Daily Times

Lahore now has a plethora of restaurants and cafes that claim to serve the best bread baskets before their main course or with morning breakfast and all claim to have an upper hand.

Cafe Aylanto is one of Lahore’s favourite places to hang out with friends; the food is good but it is the peace and quiet that appeals more. One can sit inside or outside. One can finish their meal in an hour or sit for a few hours and catch up on old times. One can actually hear the other person – no crazy loud music and the tables are far enough that the gossip is only retained to the table.

Aylanto’s bread basket quintessentially has herb butter and jam. The basket also consists of a dinner roll, a muffin, a croissant with two pieces of bread. The café is best, for it serves its basket fresh and toasted but standard – nothing unique which is now the norm in bread baskets (especially ones that are ordered off the menu). A scattering of sun-dried tomatoes, some black olives, a sprinkling of fresh nuts – nothing here.

As winter approaches, morning coffee or evening sessions, with friends at Café Aylanto with their freshly served bread basket would be a treat.

Sunday breakfast, catering to the earlier-than-brunch bird, is available, but often hard to find. Restaurants around now offer brunch menus, from smoked fish plates and Italian frittatas to sushi plates and curries. Café Barbera is another exquisite breakfast and one of the better brunch spots. Famous for its Italian coffee and casual dining, Café Barbera is situated on Mehmood Kasuri Road, Gulberg. The ambience is relaxed, with comfy couches, mood lighting and comfortable floor space.

A cheerful, casual ambiance and pleasing fare makes Barbera an ideal spot. For brunch on Sunday, you essentially start with a bread basket that includes a fresh croissant, a Danish, a muffin and a bagel which makes the best mix. The basket had nearly five different freshly baked breads, while one continues to choose between the variety wheat bun with raisins and a walnut sweet centre filled dinner role are the best in town. The café is an awesome place for students, families and friends to work, chat and relax.

Many a match made in heaven are affirmed over a cup of tea or lavish buffets but all of them have one item in common that is served to start and last — the bread basket, no compromise can be afforded with this, however, we’d be in a continuous search for the best bread baskets that the cafes have to offer, to please the appetite of the foodies, until then the mission continues!

Something all food enthusiasts will readily agree upon is the diversity that is sweeping across the Lahori restaurant sphere these days. The ideal place to hit during winter, where one can enjoy warm fuzzies induced by food, making for a welcome break from the spicy Pakistani food our palettes are accustomed to- a true place to grab the moment for any foodie in Lahore is English Tea House.

The eatery remains busy at most times and the din makes it difficult to hold proper conversations or read a book, though it does make it a good choice for kitty parties and eating out with a group of friends. If you fancy a little afternoon tea, the restaurant serves scones with a pot of tea, preserves, and butter. For an alternative snack, their macaroons are light and sweet but not enough to be overwhelming, and won’t keep you from dinner. They too have the best bread basket in town for its variety and presentation and as much refills as you crave.

The English may have invented tea time with cookies and some confectionaries but desis of the world embraced it with such warmth that it’s now synonymous with the subcontinent. With every coffee or tea session, be it early morning or evening, the desis prefer to have a large bread basket even if the drink isn’t available. Many a match made in heaven are affirmed over a cup of tea or lavish buffets but all of them have one item in common that is served to start and last-the bread basket, no compromise can be afforded with this, however, we’d be in a continuous search for the best bread baskets that the cafes have to offer, to please the appetite of the foodies, until then the mission continues! Simply put, it is a beautiful, lasting and passionate starter like none other.