The Good Egg - Christmas in Jerusalem Special

Merry Christmas one and all! I won't take up too much of your festive free time today; this is a short and snappy post.

With any luck, Father Christmas & co. brought you a load of cash that you don't know how to spend, or the holiday season has at least put you in a generous mood.

Either way, The Good Egg needs you!

Fresh from making waves on the London street food & brunch scene, Joel Braham (Top Londoners to watch in 2014 - Evening Standard), Oded Mizrachi (ex-Ottolenghi pastry chef) & friends at The Good Egg are looking to settle down permanently with an all-day brunch café in Stoke Newington.

They are raising the funds through Crowdcube, aiming to collect £180,000 by the end of January. Christmas Day saw them reach 50%, so things are going well, but now they need that big push to the finish.  If you haven't yet had any of their incredible Shakshuka, all the more reason to dig deep! Check out the video below (email readers click here) for more details:

If you need a little more encouragement, here are some photos from a fantastic Christmas in Jerusalem brunch that they put on at the new Kitchenette space in Ladbroke Grove last weekend.

After a little bit of deliberation, we ordered everything on the menu:

Thick cut, house-cured spiced and smoked NY-style Pastrami with Xmas pickles and Russian dressing

Homemade labneh, za'atar and olive oil

Buttermilk fried chicken with za'atar & cranberry and habenero honey

Sweet challah French toast with figs, spiced creme fraiche and date syrup

Cardamom roast squash with rocket, tahini and seeds

Sweetcorn and zucchini latkes with sour cream and homemade guacamole

Brussel sprout salad with feta, pancetta & lemon

Shakshuka with grilled halloumi

Hansen & Lyderson smoked salmon plate with cream cheese, lemon & capers

Fluffy scrambled egg pot

Freshly baked poppy-seed bagels & challah with tahini, olive oil and za'atar

Shakshuka with grilled halloumi

Brussel sprout salad with feta, pancetta & lemon

Thick cut, house-cured spiced and smoked NY style Pastrami with pickles & Russian dressing

Buttermilk fried chicken w/ za'atar & cranberry and habanero honey

Sweet challah French toast w/ figs, spiced creme fraiche and date syrup

One hit after another (that buttermilk chicken...) was washed down with Clementine Mimosas & coffees.  Another day and I might have been up for a Rosemary & Gin Fizz, or a Big Wave Golden Ale (both good signs for booze options at their restaurant), but I was too focused on the food.

What little space we had left was soon full of donuts; homemade Chanukah donuts with eggnog custard to be precise, plus some moreish Babka bread and butter pudding.

Chanukah donuts with eggnog custard

London does brunch, but not like this.  It's going to be a runaway success once it opens, we just need to make sure it has the chance to do so!  Even if you just chuck £10 their way, every little helps.  Get involved if you can on Crowdcube and/or spread the word by sharing this post on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ etc. using the buttons at the bottom of this post.

Eggciting times ahead. Sorry.

Happy Chanukkah faces at The Good Egg Christmas in Jerusalem Brunch at Kitchenette