KuPP, 5 Merchant Square, Paddington, London, W2 1AS www.kupp.co

A few weekends ago we were looking for somewhere new, different and a little bit exciting to go for brunch, when KuPP popped up. The Scandi-inspired restaurant in Paddington Basin seemed like the perfect place, especially as Paddington isn’t an area I’ve really explored before. Clearly an area where a lot of time has been spent developing, the large glass windows and outside seating area of the modern building, looking out onto the canal with the beautiful, old canal boats was a delightful setting on a Saturday morning.

For £30 a person, KuPP offers unlimited Smorgasbord refills alongside either bottomless Czech Pilsner Krusovice, or a choice of special Aquavit cocktails – the Collins or Bloody Mary – which can be enjoyed during a 90-minute sitting. Myself and my brunch-partner both went for the Aquavit Collins – a delicious cocktail which has a hint of aniseed, and bitter lemon. All this made for a very refreshing, and slightly too drinkable cocktail.  

As there were two of us, we decided to try two different bords. Firstly, The Fiske. Bord, which included home-cured Norwegian gravlax, Atlantic prawn Skagen, home-smoked trout, Hanson & Lyderson smoked salmon, KuPP potato salad, roasted beetroot, pickled vegetables, rye bread and Leksands Knacker crispbread.

Everything on the bord was incredibly tasty, from the home-cured gravlax which was soft, melt-in-the-mouth delicious to the Skagen, which was something I’d never tried before – an interesting and tasty mix of prawns, avocado, cucumber and dill. The pickled vegetables added a touch of acidity to the dish that cut through the creaminess of the potato salad, and the roasted beetroot were perfectly sweet and earthy. All this was topped off by the hot-smoked trout, which was delicately smoked and not at all overpowering, or bitter as can sometimes be the case. As KuPP has an open kitchen, we were even able to watch the next batch of trout go into the hot-smoker, which added an extra special touch to the meal.

We also tried KuPP’s namesake, The KuPP board. This one is slightly more meat-based, including house smoked pork meatballs, chorizo sausage roll, smoked Sussex gammon, more KuPP potato salad and pickled vegetables, sourdough, and Leksands Knacker crispbread. The bord also comes with Vasterbotten cheese which, was mysteriously missing from our bord, and potted rabbit which, after being a loving rabbit owner of 12 years, I still struggle with slightly.

Again, this bord was exceptionally good. The chorizo sausage roll was spicy from the chorizo but without the greasiness that sometimes accompanies cooked chorizo. The meatballs were perfectly cooked, and again didn’t have an overpowering smoked flavour, and even the ham tasted good.

If I go back, I think The Fiske Bord would probably pip The KuPP Bord to the post as my favourite but, overall a scrumptious brunch in a very pretty setting, with some incredibly drinkable cocktails. For £30, this is an absolute steal and, for those with little ones you can get a free meal for children with every adult enjoying a bottomless brunch.