Fantastic brunch, and near the Louvre! FYI there is no a la carte brunch (except for the individual…read morepastries) - you can only get these multi-course prix-fixe brunch meals. There were only 4 available the day I came, so a lot of the dishes I'd read about weren't available, and you can't mix and match courses (I couldn't have ordered the French Toast and the Benedict, unless I got two entire meals to myself). Although most of the guests seemed like tourists, there were still French speaking customers and this did not feel touristy.
THE WAIT: We got here at 12:25pm, and it was about a 30-minute wait.
THE SERVICE: Excellent, very accommodating to us with a stroller, and they spoke great English.
THE COST: 75€ total for two brunch tastings and a couple extra pastries to go.
THE FOOD:
LE RIVE GAUCHE, 32€
* Vitamin juice (carrot, ginger, etc) - 4 stars
Sharp & pulpy - I enjoyed this!
* Coffee - 4 stars
Good, but unlike most other places we went in France, ordering a cafe did not mean getting an espresso.
* Madeleine - 3 stars
Dry. Needed butter or jam to be edible.
* Selection of breads - 3.5 stars
Fine, my boyfriend loved the grain roll, but I found it a little bland a dry. Honestly these are a little bland compared to the rest of the meal!
* Roesti with smoked salmon - 5 stars
My bf says: it was a menagerie of delicate flavors - it was really f****** good. Slightly picky thing I noticed - the poached egg did not have a runny, but rather a soft, yolk.
* French toast - 4.5 stars
Very soft and moist, great with the light (and not overly sweet) whipped cream.
LE VERO DODAT, 32€
* Cappuccino - 4 stars
On the sweeter side, but perfect for me. Nice thick texture.
* Mini croissant - 4.5 stars
Airy light with a lovely ever so slight crisp. Loved this. Great with butter or jam, or without.
* Scrambled eggs - 5 stars
Silky soft, absolutely perfect textures! Fyi a lot of the same flavors/sauces as the Roesti (in the "Le Rive Gauche").
* Claus muesli or homemade granola (not sure which one I got) - 4 stars
Lovely toasted flavor, and the hazelnuts were an amazing addition (I make homemade granola and this makes me want to add hazelnut into the mix!). My first time having fresh miniatures lingonberries and I liked the tart contrast they brought.
A LA CARTE PASTRIES
* Brioche bread - 4 stars
Lovely, fluffy, and soft. We bought this in the way out and didn't eat it for 18 hours, but it was still great (the tiniest bit dry by then).
* Matcha bread - 4.5 stars
Still crazy moist after 18 hours in our bag. Definitely dense, and love the flavor!