but myself and the bubbled up room of brunchers definitely didn’t complain.
(Image: MyLondon)
I was enjoying bopping along as I became increasingly boozed up, but the singers’ break came at a perfect time. The atmosphere of fun engulfed me and I laughed away with my friend as we continued clinking our glasses at every refill – it’s the unspoken rule of bottomless brunch.
Oh and the food, the incredible food. Speaking from a sober mind, I can still say this was some of best food I’ve had at a bottomless brunch like this.
Peckham’s beloved Taiwanese food trader, Mr Bao, supply the menu, and it’s immense. Favourites from my feast include the tender and tangy Bacon Bao with plum sauce, the spicy and hearty Mapo Beans with Hash Brown and the deliciously filling Scallion Pancake with Mushroom.
Despite the ear-pleasing singers on stage, a small element of the food stole the show for me; the Mushroom XO sauce that accompanied my prawn crackers. It was so, so good. Full of flavours and textures, it had my friend and I drunkenly-mumbling all the way home that we just had to buy the biggest jar we could find.
As I indulged in utter foodie-delight, my good friend prosecco just kept on flowing.
Despite being a little slow to get started with, Amazing Grace’s servers soon aid me in fulfilling my commitment to making the most I could of the bottomless bubbles – even if I did regret my choices on Monday morning.
The singers continue to cover all sorts of hits and within an hour, they had me singing along to Happy by Pharrell Williams. By the holy powers of bottomless brunch, I certainly resonated with the lyrics.
It’s just impeccable Sunday vibes. Whilst some may feel a little guilt from drinking alcohol non-stop in an old church, I took great pleasure in telling my mum I had in fact been to church that Sunday, in some form.
London has it all – the best nightlife, food, drink, events, markets, everything!
But how do you keep on top of this? Our weekly What’s On newsletter, Going Out Out, is how.
You’ll get a fully curated newsletter with the most exciting stories, reviews, previews and more – including original content – every single week.
And the best bit? It’s completely FREE.
All you have to do is sign up for Going Out Out here.
Amazing Grace’s Gospel Brunch runs on Sundays each month and tickets start at £10, with a broad choice of food and drink to choose from to match your budget. And I certainly think it’s worth it.
It’s miles better than sitting in some random, same-old London bar with dull speakers playing the top charts whilst you attempt to line your stomach on sub-par food.
This Gospel Brunch however supplies incredible food, wonderful music and gorgeous surroundings. Something a little different to shake up your boring brunches.
You can find Amazing Grace at 9a St Thomas St, London SE1 9RY.
Do you have a favourite hidden gem restaurant, pub or bar in London you think we should know about? If so, please email [email protected] or [email protected]
Read More
Related Articles
Read More
Related Articles
https://www.mylondon.news/whats-on/food-drink-news/amazing-grace-bottomless-brunch-church-23209971