Breakfast at Casper&Gambini's ABC Achrafieh

My last visit to Casper&Gambini's (C&G) ABC Dbayeh was a great one. I remember enjoying a sandwich that made it into my Top 33 sandwiches in Lebanon, as well as a tasty fresh salad and a staff that has become more attentive…. I am back again but this time to its Achrafieh branch… It was early and breakfast was on the menu. 

C&G welcomes you for breakfast as soon as the mall opens at 10am… I was craving for some eggs Benedict that day and this is why C&G was the place of choice in ABC.

I sat down on the terrace, under an umbrella and enjoyed the vibes. People walking around the mall, music playing in the background… surrounded by some greenery… I was in the mood. 

The choices for breakfast are endless. They have a large selection of coffee related items and a wide choice of food. I wanted to try some of the new items….

Salted caramel latté. An espresso shot, steamed milk and a homemade salted caramel sauce. I didn't feel the saltiness of the caramel but as a drink, milk coffee and caramel, it's one I enjoyed.

The breakfast menu:

• Freshly baked croissant
• Traditional labneh
• Halloumi wrap
• Grilled cheese melt
• Salmon bagel
• Croissandwich
• Gambini's Omeltte
• Egg Benedict
• Perfect pancakes
• Fresh fruit parfait

Breakfast was served:

• Croissandwich LBP15,750: Freshly baked croissant with your choice of sliced Italian Parma ham, scrambled eggs, lettuce and tomato with lemon vinaigrette and side mesclun salad. A large croissant opened in its center and stuffed with moist scrambled eggs, a slice of good quality ham, lettuce and the vinaigrette that adds a lemony touch. I loved the plate, loved the flavors, loved the idea, loved the textures but unfortunately it was served cold.

• Eggs Benedict LBP16,750: On the menu you can read "egg Benedict", one egg without the "s", but relax you'll receive two. Poached eggs, smoked turkey, buttered spinach on freshly baked ciabatta bread with Hollandaise sauce and side chips. Two eggs, poached separately and each lay on a toasted ciabatta bread on a layer of spinach covered with Hollandaise sauce. I didn't think that the bread would be as good as a replica of the English muffin usually used, the spinach was perfectly baked, the eggs poached to perfection and the sauce which was intense in flavor spoiled the experience a bit. It’s too strong and too lemony, but that was not a major problem. But the problem was that the plate, served cold. Chips with the eggs for an early start? Please replace them with something else like hash browns.

• Perfect Pancakes LBP15,500: Fluffy homemade pancakes with fresh fruits and your choice of maple syrup or house made chocolate sauce. Simply no! To start with the plate doesn't look too appealing. Two round pancakes lay one next to the other, when piled up one over the other would be more appealing. I would add another one, to make them three in total.  They are too thick, extremely chewy and the borders were too hard... Adding maple syrup to it didn't change things much. I'll skip this plate if I were you.

Now for the place: It surely and definitely needs a fix! The tables are old and are better sold as antiques… the cups and cutlery need a change as they look like they have been used and used a lot… 

I believe in this place and in the name it holds. This is why mistakes are not allowed, especially for a brand that has been around for more than a decade. Let’s work on the décor, fix some imperfections found in the food … and here we are with a reference of quality and taste.