Heathrow T3 for breakfast – advice, please

[jj]

I have an upcoming Oneworld flight from LHR T3 departing at 10:00, so I’m looking for the lounge with the best breakfast…it’s a little early for cocktails, champagne or noodles which are the focus of most online reviews. I can access the F lounges and have an Amex Platinum.

I think my choices are Cathay, BA, American (but the Admirals Club is closed), Qantas, Centurion and No 1. I’m familiar with the Cathay F lounge and it’s a lovely spot for lunch, but is it also the place for a great breakfast?

I’m generally not precious about what I eat but I’m not a fan of breakfast buffets. I like freshly cooked breakfast classics like omelette, porridge, hot kippers, eggs benedict, etc. Really good coffee and first class fruit juice are absolute prerequisites.

Ta

[Rob]

Rhys is doing a T3 breakfast lounge tour on Thursday, so if you can wait a week or so (or just email him on Monday) he’ll let you know!

A sit-down meal in the Cathay First restaurant is likely to be your best option though.

[meta]

Cathay and Qantas do table service. I prefer Cathay F for breakfast. Haven’t sampled Centurion food for breakfast, but I imagine it would be nice, but it’s a buffet. Drinks are table service.

[jj]

Rob Burgess wrote:

Rhys is doing a T3 breakfast lounge tour on Thursday, so if you can wait a week or so (or just email him on Monday) he’ll let you know!

A sit-down meal in the Cathay First restaurant is likely to be your best option though.

That will be a great article with terrible timing, as I travel on Saturday. Rhys – if you see this and have the chance to drop a sentence or two into the forum once you’ve formed a view, that would be great.

It sounds like I should head straight to the super-elegant Cathay F lounge.

[Rhys]

I’ll try my best!

[Lady London]

I can tell you the BA breakfast in the lounge in T3 is an excellent whisky and a soggy bacon roll.

I think I’d give the Centurion a try. I thought the CX First Loungw food options at any hour before the noodle bar opened were poor. So I’d finish there as my last lounge of the day. I can’t remember being particularly impressed by the QF lounge breakfast options either. They were pedestrian but still heaps better than BA.

[Carlos]

Nandos do breakfast but its at Gatwick

[masaccio]

jj wrote:

It sounds like I should head straight to the super-elegant Cathay F lounge.

Pre-pandemic I did loads of Cathay flights in the morning from T3 but I always opted for a fairly light breakfast so can’t comment on what the restaurant is like for breakfast. I just like how relaxed and classy the Cathay First lounge is. Any of them basically including T3.

[Rhys]

Lady London wrote:

I can tell you the BA breakfast in the lounge in T3 is an excellent whisky and a soggy bacon roll.

I think I’d give the Centurion a try. I thought the CX First Loungw food options at any hour before the noodle bar opened were poor. So I’d finish there as my last lounge of the day. I can’t remember being particularly impressed by the QF lounge breakfast options either. They were pedestrian but still heaps better than BA.

Don’t they do noodles for breakfast?

[John]

The OP has access to F lounges. BA GF should have a proper English buffet with additional items by table service. Not sure what the covid changes are now.

I’ve tried QF for breakfast a few times and the buffet options were always quite sparse, I tried to order off the menu but they always made some excuses to not do it, like the chef was not here, or only after 10am, so I stopped going in the morning.

Obviously CX F and J will have the best ambiance. When I was gold I would usually just go to CX F and order one dish in the dining area, then decant to the J section for the buffet +/- noodle bar if open.

But if I wanted to eat a lot of slightly lower quality food I would go to BA first and load up, then move onto CX J.

Now as a silver the BA bacon roll is not appealing so I would just go to CX J only. However last time I was in T5 GC (November) they were doing some additional dishes via menu, not sure if that is happening in T3 too?

[meta]

CX F has a really extensive à la carte menu with both Western and Asian options. I also think they have full English on the menu. They do noodles at any time of the day.

Skip BA lounge in T3, it’s bad. Not sure why people reading HfP, bother going there or even recommend it other than for magazine selection when there are three other lounges that are miles better.

[Lady London]

@Rhys when I was there well pre-Covid until the noodle bar opened there were no noodles. I think it opened at 1000 or 1030, which was when I had to head out for my flight.

I also visited the CDG CX Lounge for a big chunk of a day on a connection and the opening hours of the noodle bar were extremely limited too.

[EDB99]

jj wrote:

I’m generally not precious about what I eat but I’m not a fan of breakfast buffets. I like freshly cooked breakfast classics like omelette, porridge, hot kippers, eggs benedict, etc. Really good coffee and first class fruit juice are absolute prerequisites.

Personally, I really enjoyed my last breakfast at the Centurion lounge but it does not match your requirements, at least not fully.

The hot options are not cooked-to-order. Instead, they put out small plates with individual servings and let those sit on a hot surface until someone takes them. Decent quality stuff but again, not made-to-order.

In terms of what to expect: Several options seemed inspired by Levantine cuisine. There was a shakshuka, a vegan hash with chickpeas and potatoes, and kubalah bread served with different labnehs (one with date molasses, one with sumac and tomato). They’ve got more standard fare as well, during my visit: Pulled ham hock with poached eggs and truffled hollandaise, mushrooms braised in herbs, fruit plates, whole fruits, bircher musli, greek yoghurt with granola, other yoghurt, and a kale and red quinoa salad.

Their self-serve coffee was decidedly average. If I am not mistaken, there is no barista. I believe there is no dedicated bartender before 10 in the morning. Staff will ask around and go behind the bar in an ad-hoc fashion when someone wants a mimosa or something.

Can’t really compare the Centurion to the F lounges in T3 as I usually only get to use the Oneworld business lounges…

[jj]

Thanks for the advice, all. I used the Cathay First lounge in the end and it ticked all my boxes. Lovely food, great coffee and juice, fab ambience and flawless service.