Mr Breakfast: There’s potential but it needs more work

I love breakfast. The idea of it makes me happy. A Pinterest-worthy elaborate spread of toast, muffins, eggs, sausages, bacon, pan-fried potatoes, tea (for my husband), and coffee (for me) is what I aspire for on the rare occasions when our schedules allow us to indulge in a breakfast or brunch session. I don’t enjoy cooking very much but putting together breakfast is something I’m more than capable of. It doesn’t seem like too much effort. And I love how different textures and tastes come together for a satisfying meal.

Chikusa in Thamel, Kathmandu, used to be our go-to brunch spot. Then we moved and Thamel is so out of the way that we rarely ever go there. Now we occasionally try out new restaurants, in hopes of finding a place that serves a nice breakfast. We haven’t been lucky. I thought it would change when we decided to go to Mr. Breakfast in Jhamsikhel, Lalitpur, on Christmas this year. I had heard quite a bit about it from my colleagues. Though the reviews were mixed, I was looking forward to it.

The place looks nice and has different kinds of seating arrangements that are visible right from the road. There’s even a cute balcony with a wrought iron table and two chairs. We thought we would sit there but it was a bit cramped and the chairs weren’t very comfortable either. We chose to sit on the bigger veranda space that had rattan furniture.

The server came quickly with the menus, which we appreciated because we were famished. A glance at it made us believe we were in for a treat. There was quite a range of options, from all the usual breakfast items to grilled chicken and other heavier meals. We took our time to decide as everything sounded really good.

We settled on a breakfast set and pancakes to start with. The set had eggs benedict, croissant, sautéed mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, potatoes, sausages, bacon, baked beans, a bowl of lettuce with dressing drizzled on top, and a bowl of fruits dipped in yogurt. It came with a choice of tea or coffee. They even let us select one from the available teas on the menu. My husband chose the tulsi tea instead of the regular milk tea. I ordered a cappuccino.

Good things first: The cappuccino came within minutes. It was what you would expect while ordering a cappuccino. They didn’t make a fuss about changing the tea that came with the breakfast set to one that’s available à la carte. And they did it at no additional cost. The server was nice, refilling our glasses of water without us even having to ask. The food was on the table within 20 minutes or so. It was plated nicely and looked delicious.

There’s nothing that can go wrong with set breakfasts. Toast is toast, unless you burn it but nobody will serve you charred bread. Fried sausages and bacon are always sinfully delightful. Grilled tomatoes taste the same everywhere. The eggs benedict, on the other hand, can be a game-changer. I was looking forward to digging into some lusciousness. But the bread was stale and the whole thing felt off. I pointed this out to the server who said they don’t bake their own bread. I didn’t know what to say to such a silly excuse. He told me he would get me a feedback form and he didn’t.

I’m a sucker for pancakes. I could have them for dinner. So, I ate my share without any complaints. There were two pieces on one plate. My husband thought it was a bit too doughy and stuck to the roof of your mouth.

We ordered grilled chicken with mashed potatoes since the breakfast wasn’t very filling. This we enjoyed. The mashed potatoes were creamy and the chicken was juicy and tender. The vegetables on the side had just the right amount of crisp. We should have just skipped breakfast and gone straight for the mains instead.

Our verdict was that Mr Breakfast wasn’t trying hard enough to stand out. It’s serving the same kind of items at similar prices. It has to work on its menu to give its customers a reason to go back. It has a lot of potential as it’s located in a nice area and the stakeholders seem to have put in a lot of thought in decorating the space to make it feel calm and relaxing.