Breakfast Thieves

I've been to Breakfast Thieves twice in the past week - once at 9am on Sunday, and once in the early afternoon on a weekday.  The fact that it was jam packed with excited customers on both occasions is a testament to its status as one of the hottest new brunch places in town.

Accordingly, I had high expectations going in.  

On my first visit, we shared three dishes between us: My French Lady, The Breakfast Chain and simple eggs on toast.

My French Lady

I will not deny that this (like most of the others on the menu) was a beautifully presented dish.  The myriad of colours and textures made for a very aesthetically pleasing plate of food.

Unfortunately, however, I did not really feel that this was reflected in the taste.  To be completely honest, piling strawberry & thyme, raspberry, salted dark chocolate soil, lemon curd & sesame on top of ONE SINGLE piece of toast was probably not a good idea.  The combination of all these ingredients created a very confusing flavour.  This was quite a pity because I felt that the elements taken individually were pretty well-crafted - in particular the lemon curd, which was nice and tangy.

The Breakfast Chain

Since I have a real weakness for soft boiled eggs, The Breakfast Chain was a no-brainer.  This was especially so given that these were kampung eggs - small and beautifully fresh.  

As you can see from the photo above, they were perfectly cooked: sort of done on the outside, but gorgeously runny in the middle.

However, as with My French Lady, I was a little perplexed by the range of items on the board.  Of course, the cheddar soldiers were a luxurious twist on the traditional toast soldiers which typically accompany soft boiled eggs, but the sweet items just did not belong in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong: the crumble - made up of apple, strawberry, ginger & almond - was tasty in its own right, as was the berry compote yoghurt with granola.  But jumping from sweet crumble to savoury runny egg & salty cheesy toast to sweet crunchy dairy on was quite odd and didn't really work.

Kampung Eggs on Buttered Toast

Given the above, this was quite a relief.  And I know you're gonna ask "why have eggs on toast at a restaurant when you can do it at home?"  Well, not being a great chef, my home-cooked poached eggs are a bit hit and miss, whereas here at Breakfast Thieves they were oozily perfect (sorry about the lack of photos to document the #yolkporn - I was too busy stuffing my face).  Oh and the sourdough toast was lovely too, flavourful with a nice bite to it.

Mr. Terry Benedict

Everyone says that this is the "must try" dish, so of course I had to give it a go.  And honestly, it was so nearly wonderful - the beef cheeks were mouthwateringly tender, the eggs poached to perfection, the charred cauliflower providing a much-needed contrast in texture, the yuzu hollandaise cutting through the cholesterol-laden elements of the dish....but then the honey apple compote sort of ruined it for me.  I'm sorry, but that sweetness simply did not complement the other ingredients; instead, it injected a slight (but unmistakable) foreign taste to an otherwise fantastic (if heavy) dish.

Coffee & Juices

Flat white & orange juice

I will freely admit that I'm no coffee connoisseur but I have tried many flat whites in my life and this was one of the better ones - there was a good balance between bitter and creamy and the flavour wasn't overpowering.

The juice too was great.  Their orange and apple juices are hand and slow pressed respectively, which keeps all the nutrients in and makes for very refreshing, tasty drinks especially in this hot weather.

Final Thoughts

I want to emphasise that while I have made criticisms about the food at Breakfast Thieves these are by no means fatal.  Indeed, I think it has plenty of potential and the quality of the ingredients used is superb.  Perhaps moving forward the combination of elements in particular dishes should be rethought and simplified - so that the flavours on a single plate aren't overly "busy" and conflicting.

Breakfast Thieves - Lot M, 29-5 Jalan Riong, Paper Plates, Art Printing Works APW Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur - +60327883548 - 9am to 5pm daily (closed Mondays)

Rating: 7/10