Breakfast at Élan Café

   Élan - situated in both Park Lane and Brompton Road - is renowned for its awe-inspiring floral decor and intricately prepared dishes from avocado toast to assortments of cakes and sweet treats

   I ventured there a few weeks ago with my best friend, Sav, and we were stunned by the sheer beauty of the place. All we knew - at this point - was that it was incredibly hyped up on social media by various bloggers and food enthusiasts but did it live up to these built-up expectations?

The floral decor blew me away; it was the first thing I noticed when I entered the café.

   Luckily, we got there moments before a long queue began to form and just as a couple prepared to leave. We were able to be seated immediately.

   The first thing we did was snap pictures of the beautiful ornamentation - vintage signs, pink roses, branches of blossom cascading down from an artificial tree, lit up signs. It was fair to say, I felt very in my element.

   Never having tried avocado before - except in guacamole - I opted for the avocado toast topped with smoked salmon, feta and poached egg with peach iced tea and a slice of chocolate macaroon cake.

Everything followed an elaborate theme that made the entire place homely.

   As our cakes arrived first, we tucked into those - the wrong way round, I know! However, after the morning of travelling to Knightsbridge, we were quite hungry. The cake was divine - very tasty and not too sickly so I still had room for the toast. It also allowed me to try my first macaroon, which was slightly chewier than a meringue.

I know what you're thinking: She's never tried avocado or macaroons? Is she even a blogger? I certainly am now HA!

The chocolate macaroon cake was my favourite.

   About the avocado though... *cough*... don't bite my head off but I didn't like it and I found out the pricey way. The dish was ornately presented with curls of cucumber placed at the side of the sour-dough toast and pomegranate seeds scattered over it. The salmon was silky to the touch and added the much-needed saltiness, whilst the perfectly runny egg complimented the toast very well.

   I would have enjoyed this dish very much had it not been for the untimely discovery of my hatred for avocados, the odd bit of gristle and the addition of pomegranate seeds (this was not stated on the menu). In my view, there's nothing worse than chewing and finding something small and solid in your mouth!

Sour-dough toast topped with poached egg, feta and smoked salmon.

   Unfortunately, I was unable to finish the avocado toast; the taste of feta and avocado merged to make a very sickly taste in my mouth. I really wanted to like avocado, it was such a shame.

   The toast came to £15.35, the tea cost £5.50 and the cake was £7.50 - not including the service charge, this came to a staggering £28.35! In my opinion, I do think the food there is overpriced for what it is. Taking into account the decor and the fantastic service, I would accept that it would be more expensive than your usual café but not quite so much considering there is already an additional service charge.

There was a variety of cakes and other delicious sweet treats to choose from - I wanted them all!

   So, is it worth the hype? If it's a flawless string of Insta-worthy photos you're after then you will not be disappointed. The presentation is 10/10. I must digest, if you are looking to get a picture specifically in front of the flower wall, DO NOT go to the café in Knightsbridge because there are tables set up in front of that one and no room.

   The food is exquisite and very particular. A bit on the pricey side but, again, the presentation is on point and the menu is very unique - good for if you want to give some new foods a try!

Have you ever been to Élan? Do you want to go? Do you know any other cute cafés like this in London?

Let me know in the comments below!