French Toast

French toast predates France as a nation. The earliest recorded recipe appears in a 4th-century Roman cookbook, "Apicius", as "aliter dulcia" — "another sweet dish" — bread soaked in milk and egg, then fried. Medieval European cookbooks across France, England, Germany and Portugal all contain versions of what they called "pain perdu" (lost bread in French) — a practical solution for bread that had gone stale and could be revived with an egg soak.

The name "French toast" appears in English cookbooks from the 17th century onward, though the French themselves call it "pain perdu" to this day. The dish remained a frugal, practical preparation until the 20th century, when restaurant chefs began elaborating on it — brioche instead of white bread, fruit compotes, flavoured custards, premium toppings.

Our version is anything but frugal: baked brioche and croissant, a zesty lemon curd and caramelised white chocolate centre, vanilla ice cream, Turkish cherry jam, and seasonal fresh fruits. The only thing it shares with the Roman original is the principle — something beautiful made from bread and eggs.