Ladies that Brunch

Madame Fromage - Castle Arcade, Cardiff

Nestled away in a quiet corner of Castle Arcade is Madame Fromage, a beautiful little independent cheese delicatessen, come café and a perfect venue for an in-prompt-to birthday brunch on a sunny morning in Cardiff. We entered the petit but empty venue at just past 11 were happy to find somewhere that still served breakfast, so weren’t put off by the fact that we had no fellow diners.

Browsing through the breakfast/brunch menu we were completely spoilt for choice. What I really admired about the menu was the fact that they didn’t feel the need to include the English traditionals, such as the full fried breakfast, and instead maintained the French theme offering classics such as the continental breakfast and stayed true to the dairy deli core with bagels layered with bacon and cream cheese.

To kick off the celebration brunch I chose a coconut café latte. When ordering I was unsure whether the coconut and coffee flavours were two that matched, however I was pleasantly surprised at what a great combinations they were. The coffee was beautifully rich and the coconut syrup wasn’t too sweet, which I often find them to be, especially in chains such as Costa and Starbucks. It was honestly one of the best coffee’s I’d had in a long while.

To accompany my caffeine fix I opted for the English muffins topped with bacon and scrambled eggs. The breakfast was delicious, filling and an absolute bargain as well, at only £4.50. The lashings of bacon were lovely and crispy, with the muffins being perfectly toasted and gorgeously creamy eggs, however they did lack seasoning and I had to add plenty of black pepper. On the whole it was a beautiful breakfast, but if I were to be particularly picky, I didn’t like how the dish came with plastic butter packs on the side, it just made it look a little cheap, I would have been happy for the muffins to be pre-buttered.

My breakfast companions also picked great looking dishes. Lauren chose the waffles smothered in syrup and bacon, which looked delicious and again came in a student friendly portion size. The birthday girl went for the continental breakfast, consisting of a selection of cheeses, hams breads and salads, which I was very jealous of. The food came quickly and the waitresses were genuinely friendly and attentive, even giving me a retreat and wishing Abi a happy birthday!

We had a fabulous brunch and I will definitely be visiting Madam Fromage again to try out the lunch menu, which too looked ridiculously tempting. The delicatessen also boasts an extensive range of local products, I was tempted to pick up a few bottles of Welsh cider but in the end it was the macaroons I couldn’t resist for an afternoon treat. 

http://www.madamefromage.co.uk/