McDonald’s breakfast was the first stop on this morning’s Oxford Street walk. I had come out at Tottenham Court Road with a craving for a sausage and egg McMuffin, high expectations for the food and much lower expectations for the coffee. This short film was originally published on 6 September 2016 and records that visit.
Starting at Tottenham Court Road
I usually seek out independent coffee shops and smaller cafés, but this morning had a different theme. Oxford Street prompted a few thoughts about consumer culture, so breakfast at one of its most recognisable chains seemed a fitting start.
The opening shots catch the area around Tottenham Court Road station and Centre Point before I head inside. The restaurant was opposite the station on Oxford Street, beside the Flying Horse pub. From there, I planned to continue walking along the shopping street.
Ordering McDonald’s breakfast
I chose the double sausage and egg McMuffin meal, with a hash brown and a double espresso. The film follows the order through the touchscreen, from the breakfast choices to the coffee selection, then moves to the tray at the table.
While ordering, I joked that McDonald’s should open an all-day breakfast bar in Soho. I had wanted a McMuffin for weeks and said I had not eaten one for years. This was a chance to satisfy that craving before setting off on the walk.
McMuffin and hash brown: the good part
Unwrapped, the muffin held two sausage patties, egg and cheese. I showed the filling to the camera before trying the food. The verdict was straightforward: I enjoyed it. The McMuffin and hash brown delivered the breakfast I had been looking forward to.
There was no elaborate tasting exercise here, just a familiar breakfast eaten at the table. The film leaves room for the order, the unwrapping and the first bites, with the sounds of the restaurant around them.
The double espresso verdict
The coffee was less successful. I described it as over-extracted, which matched the low expectations I had mentioned outside. My verdict on this McDonald’s breakfast therefore came in two parts: good food, disappointing espresso.
That was my experience of this particular cup on this visit. The film captures the reaction at the time, alongside the meal and the restaurant setting.
Back onto Oxford Street
After breakfast I stepped outside and returned to the reason for the wider walk: the pedestrianisation proposals being discussed in 2016. I planned to head from Tottenham Court Road towards Bond Street and film the street with its traffic still passing through.
This breakfast film is an extract from that longer Oxford Street and St Christopher’s Place vlog. Its closing comments belong to the 2016 discussion, and the images preserve the restaurant and street as they appeared then.
For a different breakfast from the same archive, see my Beany Green Paddington brunch and Little Venice walk.
