Located in the heart of City Mall Dora, Eric Kayser opened its doors the same time the mall did years ago, as they are owned and managed by the same group. When they first opened, we thought, here's a new sophisticated bakery that will be serving premium French bakery products and will definitely be competing against popular PAUL.
On September 13, 1996, Kayser opened his first bakery at 8 rue Monge in Paris. It was an instant success, garnering much critical acclaim. The opening of many more bakeries in Paris and in various countries abroad followed very quickly. Today, there are over 80 Maison Kayser locations worldwide. With 18 in Paris alone, more locations have opened throughout Greece, Portugal, Russia, Japan, Ukraine, Morocco, Senegal, South Korea, Lebanon, the UAE, Singapore and Hong Kong. The products and services in the bakeries vary from country to country, each adapting to the local tastes and flavors. This dynamic touch has helped the growth of Maison Kayser throughout the world. Each Maison Kayser location produces its products on-site daily.
I haven't been to Kayser for some time now as I avoid visiting City Mall altogether, a mall I simply don't like to say the least. I remembered that a couple of years ago Eric Kayser used to serve delicious sandwiches and pastry creations. It was time to try it again. On a calm Thursday, my friend a I decided to have lunch at City Mall. Eric Kayser was the first choice considering that City Mall's food court disgusts me. Located in the middle of the mall, with tables placed in the middle of the atrium, Eric Kayser has changed tremendously with a new decoration and setup. They now serve wooden baked pizzas and they have restructured the choice of meals.
The place:
- A middle seating in the heart of the mall
- A large rectangular wooden table installed in the middle of the dining area gives the place its signature
- Dark brown, camel and light orange leather sofas and benches
- Old rustic wooden tables
- Another inner space where the kitchen and preparations take place
- A wooden pizza oven helps catches the shoppers attention
- A selling fridge filled with the daily pastry products
The menu sections:
- Starters
- Quiche & Eggs
- Tartine & Croque
- Club
- Panini
- Burgers
- Salads
- Pasta
- On the Grill
- Side Orders
- Desserts
- Cold Beverages
- Hot Beverages
- Fresh Seasonal Juices
We ordered:
- Salmon & Spinach Quiche
- Croque Monsieur (Ham and cheese with light creamy sauce)
- Classic Panini (Ham and gruyere cheese, butter and cornichons)
Lunch starts with a basket of fresh bread - the minimum as Eric Kayser's main job is bread- served with Olive tapenade (clear and non oily), Labneh (mixed with sour cream) and Lebanese Zaatar (brownish Zaatar that does not create heart burns). A tasty mix and a great first impression.
The food:
- Crunchy fries with covered with paprika. I loved the idea of frying them with their skin giving them a crunchy finish.
- The quiche is thick, crunchy and generously filled. 1cm of condensed fresh salmon and cream covered with a soft layer of sautéed spinach. Just perfect.
- The croque monsieur is simple yet tasty: One toasted pain de campagne slice generously filled with gruyere , ham and cream. Crunchy on the sides, every bite is unique.
- The panini is the least I liked. Generously filled ingredients in a soft bread but the overall mix is too cold. Cold bread, cold non melting ingredients. Not my favorite even though the fillings are generous, fresh, premium and tasty.
On the placemats, learn about poor bread and good bread: three known French bread: La Baguette, Le Pain de Campagne, Le Pain de Seigle, Le Pain aux Noix are all explained.
What people have been saying about Eric Kayser:
- The staff has become arrogant
- The quality has deteriorated
- It's not what it used to be
- Not worth visiting
Today I think I have proved these rumors wrong. Eric Kayser still serves good and tasty food...
As for the arrogance part, let's meet superman:
Visiting Eric Kayser today, I wanted to change people's prejudice about this fine French bakery. A premium international concept that is still serving unique sandwiches in a professional setup. After finishing lunch, I went to wash my hands before stopping in front of the wood oven that caught my attention. I took my phone, and shot it with a smile, thinking to myself: "Readers are going to love it. A Few have these ovens in Lebanon".... And here comes Superman...
An arrogant and impolite manager, standing in front of the counter, mingling with the waitress, around 3 meters away from me, he shout asking me not to take pictures. He didn't even approach me, or ask me who I was or what I do. Why am I taking these pictures, etc. He looked at me with an arrogant childish street look saying: "You cannot take pictures, remove the camera from your hand. Neither here nor in the mall." Dear Mr. Unprofessional,
- Next time it would be more professional if you approach me calmly and ask me about my intentions
- It seems you don't know your brand well. Eric Kayser Paris is proud of its name and encourages people to take pictures all around the world
- Do you know about Social Media? Internet? Free advertising and benefits from posting your pictures online? Download Instagram, it will help...
- It clearly looks like you have something to hide. Maybe the area is not clean enough and the products in your fridge are not fresh
- Nobody appointed you the guardian of this ugly mall which I have no interest in taking pictures off
- Next time think outside the box and consider the bad chances you might have
The Pluses:
- Prices are reasonable
- Portions are generous
- Food is tasty
The Minuses:
- The menu is too dirty and not up to the standard of the brand
- New menus should be printed with Pizza items
An enjoyable lunch which ended with an unpleasant experience that surely didn't help me digest my food well nor persuaded me to come back to Eric Kayser
