Hôtel Plaza Athénée Paris room service
The Sybaritic Single believes that breakfast is the most intimate meal of the day, the one which reflects the personality of the guest rather than the taste of a chef, and he appreciates when luxury hotels agree with him. Lunches and dinners are often orchestrated by Michelin-starred celebrities but how many of them look into breakfasts? The Sybaritic Single finds morning buffets mediocre at best and often prefers to skip them. An occasional glass of champagne, a cup of his favourite Christian Dior white tea blended with jasmine petals and rose buds and a spoon of honey enjoyed in the calm of a suite are quite sufficient. Therefore room service is often more than enough. Regional influences are important: fine cheeses for breakfast in St. Moritz or kaya toasts in Singapore make breakfasts memorable.
In Asia, his favourite breakfast is at Restaurant Pétrus, on the 56th floor of the Island Shangri-La, which offers a well-balanced combination of à la carte and a small but clever and very high-quality buffet. On a clear day, he prefers to sit by the window and enjoy an omelette with lobster and truffles, overlooking Victoria Harbour in peace (see the photo, at the top of the story).
Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris might be the only other establishment where the Sybaritic Single does make an effort to come down for a proper à la carte breakfast in a restaurant, and he always remembers that advance reservations are essential even for in-house guests: the hotel’s main Alain Ducasse restaurant has recently been voted No. 13 in the world. Eggs with caviar remain his firm favourite, along with red berry juice and the signature raspberry pastry. That is the king of breakfasts in the palace of breakfasts. It has elevated the Ducasse refinement to the next level of perfection, the place to see and be seen even in the early hours.
Curiously, that luxury hotel got the room service breakfast right as well, and the Sybaritic Single frequently settles for an indulgent morning in bed: omelette with truffles, caviar with blini and champagne – none of that comes as a special request but as part of the regular daily menu. His only wish is that more hotels offered similar indulgent options in the same causal and effortless manner. The height of luxury.
