Below the reception of the Pulitzer Hotel, down the wooden stairs you reach a long tube that hosts the breakfast area. Certainly special to say the least! You will be seated along a long black corridor under an arcade shaped like a metro station. The buffet on a side and tables on the other, this cozy atmosphere is entertained by light musical background. Although located underground where no sunlight and breeze come in, I liked the space. The parquet wood flooring, square black tables, black buffet, white lights, a long leather sofa … follows the wall from side to side. Look up and check out the stainless duct, which adds an industrial look to the design. I can't say the same for the food... nor the staff.
Breakfast is served daily from 7am until 10:30am for 18€ per person
I ordered a cappuccino from the machine and grabbed a couple of fresh fruits and some croissant and sat on one of the tables. A dark wood, a napkin with a coffee cup on it, black placemats, sugar, salt and pepper shakers are already setup.
The choices:
- Three cereal bowls
- Four choices of dried fruits
- Milk, water and juice jars
- A coffee machine
- Two baskets of croissant
- A cake
- Three bowls of jam
- Freshly cut fruits
- Bread
- An organic platter
- A large and well set up tray of cheese and ham
- Ready made cheese and ham sandwiches wrapped in aluminum foil, ready to be toasted on the preheated machine
- Two jars of biscuits and Madeleine cakes
- A selection of tea
- Cherry tomatoes
- Scrambled eggs and bacon
Yes, the choices are good for a four star hotel and most importantly clean and appetising. But unfortunately, the experience was not as pleasant.
The second I took a bite off the plain croissant I felt something chewy, cold that feels old... This turned me off. The bread is even worse. The chocolate croissant is really unappetizing. I stopped everything and decided to have fruits especially after the receptionist had told me the night before that they receive their fruits freshly daily. Fruits are tasty and fresh, as I expected. Everything was great except for the croissant and the bread. In the city of fresh bread and pastry, these should be made or brought-in freshly and daily.
I looked around me and felt something missing. There wasn’t a menu around to show me what else was on their breakfast menu. I called the waitress and asked her if they serve eggs? She looked at me like I had asked a silly question and said: "Euh, yes." How else would I have known if I hadn’t asked?
The waitress: Spends her time in the kitchen. Doesn't talk. Doesn't smile. Doesn't interact with guests. It is a must when we are underground with nothing else than the wall to look at It would have been appreciated if the staff was more welcoming and explained their services better. I mean it’s morning; a smile would have sufficed to start our day with a bit of life to the dark room.
Mixed feeling I experienced here… I'm staying here for a week, and I honestly don't think that I'll be coming down for breakfast here again. The food, the place and dullness is not worth the money spent… A nice walk down the road in the morning, some fresh air will lead me to a nearby shop that sells better and crunchier croissant…
The needed changes:
- Send someone smily and welcoming down below to freshen our day
- Even though the machine produces it, It would be nice if the waitress asks me about coffee. And if I need a refill
- Serve fresh crunchy parisian quality bread and croissants
- Print some menus informing guests about the kitchen services: eggs? pancakes? what do you exactly have?
A little fine tuning can improve things drastically and make this breakfast enjoyable
