Le Pain Quotidien

I had a very fond memory of Le Pain Quotidien in Paris, France. It was our first trip together - me and my husband (boyfriend then) in December 2006. I had heard about this bakery and communal tables, as they called it, in one of the guidebooks. It sounded so nice that I was determined to try it myself. I think we got lost and had to walk quite a while in freezing cold to find the store in St. Honore. It was worth the effort though as we both enjoyed our brunch - the huge plates of salad with good quality bread and coffee. It was just a perfect start to the day, which happened to be my husband's birthday.




Afterwards I was happy to find out that they had stores in the UK too. I have been to the one at St. Pancras International several times while waiting for the Eurostar trains. But I had never been to the other stores until a couple of weeks back when I visited the Marylebone store. We were with our old friend for lunch. We all had different dishes - my friend and I opted for the salad and my husband the quiche. To our disappointment, none of dishes we ordered looked or tasted exceptional. My roasted vegetable salad was served cold unlike what I expected and they tasted rather like they were straight from the jars. The only thing I still enjoyed was their bread.



I know the company is originally from Belgium, not France, and has over 100 stores in many countries including USA and Japan. I really want to like this place as I like their philosophy and concept as well as their bread. However, it seems a bit overrated here in London and rather pricey in terms of food. I'd love to see its food being more personal and homely.

Roasted organic Italian vegetables, mixed leaves, pesto & goat cheese salad (£10.20)