Innovation has indeed moved quickly in the breakfast space. Bagels, scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, bacon, baked beans, an avocado bowl, cut fruit and Danish pastry may sound like a selection on the breakfast buffet in a hotel, but it isn’t. In fact, it is a pre-set breakfast board, which contains an array of items to choose from, making for a wholesome meal.
Boards are increasingly being found as part of breakfast spreads in hotels. Some can be customised to a guest’s individual preference. Quite simply, a breakfast board is a platter with varied breakfast items, both sweet and savoury, aesthetic and nutritious. The items themselves may be commonplace, but their arrangement puts a smile on a diner’s face. Instagram-worthy as well, they can become the focal point on a table. Porridge, rye bread, soft cheese, fruit and boiled eggs... The options are endless.
Melange of flavours
Glo bal flavour discovery continues to thrill diners. Pumpkin-seed muffins stand cheek-by-jowl with fresh fruit, and buttermilk pancakes with an avocado and chia smoothie. Again, scrambled tofu with mushrooms and basil is an exotic combination, gaining entry for vegetarians.
Nishyarth Prasad of 154 Breakfast Club, Bengaluru, fell in love with this concept on a trip abroad and decided to serve it in Bengaluru. He elaborates, “The platters and offerings are designed for the health-conscious. The platters offer a combination of carbohydrates, proteins and fibre with varying percentage. For the sweet-craving audience, we offer a wide variety of pancakes and waffles with different toppings. We also serve authentic South Indian filter coffee, to help wash down your perfect heavy breakfast.”
At Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai, one can opt for a breakfast board in one’s room and enjoy the experience. The Healthy Breakfast Selection offers fresh carrot or cucumber juice; oatmeal porridge with toasted almonds, raisins and flax seeds; and egg white omelette with mushroom and spinach, served with steamed vegetables and whole-wheat toast.
Social, Mumbai outlets on the other hand, serve compact breakfast trays. Eggs, with baked beans, hash brown, bacon, sausages, grilled tomatoes, two slices of bread, juice, tea or coffee with another side like pancakes or keema ghotala , is what one can enjoy. There are options for an Indian breakfast too, which contains paratha , chaas , samosachole , karare aloo and dahi .
Urban Solace, Bengaluru also offers a choice between a traditional or a special English breakfast platter. Both include juice, eggs made to order, baked beans and chicken sausages, along with bread, butter and jam. The special also offers a cheese or mushroom omelette and hash browns, and choice of bacon or salami with tea or coffee. The Egg Factory in Bengaluru also has these boards.
In Kolkata, entrepreneur Paramita Basu, once a hotelier, collaborated with her mentor Arthur Cardozo to launch Good Morning Kolkata.
Says Basu, “Providing breakfast trays only on weekends, we offer a vegetarian, as well as a full English breakfast for non-vegetarians. Spreading the word on social media throughout the week, is how we get our orders.”
Things to keep in mind
Chefs unanimously agree that a breakfast board should be a celebration, as it is the first meal of the day. It is important to ensure that the boards are full of delectable colour and there is attention to detail. The platter can be made of wood, but a variety of textures is a must. Creamy yoghurt, crunchy granola, dried fruit, fresh croissants and nuts make for a fun mix.
Restaurants very loosely follow a general formula for assembling boards, which is, to start with cheese, followed by jam, yoghurt, granola, laying the larger or more structured items around those dishes and bowls, then filling in the blank spaces with more items.
Pre-cut anything that will make it easier for diners to help themselves and encourage trying a little bit of everything.
So the next time you are seeking a versatile, hearty breakfast, indulge in a breakfast board instead of the usual buffet.
