Beyond brioche: breakfast and brunch now served at à table!

These days, Budapest is full of great places for lazy lunchtimes. The ambassador of classic French morning fare, à table!, has just opened a new outlet on Akácfa utca in District VII, with the focus on sit-down, casual daytime dining.

When à table! first opened eight years ago on Retek utca, Budapest’s gastronomic scene was not as diverse as it is now. The French baker behind the counter was an immediate hit thanks to his fresh bread, warm pastries, traditional quiches and Parisian-style biscuits, which would invariably run out within a couple of hours of the shop opening.

Since then, à table! has become one of the best-known names citywide, offering crusty baguettes, warm omelette quiches, and the kind of cakes you might see in the shop windows of Paris.

It is always opportune when a franchise can distribute familiar favourites to different parts of the city – even if each is under a different owner – as the recipe, bakery, bread and cakes all come from the same source. The biggest difference is how convivial each outlet might be. À table! on Akácfa utca, by way of recent example, particularly lends itself to starting or continuing the day in relaxed fashion.

The traditional interior of the typical à table! bakery is here – not flirty petite Parisian furniture or overthought design, but rather the bistro feel of Normandy or Brittany, with a wooden floor and wall-mounted kitchen accessories, surrounded by posters alluding to France. Two dozen guests can sit down comfortably for breakfast, cakes or brunch, but many are happy to enjoy their Gallic treat on the hoof.

The cheapest breakfasts, whether eat-in or take away, include traditional quiche with spinach and tomato or salmon (790-1,000 HUF per slice), the Provençal flat bread of fougasse (790 HUF), pistachio cream pastries (890 HUF) and forest fruit brioche (650 HUF). The ham croissant (990 HUF) is the own-made cheese variety with ham, cold or warmed, plus there are classic plain ones for 490 forints.

Unless you’re in a rush, it's worth sitting down for your mug of milky coffee and a smooth croissant for that real Gallic experience, winged to your table in two minutes. Being a French bistro, you don't have to worry about the range of coffee, but you can also choose from high-quality filtered teas and/or request freshly squeezed orange juice with your breakfast or brunch.

With more time, you can unwind as the French do, but without having to worry about the meagre portions you might otherwise receive in Paris. The hot breakfast consists of two classics, croques and various egg dishes. The croque madame would be plenty for lunch, three slices of own-made toasted brioche containing Italian boiled ham, béchamel sauce and Emmental cheese, topped with a fried egg. Eggs Benedict comes with a double serving: two slices of brioche and two poached eggs with ham and hollandaise sauce. Each is priced at 2,590 HUF, and each comes with a green salad and cherry tomatoes.

Hot and cold sandwiches, tartines on the menu, also make for a fine lunch, such as the tasty cheese tartine (2,590 HUF) we sampled. The substantial slice of sourdough bread was abundant with fresh cheddar, camembert, goats’ cheese, honey and toasted pine nuts – plus, of course, the side salad.

Speaking of salads, you’ll find several on the menu, praiseworthy combinations, not the well-worn Caesar or rocket varieties. In the house à table! salad (2,290 HUF), for example, besides the fresh base, you’ll find sweet potatoes, beetroot, chickpeas, edamame and avocado, in addition to the dressing and breadcrumbs – best suited to a light lunch rather than hearty brunch.