THE IVY CAFE, MARYLEBONE

Boozy brunches are one of my favourite things. In fact, I've got lots of favourite things, but boozy brunches are right up there with them. I think it's the feeling of indulging - both in eating much more and much richer food than I normally would for breakfast or lunch, and drinking before midday just feels like all kinds of naughty! Emily and I went to check out the new Ivy Café in Marylebone for a morning of mimosas, buttery pastries and decadent eggs and avocado.

The Ivy Café is the newest of the Ivy group (the original is in Covent Garden and a new Ivy Garden sprung up in Chelsea earlier this year), and is somewhat smaller than its predecessors. Tucked away on Marylebone Lane, it's cosy yet still retains that grandeur associated with the group's other offerings. The walls are covered in ornate mirrors, there's stunning tapestries stitched in around the mirrors and the floors are made up of beautiful coloured tiles.

However, we were there to check out brunch, starting with mimosas, followed shortly by a Red Snapper Bloody Mary, which was utterly delicious - made with gin and green tabasco.

This was swiftly followed by a virtuous green juice of avocado, mint, celery, spinach, apple and parsley - a combination I'll definitely be recreating at home.

Then it was on to food. The weekend brunch menu covers all the bases - there's a full English, a veggie version which sounds excellent (I'm not veggie, obviously, but would happily tuck into a plate of grilled halloumi, avocado, poached eggs, hollandaise, potato hash, flat mushrooms, roast plum tomatoes, watercress and baked beans, without the baked beans!), eggs every way you'd want them, yoghurt and berries, pastries, and what I had - the chopped avocado, roast plum tomatoes, poached hen's eggs, toasted granary and sesame dressing.

The drinks and food were good at The Ivy Café - not mind blowingly good, but definitely worth-a-visit good. What really makes it worthwhile though are the prices. I think of The Ivy and I think top end prices, but The Ivy Café is seriously reasonable. Brunch plates range from £6.25-£13.50 which is as reasonable as you'll get in central London, while the Bloody Mary's £8 and the juice is only £4. I don't think you'll find a nicer, more glamorous location to have brunch in central for those prices. And the lunch and dinner a la carte options don't look bad either.