Life can be funny sometimes, in a way of odd co-incidences.
Earlier this week, I was invited to join another family to have brunch this morning at a new café in Kruteneau (a ‘quartier’ bordering the Petite France ‘quartier’). Since its Victory Day here in France, it’s a public holiday-or ‘jour férié’ as it is called- my Thursday was wide open for any invites.
In the mean time, I recently started reading an actual paperback book a few days ago, called Restaurant Babylon, penned by Imogen Edward-Jones, but sort of dictated by an anonymous real life London chef.
In the book, the chef owns 3 establishments, one of which is a Michelin Star’d restaurant, and this morning I happened to be reading about his thoughts to 21st century social media critics.
His view was that in the past, you had to suck up and impress the occasional acclaimed food critics, who wrote for actual newspapers that felt like a free meal and would pop into your establishment.
In his opinion, the fact that lay people who now dine out with a smart phone tucked into their pocket or clutch bag and are open to voicing their opinions across social media have made the world of restaurant reviews quite difficult to control. He even talks about the fact that some American restaurants ban customers from taking photo’s of their food, claiming creative liscence.
It is actually quite a poignant discussion, isn’t it? In a way, since I am paying for that plate of food, it is essentially mine, and I can take as many photos of my possessions as I want.
On the other hand, who is to say you are not a competitor, and you are looking for inspiration, but mostly end up copying what someone else has already done? Then again, would you really want to be the guy who can’t create his own concepts?
The thing is, for me anyway, is that I am very much sitting on the fence in terms of what is right and wrong with the world of 21st century food critics. While you are entitled to your opinion, is your opinion based on emotional rationality, or a hard-earned experience-based opinion?
And of course, at the same time, word of mouth is almost more important that one not-so-endearing professional food critic.
Perhaps it’s a case of utilising all of the tools available to you, the good with the bad, and to rise above what you reef unnecessary criticism.
But as usual, I digress What was the strange co-incidence that I started with?
This mornings’ Brunch was held at a new café called Café Bretelles. It was recently unearthed by friends who have a keen interest in the world of coffee. They are from the northern side of the UK, and have seen large parts of the world- their son was born in New Zealand, and as a couple, they are quite au fait with the concept of brunch.
The French are not so big on brunch, I am told. Their meal times consist of croissants for breakfast; lunch and siesta at midday; and dinner sometime well after the sun sets. As a result, our friends C&C are on the eternal hunt for a café that has a high quality coffee, and a meal that is not just ‘baguette avec confiture ou le croissant’. Since I am a kindred spirit- I despise bread and jam or nutella for breakfast- I am really grateful that I was invited along for this mornings’ jaunt.
The café is brand new- they have been open for about 8 weeks, and their ambience is fresh and nouveau. They can seat about 20 customers inside, 12 on the pavement, while should the inclination swing, you could stand at the counter and drink your coffee and snack on a piece of Millionaires Shortbread.
Coffee cups of varying sizes adorn the serving counter, as well as cookie jars and a glass box in which cakes are displayed.
The tables are square, and topped with what could be whitewashed wood ‘lattes’. Our table had been reserved, and at each seat, we had a rectangular piece of brown-paper as a place setting. Each piece had Café Brettelles handwritten on.
The café was bright and well lit- either by the sunlight streaming through the store-front windows, or very clever down lighting. I say clever, because I cannot say with conviction what lighting there was in place ;-).
C told me that he has become a regular at Café Bretelles- popping in for lunch at least once a week, and has learnt a fair bit of their practices. They source special beans, they are experienced baristas, but there is nothing old fashioned about their concept.
While they grind their beans specifically for the purpose of the coffee type, they have a unique method of serving tea, as well filter coffee. Instead of tea pots or coffee splashed into a cup from a pot of over-heated filter coffee, they utilise a type of carafe. For a request for tea, they drop a tea bag in, and add the boiling water over and wrap a cloth around the neck so that you don’t burn your hands while you pour it into your cup.
For coffee, they top the carafe with a piece of equipment that I have discovered is called a V60. It’s a bit of a modern day, single filter-coffee making method. I have had a few around and about at friends’ houses, and I have to be honest, I have never enjoyed them, but I have done a bit of googling the concept, and just as much as making coffee requires skill and experience, making a coffee with a V60 is the same.
According to C, Café Bretelles has never served a brunch, and today they decided to test the market for it, to see how popular the novelty is for the community.
Instead of having their standard ‘Plat du Jour’ options written up on the board, they offered either Le Brunch Sucre (sweet), or Le Brunch Sale (savoury), and the price for either was 9.90€.
For the sweet option, we were served on a piece of stunning slate:
- a small glass of fresh squeezed orange juice
- a coffee machine coffee/tea
- another pour over coffee (or tea)
- a jar of granola with yoghurt and honey
- a glass of basic fruit salad (full of granny smith apples and a berry juice, which was disappointing, in my opinion)
- a fabulous buttery large croissant and
- 2 ‘pancakes’ (though these were crumpets, as I know them to be), with strawberry jam over.
The savoury option offered all the same drink options with:
- salade (which is lettuce)
- a roll of sliced ham
- 2 wedges of cheese and fig jam
- a glass of raw cherry tomatoes and raw slices of courgettes in a subtle herb dressing
- a toasted wedge of baguette
- an English muffin with a (soft) fried egg, a piece of bacon, cheese and balsamic syrup
The savoury option was really lovely, and I would happily go back there soon, because those prices were something quite unheard of, particularly if you see the quality of what you are getting.
While we were chatting, and soaking up the atmosphere, C ‘checked in’ on Facebook, saying that she wanted her friends around the world to see where we were; to see the little gem in the heart of a little quarter in a smallish city in Europe.
I was so impressed by Café Bretelles that I said I would head straight home to write about it on my blog, and we all smiled happily, because it would be great to be a part of something new, and see how far they get.
But this is the thing that I’m not sure of: while I was reading this morning, forming my opinion on 21st century food critics, who am I to photograph a plate of food, and write up my 2 cents worth?
That being said, I will put it out there, to anyone in Strasbourg- Expat; Alsacienne; French local; tourist. Try it. I recommend it.
Café Bretelles, 57 Rue de Zurich, Kruteneau.
Pinot, Bretzels, and Cathedrals 
Sounds great. A good find.