Le Kitchen Café
Iced Espresso, Warm Madelines, Vanilla and Cherry Cake, Pistachio Financier
Chocolate Chip Cookie
Said by some to offer the best coffee in the city, and open early for breakfast pastries on weekends, it was to tiny The Kitchen Cafe that I turned for a second breakfast during my final day in Lyon, and sitting down at a small table within the cozy confines where service proved exceptional the feeling was one of familiarity, a decidedly “American” vibe not unlike what one may find in the Pacific Northwest.
Definitely a curated experience, the well culled menu befitting the limitations of a small kitchen focused more on quality than quantity of goods, breakfast at The Kitchen Cafe consists of just eight pastries plus granola alongside drinks and selecting a quartet plus an espresso over ice the results were across the board excellent, the creamy and rich coffee plus a pastry a veritable steal at 3€ while the rest added an a la carte cost ranging 1.50-2.0€ each.
Notably arriving mere seconds after the 8h00 opening with every item still warm and some actually bordering on ‘hot,’ tasting began with two soft citrus madelines beneath a lightly browned top while the almond flour financier was a toothsome two-bites punched up by pistachios, both items strong on technique and as good as any experienced to this day.
Trending less traditional with subsequent selections, suffice it to say that the cherry almond tranche de cake was so buttery that the phrase “pound cake” seems insufficient in describing its heft, and although one may think to pass on a ‘simple’ cookie amidst other temptations the crispy rim surrounding a puddle of melted dark chocolate was absolutely delightful, a bit of nuance and just a touch of sweetness added by smoky, caramelized nuts.
http://lekitchencafe.com/