Monty's, Southsea | Restaurant review

Bottomless brunch is a new-ish trend where diners can enjoy unlimited prosecco with a breakfast meal of their choice. It’s like Christmas Day.

As a woman in her twenties, I consider it to be almost a hobby of mine and with several establishments around the city now jumping on the bandwagon, there are many places to choose from to enjoy free-flowing fizz with your eggs.

Today we are heading to Monty's, which is one of many cosy little picturesque restaurants and bars tucked along Castle Road, Southsea.

Opened in 2016, Monty’s works with suppliers from throughout the city and wider Portsmouth region, with even the interior decor being locally-sourced.

It also famously once hosted The Only Way Is Essex’s James ‘Arg’ Argent, who performed for a 21st birthday party.

The price is £30 for a three-course breakfast and unlimited prosecco – which, compared to some of the other bottomless brunch prices in the city, is very reasonable.

As soon as we walk through the door we are greeted with a full glass of fizz, almost before a ‘hello’ – which is exactly how I would like to be greeted everywhere I go from now on.

We have a chance to sit at the bar and have our glasses topped up by our waitress, who ensures we never go thirsty. I don’t think my glass was ever empty from the moment I walked in the door until the moment I walked out.

We take full advantage of the ever-so-Instagrammable flower wall, with fairy lights and neon ‘Monty’s’ sign – at this point our waitress doubled up as our personal photographer to ensure we got the perfect shot.

Then it was time for food, which was much-needed after several top-ups on an empty stomach, three courses of breakfast food is always going to go down well.

We had pre-ordered the food, which makes the experience a little smoother, with no waiting around for those picky eaters in the group to decide what to eat.

My starter of Boozy Berries comes out – granola and Greek yoghurt with berries. I was a little disappointed by the lack of booze in the berries, however I’m soon distracted by an incoming wine bottle.

My main course of eggs Monty’s – a take on eggs Benedict that includes sausages as well as bacon – makes up for any disappointment. However, it makes me question why all eggs Benedict don't come with sausages too.

Then the gin and tonic cheesecake is the icing (or in this case, lemon curd) on the cake.

It's topped with a surprisingly tasty companion of thyme.

Again, I’m a little disappointed by the lack of alcohol I can taste, but, as we are now on the third course, maybe my taste buds have just become immune to it by this point.

My dining companions all opt for the chocolate brownie with ice cream, which, by the sound of it, also goes down pretty well.

We are all pleasantly satisfied with the food – and thankfully the prosecco has been soaked up a little bit and we can at least walk in a straight line.

The terms and conditions state that you get an hour-and-a-half of free refills, but the staff apply this rule loosely and take into consideration waiting times for the meal and are pretty generous with their pouring.

We leave, a group of happy – slightly tipsy – women, ready to take on the wind, rain and... more cocktails in Southsea!

Monty’s, Castle Road, Southsea (023) 9217 6256

RATINGS (out of five)

Food: 4

Value: 5

Ambience: 4

Child-friendly: 2