European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 16, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The Pirk room it the Hyde Pirli hotel often i grind telling for by fut. The English breakfast chewing Down in London by Andrew i. Yarrow new York times Long before anyone worried about cholesterol there was the English breakfast and Long after All the  controversies have subsided the morning repast of eggs sausage Bacon and buttered marmalade Laden Toast undoubtedly will live on. Ii May not be a meal to be Savoured for its culinary delights but it can be a feast for the eyes and ears at some of London s atmospheric morning eateries. Lust As London is a City of Many faces and Many moods so Are its breakfast restaurants. Amid the Ham and egg joints hamburger restaurants and Early morning pubs there is  elegance in knights Ridge dickensian grittiness near the Smithfield meat Market Arl and Heater crowd in endless near coven Garden and an All hours spot fur night trawling dub hoppers in Soho. Hyde Park hotel Short of an audience with the Queen it s hard to picture a grander Selling to begin the Day than the Park room at the Hyde Park hotel. Diners Are surrounded by Marble columns twinkling chandeliers pastel murals marvelous Antiques and an incomparable View of Hyde Park. The room could inhabit a museum of decorative arts if nol for the periodic intrusion of a grilled Kipper a Tureen of croissants or an Overly attentive waiter. Breakfasts Are Large and pricey but the More food the Beller since the excuse of eating allows one to linger in this Oasis of Lurn of the Century gentility. Each Wing of the a shaped dining room has about a dozen tables that Ace huge picture windows he tree lined dirt promenade known As 22 Rotten Row. On  mornings the Best time to make a reservation a steady procession of horses Irons past on the Park s great equestrian Roadway. Inside the clientele is generally As sedate As the setting. Well dressed scions of the British upper Trust and a smattering of Continental and american travellers speak in subdued tones or pore Over their sunday newspapers. The closest thing to flamboyance Here is Likely to be a liner gingerly wagging his Finger for service. The biggest of the three breakfasts offered is a feast called the Knight abridge that for $31.25, includes scrambled eggs wrapped in scottish smoked Salmon Melon with Lemon sorbet brioche Rolls juice and Champagne. The English breakfast $20 features fruit cereals kippers and Finnan Haddie and the obligatory assortment of Silver bowls full of marmalade Jam Honey and preserves accompanies the Continental breakfast $1 5.5 1. All prices Are calculated Al an Exchange rate of $15 to the Pound. The Hyde Park hotel Del. 2 15-2000 is at b knights Ridge. And breakfast is served from 7 30 to 10 30 . Fox & Anchor Disraeli once observed that there Are two England and the persistent reality of the country s class distinctions is cast Inlo Sharp Relief by a Quick ride on the underground from Knightsr Illge to a delightfully rough edged working class pub near the Farringdon Street station called the Fox s. Anchor. This dark narrow restaurant a few blocks from the cavernous Smithfield meat Market would be More comfortable in a Dickens novel than in the real life precincts of Lale-20lh-Century England. The neighbourhood is a melange of quiet squares and bustling cobbled streets where bum marees push two wheel carts filled with beef and poultry and while coated doctors come and go from St. Bartholomew s Hospital founded in 1123. Breakfasts which Are about $3.25 to $10.75, consist of giant slabs of Ham and seas of eggs not to mention kidneys Black pudding and pints of ale. The very fact that ale and other alcoholic beverages Are served from 6 to . Only begins to explain this eatery s rather Quirky charms. Because of its proximity to the meat Market the restaurant has a special liquor License to serve Market workers whose nocturnal working hours make it their lunchtime when most londoners Are waking up. Bui the porters and other Market workers who sidle up to the bar at 7 . Are nol the Only regulars. Young Doc tors nurses and medical students from St. Bartholomew s also fill the tables and red plastic banquettes. The panelled Walls Are decorated with equestrian prints mounted plates and a ferocious looking stuffed Fox perched next to a Rusly Anchor. The Fox & Anchor is Al 115 charterhouse St., and breakfast is served from 6 to 10 30 . Cafe Casbar if cappuccino and Art posters Are More to one s liking than Black pudding and stuffed foxes a Good destination might be the cafe Casbar. This Small sleek cafe is in the heart of coven Garden and its look and menu Are obviously geared to the District s artists and theater people. The restaurant s neighbors include several galleries a theater rental warehouse wine bars teahouses and record and Book shops. A few blocks away of course Are the Royal opera House Many West end Heaters and the assemblage of boutiques Antiques stalls and restaurants that make up coven Garden Market. A Glass counter filled with takeout salads and pastries greets one at the door and the Small multinational menu runs the Gamut from bagels and brie sandwiches to Muesli and English Bacon. Affirming its impeccably arty credentials the restaurant which Calls itself a cafe gallery has adorned its White Brick Walls with Black and White photographs gallery posters and flyers for London s hottest Rock music clubs. The waiters look like actors or Art students and the patrons Are generally Young and look like they also work in the theater. The cafe Casbar is at 52 i Arlam St., near the covent Garden underground station. Breakfast is served from 9 to 11 30 . On weekdays and from 10 to 11 3 . On saturdays. It s closed sundays. Harry s All night cafe although London is hardly a City thai goes to bed Early the american innovation known As the All night breakfast has not yet caught on in England. A notable exception is Harry s All night cafe. This Hole in the Wall Soho restaurant on a Small dark thoroughfare a few blocks from Regent Street serves English and american style breakfasts from 10 . To 9 . On weekdays and until 6 . On saturdays and 8 . On sundays. It is closed sunday nights. The reason for such hours presumably aside from the inevitable demand from insomniacs and Jet lagged travellers is Harry s proximity to assorted nightclubs. Indeed on most weekdays Only the Small downstairs dining area is open until 3 ., when the clubs close and crowds arrive to ill the upstairs. The downstairs area has Only a couple of Booths and tables As Well As stools facing Blue Formica counters thai wrap around the room. A Large mural thai extends toward the bar and Kitchen includes an assortment of such celebrities As John , Liza Minnelli. Groucho Marx and Marilyn Monroe lined up in front of Harry s. Orange globes and tiny White lights built Inlo suspended platform like fixtures illuminate the room. Harry s diners Are Cut from a different cloth from those who might be found Al either the Hyde Park room or the Fox & Anchor. Us mostly Young crowd could have been transplanted from Avenue a in Manhattan. This is a Smoky noisy Friendly Bunch. Harry s is a Good place or a Clandestine late night meeting or a sudden after hours craving for american waffles with Cream syrup and Ira berries $6.50. The menu also includes Steak and eggs $11.50deep Fried potato skins with sour Cream and salad $6pancakes $5 and the Standard English breakfast of eggs Bacon sausage and chips $8.25. Harry s Lei. 4 34-0309 is Al 19 kingly St., a 10-minute walk from the Piccadilly underground station