Perfect pastry
A friendly waitress greets us with a cheery ‘Bonjour’ as we step into La Brioche’s Liwa Village branch for a spot of lunch and shows us to a table that looks as though it’s been stolen straight from a Parisian pavement. The café certainly looks the part – lots of exposed brickwork, wooden beams and shuttered windows – and strikes us as the perfect kind of place to peruse the morning papers, sip on coffee and nibble on croissants. Mind you, they have had plenty of time to perfect the look – the chain of French cafés has been in the capital for more than 25 years.
In addition to its quaint interior, La Brioche also smells the part thanks mainly to the huge selection of freshly baked goods. It’s difficult not to be impressed by the array of quiches, tarts, croissants, pain au chocolat and countless other treats, both sweet and savoury, crammed into the display counters and we can’t wait to order and get stuck in.
As we look through the menu we sip on a freshly squeezed orange juice. It’s good – consisting of the whole fruit and nothing but the fruit. We opt for one of our all time favourites – quiche Lorraine – and within minutes our food has arrived. It’s not exactly Cordon bleu but then again it isn’t trying to be. Simple and unpretentiously presented with a freshly dressed side salad, the pastry is deliciously crumbly and light with a creamy cheese filling and no skimping on the turkey ham.
While the servings aren’t huge, they’re just about right for a light lunchtime snack and it means that we’ve still got enough space for that strawberry tart we’ve had our eyes on. We’re not disappointed. Slices of ripe strawberry make way for a sweet sticky filling all encased in a lovely crisp and buttery pastry.
Every area deserves a good French café and with 12 outlets in Abu Dhabi, La Brioche is certainly trying to make this the case – we’re certainly glad they are.
Merci beaucoup.
Jon Muller
What? La Brioche
Where? Liwa Village, just off 13th/Delma Street between 24th and 26th Street
Cost: AED 40-70 for lunch, incl. drink
We say: Fresh, friendly and French. Bon Appétit!
Contact: 02 443 9033
