A modern British restaurant and bar has opened in the new Centre Point development in London. Contributor Adrienne Fung was there for lunch last month to check out the brunch menu.
Nowadays, new restaurants not only try to impress with their food and drink. What sometimes brings patrons through the front door is how “instagrammable” the place is. My guess is there wouldn’t be a constant queue outside Elan Café if it looked like your neighbourhood Pret!
Enter VIVI, a new all-day brasserie serving modern British fare that’s opened up in the refurbished Centre Point development right above Tottenham Court Road tube station. VIVI is the perfect spot for a break while shopping in Oxford Street or for a pre-theatre dinner or drinks, as it’s located right by London’s West End.
There is no doubt that the team behind VIVI played to 2019’s Instagram-hungry audience when developing the new restaurant’s concept. VIVI is filled with ornate décor and vibrant colours: large pop-art style portraits, bold pinks and teals for the seating, show-stopping chandeliers, and a plethora of gold accents throughout. Large floor to ceiling windows fill the space with plenty of natural light along with sprawling city views, an Instagrammer’s paradise.
VIVI is equally glamorous as it is spacious. If you’ve ever been challenged to find a restaurant big enough to host a sizeable group at the last minute, perhaps your last birthday endeavour, you know the struggle is real. VIVI is the type of venue that caters to that need. It’s certainly big enough to host a group, is ideally located in central London, and not to mention offers a bottomless brunch to get the party started (2 hours of bottomless bubbles for £17.50).
On my visit for brunch, we opted to try the Bloody Mary rather than go for the bottomless sparkling wine. The cocktail hit the spot, but despite our request to have a spicy Bloody Mary, it was relatively mild.
We then tried a few starters including the Prawn Cocktail and Eggs Florentine. Both were delicious and prepared beautifully. The prawn cocktail was fresh and the portion was generous.
My friend loved the Eggs Florentine, though in my opinion their taste and portion size are on par with London standards. One thing is for sure: the hollandaise sauce was very tasty!
My friend then tried the Caesar Salad with grilled chicken for her main along with a side of their mac and cheese. The salad was composed elegantly, however the anchovy flavour was quite overbearing so those a bit squeamish should beware.
The Mac & Cheese was decadent and creamy with a nice pop of crunch from the topping though flavour-wise, lacked depth.
I tried the VIVI beef burger with grilled cheese & onions served with house slaw. The burger was tasty though I would have preferred the beef less cooked. Unfortunately, they didn’t ask me for the temperature I wanted it prepared and the burger came out close to well-done.
We finished the meal with the Treacle Tart served with clotted cream and the Berry Crumble. The tart was gooey and warm, as a treacle tart should be. This was definitely the highlight of our meal.
We had a lovely visit to VIVI. While the menu was a bit hit or miss for us that day, our starters and desserts impressed. The space is full of glam and makes for the perfect venue for a group gathering in the heart of London.
Disclaimer: Adrienne was a guest of the restaurant. All views are her own.
