Brunch buffet to suit all tastes

Brunch plans always seem easier in theory. My partner, my dad and I decided we were overdue a proper one, something with eggs, bacon, coffee; the works. Bread and Spread, up on the top floor of the Rise Hotel in Larnaca, looked promising and the idea of a buffet felt like it could suit all tastes without anyone (probably me) getting food envy.

Parking wasn’t too bad, although space is a little tight in that part of town. Once inside, we were welcomed at reception and pointed upstairs. Being on the top floor we got a bit of a city view. And what’s great about a buffet is the lack of delay. No menus to pass around, no indecisiveness or back-and-forth over who’s getting what. The cutlery was brought to our table, and the waitress told us we could get started.

One of the things that had caught my eye online was that you could build your own full English. So off I went, plate in hand, ready to construct the breakfast I’d been craving. The first thing I saw? Cocktail sausages. Not just cocktail-sized, but the kind that belong at kids’ parties. Not for me.

The bacon situation was mixed. Some of it looked undercooked, while other pieces had been crisped up a fair bit. I wasn’t sure if that was down to uneven cooking or an attempt to cater to different preferences, but it did make choosing tricky. Eggs were available two ways: scrambled or baked. The baked ones were set out in small ramekins, which looked neat. I tried to pick one that looked soft enough to dip my toast in. For breakfast, dipping in to the yolk is non-negotiable for me.

As I moved along the buffet, things expanded. There were cold cuts, cheeses, sliced meats, and, unexpectedly, a few dips like tzatziki and taramosalata. There was also a spread of pastries and sweet options. Croissants, pain au chocolat, waffles and pancakes. I resisted loading up straight away. I figured I’d return for round two once the savouries were out of the way.

Back at the table, I gave the egg a go and sadly, it was completely cooked through and the white was stuck on to the ramekin. Not a trace of yolk. I asked if they could prepare another one, soft this time, and to be fair, the staff were really polite about it. The only downside was the wait. It took a while, and I sat there with the rest of my breakfast cooling on the plate. When it did arrive, it was much better. Soft yolk, runny enough to dunk into. Worth the wait, though ideally that would’ve been the case the first time.

One of the things I’d really been looking forward to was the coffee. Their website had this little video showing freshly ground beans and a proper espresso machine. I imagined sipping a smooth flat white while looking out over the rooftops. In reality, it was a standard press-button machine. The coffee wasn’t bad, to be fair, but it wasn’t what I’d built up in my head.

After a bit of a breather, I went back for the sweet stuff. I grabbed a pancake and toasted it – the pancake was warm and soft inside, far better than had it been cold.

Next to the pancakes and waffles was the praline section. And honestly, this was the highlight. There were jars of pralines in every flavour you could imagine! Strawberry, vanilla, pistachio, milk chocolate, white chocolate, Bueno to name just a few. It was hard not to try them all. I scooped small spoonfuls of a few onto my plate and couldn’t resist adding a drizzle of maple syrup too. The waffles weren’t great, but the pralines made up for it.

We agreed that if we were staying at the hotel and this was our daily breakfast, we’d be pretty content. But as a destination brunch? It didn’t quite hit the mark. But it wouldn’t take much to make it really good. Proper sausages instead of cocktail ones. Consistent bacon. Eggs done right the first time.

We felt we got what we paid for. If we’d gone to a café and each ordered a dish, maybe shared something sweet and had a coffee, we might have spent a little more per head (but then again, perhaps would have enjoyed it more?) No real complaints, just a quiet hope they fine-tune a few things. If they do, word will spread, and they might find a whole new crowd turning up for brunch.

VITAL STATISTICS

SPECIALTY International breakfast buffet

WHERE Bread and Spread, Kimonos 1, Larnaca (top floor of Rise Street Art hotel)

WHEN 7-11am (service until 10:30am)

CONTACT 99 023000 (reservations via their website)

HOW MUCH €15 for adults, €8 for children