God Save the Food | Milan

Friday 19 September | 2014

Milan is such a reliable city. Ahead of your visit you know that the shopping will be great, the streets lively, the food superb, and the weather nice and warm. Today is no exception.

As usual, our quest was to escape the tourist spots and find the locals. And here they are – in God Save the Food, soaking up the indoor sunshine provided by the lofty white interior with its bright yellow accents. Ranked about three thousandth in Milan on silly TripAdvisor, we are feeling very pleased with ourselves to find this place.

People watching is so much more fun in Milan. The stylish clothes, the sunglasses, the hair, the shoes… amazing women wearing sky high heels, but without the heels! An hour staring out the window of God Save the Food, or any Milanese hotspot for that matter, is an hour invested in your own creative development.

So what’s for breakfast? Hash browns are a brunch item we haven’t seen in a year, which is interesting given Germany’s affection for the similar rosti. So we ordered eggs Benedict served with hash browns (€14.00), with some hash browns on the side (€4.00). At God Save the Food the prized patties are a clever mix of creamy mashed potato coated in crunchy shredded potato, creating a delicious clash of textures.

The bagel under the eggs Benedict is not quite working for us – having left the soft chewy haven of America in the direction of Italy, it is more like a dry and crunchy crostini. However inside our golden sack are slices of the most amazing fresh semolina bread, which we are more than happy to exchange. There is also enough bread to mop up the lip-smackingly good housemade hollandaise.

The Greek yoghurt and muesli (€6.00) might look ordinary, but it’s again outstanding. The rich Greek yoghurt was so good that we were taken back to our travels in Santorini, and while the muesli looks simple, it was brought to life with wholegrain oats, candied citrus peel and a drizzle of honey.

Looking around, the club sandwiches (€13-15) are the most popular choice. There are seven different types, packed with interesting yet harmonious fillings, then dressed with oil or salsa and lightly toasted.

Lavazza coffee calls itself Italy’s favourite. The cappuccino qualifies as a good, well rounded brew, if a little basic, especially when served so simply.

Besides coffee, God Save the Food has an extensive fresh juice menu for a flavourful health kick. The 14 different juices (€6.00) are laid out on the menu with their associated health benefits, making it hard to choose between grapefruit, fennel and apple (digestive), or pineapple, coconut water and banana (regenerative), or simple kiwifruit and pear (detox).

Traditional Italian crostatas lead the cake cabinet, along with an iced walnut brownie slice, and something else that looks like an apple pie. With so much variety in the international menu, the simple cake selection is well justified.

Weekend brunch at God Save the Food works on Italian time – a few hours late, or from 12-4pm. That leaves enough time to sleep in and catch a few hours shopping in the city first. Fantastico!

Brunch perfection – interesting, beautiful and molto buono!

Plan your Italian love affair at GStF with the menu below:

God Save the Food
Via Tortona 34
20144 Milan
Italy