Le Pain Quotidien Exhibition Road

Le Pain Quotidien is one of those chains I’ve often wandered past and thought looked quite interesting but never had the impetus to actually venture into and explore. When you’re searching for a parental-safe brunch option on a Sunday morning ahead of a trip to the V&A though, it ticks all the boxes; central to South Kensington tube, affordable prices and in possession of a diverse but innocent range of dishes. Translating as ‘the daily bread’, the restaurant group is a labour of love for founder and Belgium born baker Alain Coumont, a man for whom the love of baking and bread runs through generations of his family.

Sat barely five minutes’ walk from South Kensington tube, Le Pain is neighbour to several other stalwarts of the ‘dependable dining landscape’ – Comptoir, Honest Burger & Leon – as well as the graveyards of those who didn’t quite make it – RIP Roots & Bulbs & Patisserie des Reves. Arriving on Sunday morning at 11.30am, the queue to be seated was long but moved fairly quickly and staff were pleasant and quick to help. Inside was a mix of large wooden tables perfect for communal groups and smaller options for weekend brunch dating.

Service throughout was polite & friendly though a tad slow at times – we’d allowed plenty of time thinking that it would be busy but it’s worth noting that if you’re in a rush, you might find this isn’t the place for you. It did take a while for even the drinks to arrive but credit to the staff, they couldn’t have been working any faster.

A Matcha latte made with almond milk was delightfully sweet and earthy however a Vegan Detox Bowl was pitifully small. The words ‘is that it?!’ popped out of my mouth before I could even formulate them into a more diplomatic sentence and try as I might, I couldn’t make it last anywhere near as long as my dining companions’ Dejeuner Plates which were loaded with cheese & mustard scone, scrambled eggs, prosciutto and roasted tomatoes…I was definitely the poor relation on this breakfast outing! The menu ran the gamut from eggs to croissants to granola to tartines and if you fancied something lunch-ier, salads, frittatas & charcuterie platters were also available.

With plenty of breakfast options under a fiver and pretty much everything coming in under £10, this is great value for some of the options but make sure you ask how big things are if you can’t crane your neck around to spy on a nearby tables’ plates. Will it set the world on fire by pushing the boundaries of London brunching? Not really but for decent quality across a welcoming range of dishes that even the fussiest of diners will like, Le Pain was pas mal du tout!