What to Order at Little Hen, Midtown’s Elegant English Brunch Spot
The classic English tea room is a stately concept, one of subtle elegance where people sip from fine porcelain cups and speak in hushed tones. Essentially, it’s the opposite of everything about Miami. So if one were to open anything resembling a tea room in Miami (outside of an historic railroad village), it would also need to include a heavy dose of flair.
Enter Little Hen, the Midtown brunch spot that somehow fuses English elegance and Miami showmanship in a seamless, delicious package. Can you get afternoon tea, complete with fine China and mini-sandwiches? Absolutely. But can you also get a cocktail filled with cotton candy that dissolves when champagne is poured on top? Little Hen will serve you scones, but they’ll also serve you indulgent French toast and steaming fried chicken and waffles. And this dichotomy is precisely why it’s so popular.
The décor is a mix of floral daintiness and mid century modern color, an aesthetic that sets the stage for the Middlesex-meets-Miami experience. The food is as much a part of the visual design as the furniture and pink-flower china, and each dish appears designed to fit its surroundings. And to do it right, you’ll need to order the right things.
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1. Acai Shake
Indulgence is certainly a big part of the Little Hen experience, but if you’re trying to be at least a little healthy, the acai shake is a good start. It’s all your favorite stars from the classic acai bowl, blended smoothly into a shake-parfait that finishes deliciously smooth.
Little Hen takes care that you’re able to drink this entire thing through a straw, too, serving the granola in sprinkle form so it slurps right up. The flower served on top is a nice touch, too, since nobody’s going to Little Hen and not taking pictures.
2. Rose Petal Pancakes
These pink pancakes dusted in powdered sugar are the stars of Little Hen — so much so the restaurant has trademarked the name. They’re easily the restaurant’s most unique menu item, and much like the flowers they’re named after there’s nothing subtle about them. The small-ish flapjacks give off instant bursts of rose upon first bite, giving way to a spongy texture that leaves them in your mouth longer than your typical breakfast pancake. This not only slows your eating, but also lets your mouth get into the other layers of flavor, as the rose gives way to buttermilk, and then the sweetness of the powdered sugar on top.
They’re served with rose water-infused maple syrup. Try tasting a little on the side to get a sense of what Little Hen is going for — it’s unexpected and completely unconventional.
3. Carnitas Breakfast Tacos
The beautiful thing about Little Hen’s breakfast tacos is how they take the breakfast burrito staples of eggs, pork, and salsa and serve them in a way that won’t weigh you down until dinner. Make no mistake, these aren’t “light” in any sense of the word. But since you can opt to just have one — or all three — how stuffed you get is up to you. The pork skews a little spicier than the average Miamian might be used to from years of eating mojo, but it wakes your mouth up before getting into the eggs. Those eggs are fluffy and clean-tasting, and have just enough grease to meld with the carnitas.
Of course, a taco is only as good as the tortilla it comes in, and Little Hen’s tortilla game is strong. They’re simple corn numbers with sufficient heft to support all the meat inside without skewing starchy. Top your tacos with the red salsa and you’ll add a nice blanket of tomato, whose acid and sweetness cut through the richness.
4. Chicken and Waffles
There are two schools of thought on chicken and waffles: Some believe waffles should come topped with fried chicken, like Colonel Sanders had a baby with Waffle House and swaddled it in maple syrup. Others believe the fried chicken should be a boneless chicken breast, like a Popeye’s sandwich minus the bun. Little Hen falls closer to the latter, serving up a trio of chicken tenders atop a thick Belgian waffle.
These chicken tenders could make a serious case as the best in the city on their own, massive, individually breaded strips of breast that clearly didn’t come off the Sysco truck. They’d demolish any sports bar tenders and could give several fried chicken joints a run for their money. The waffle is good too, with fresh blueberries and strawberries served on the side. If you’re feeling more spicy than sweet, ask for some hot sauce to douse on top. It’s as close to having buffalo wings for breakfast as you’re getting without a tailgate.
5. Bourbon Batter French Toast
The last of Little Hen’s signature brunch dishes is its epic French toast, dredged in bourbon and eggs before it hits the grill. And while Little Hen’s menu is full of calories-be-damned creations, this might be the most decadent thing on the menu. Bourbon is a natural pairing with bacon, as we’ve seen in everything from specialty whiskeys to Funky Buddha beer. So it makes perfect sense when Little Hen loads the plate with bacon strips, so you can get a little slice of smokiness in every bite.
You can order the French toast a few ways, and traditional strawberry compote adds a nice, fruity contrast to the smoky-sweet overtones. Nutella is an interesting option, and one for those with a serious sweet tooth. The bananas foster brings to mind some creative craft bourbons, and for fans of the spirit it’s the top option.
6. Champagne Candy Cloud
Of course, no discussion of Little Hen would be complete without mentioning the Champagne Candy Cloud, a cocktail that’s as much about the show as what’s in the glass. It’s no liquid nitrogen, smoke-and-mirrors cocktail, though, as the presentation begins with your server placing down a martini glass of cotton candy and presenting you with a bottle of Pommery champagne. Then the fun starts, as the champagne flows over the cotton candy, dissolving it in a pink cloud of rosy science that requires everyone at the table to pull out their cameras.
If you’ve had enough drinks on Ocean Drive, you’d probably expect this show to end with an overly-sweet assault on your mouth that can be tolerated for two sips, tops. Not the case here, though, as the soft rose petals and bite of the champagne mute the abundance of sugar, and create a surprisingly well-balanced drink. It’s not as refined as what you’d find in an English tea room. But this is Miami — what did you expect?
