Cote Brasserie - the best french breakfast in Cardiff?

*Written in collaboration with OpenTable - words & opinions 100% my own

Hands down my favourite meal of the day is a breakfast brunch and having spent time living in France before having kids, one of my favourite things to do is treat myself to a late morning french inspired breakfast and over the years I've tried a few around Cardiff but I had never visited Cote Brasserie until recently and I am so glad I did. 

Firstly I made my booking through OpenTable which is really easy to do and shows you all your local restaurants and cafes available at the day and time of your choosing. It doesn't cost anything to use and means that you can guarantee your table at your chosen venue. 

While I love breakfast I am not always the earliest of risers so I booked for 11am as Cote Brasserie serves breakfast until 12:30 on weekends and it made for the perfect start to a slow Sunday and even better my Mother and my Brother joined me as we hadn't gone for a meal together since the start of the Pandemic.

Cote Brasserie actually has two locations in Cardiff, one being on Mill Street in Cardiff Central and the other in Cardiff Bay. I went for the Cardiff central location and parking was easy and it was really nice being in the city on a Sunday morning without the working rush. 

When we arrived at Cote the host greeted us, confirmed our booking and took us to a lovely window seat where we could people watch while browsing the menu. The interior captures that Parisian cafe vibe with beautiful floor tiles, marble table tops and rustic wooden chairs and the menu offered just the right amount of choice to get the day started. Options ranged from French cooked breakfast to lighter dishes, croques, french toast and pastries.

You could also opt for a champagne breakfast and while we didn't go for that, we did decide to have a Mimosa using french white wine and fresh orange juice, I don't drink very often but it was nice to have a little toast and something a little refreshing while catching up with my mother and brother. 

When it came to the brunch breakfast I knew straight away I wanted the French toast as it's one of my favourite dishes and this came on french brioche with wild berry compote, fresh berries and creme fraiche and I couldn't fault it, it was delicious and I enjoyed every single bite and it wasn't too heavy or overly sweet and just hit the spot.

My brother had the Salmon and Eggs with sourdough toast and my mother chose the Eggs Royale on a toasted muffin with homemade hollandaise and while I cannot speak for them the dishes looked delicious and nothing was left on their plate. While there was the option to have a more British style cooked breakfast the theme of the menu was definitely french inspired, along with the interior, made it feel authentic despite being a small chain or restaurants. The service during the meal was great, we didn't wait to long for drinks or food and the staff was attentive without being overly so. 

In terms of value my French toast was £7.95 which I found very reasonable considering the level of service, quality and atmosphere, in fact every dish on the breakfast meal except one was under £10.

As we were in no rush, this was more a brunch affair then breakfast, we had some pastries and coffee after our main breakfast which was a lovely way to top off the morning. Catching up with my family over really nice food in a french inspired setting was just what I needed and as prices rise, opting for the breakfast menu can be a great way to enjoy your favourite restaurants at a more reasonable price that their dinner or lunch menu's but still equally feels like a treat. 

So is Cote Brasserie the best French breakfast in Cardiff? Well from start to finish the meal was enjoyable, the atmosphere was nice and relaxed and the staff was friendly and welcoming. I also like the simple but well thought out menu and despite it being a chain the food was excellent and french interior felt authentic. It's also hard to find a French style breakfast in the Welsh Capital Bistrot Pierre closing and places like Bullys and Cafe du Chat Noir only open lunch and evenings, so yes Cote is up at the top of the list and would I go again, definitely, I loved my French toast with fresh berries and I will also be using OpenTable moving forward as I found it really easy and straight forward to use and having a booking takes the stress out of just turning up at a venue not knowing if they have a space or not.