Looking to enjoy breakfast or brunch in St. Barth under the palm trees of a tropical enclave? Look no further than Francois Plantation at Villa Marie St. Barth. The options are endless. On the top list of foods to order: French waffles, pain perdu, avocado toast, eggs benedict with salmon, and acai bowls, among others.
After a treacherous journey into St. Barth, I woke up the next morning at Villa Marie St. Barth starved and on an empty stomach. I opened the sliding doors to our private balcony to reveal a jaw dropping view of Flamands beach. It was enough to wash all the stress from the night before right away. But my stomach kept distracting me, it needed food. I was so hungry I threw on some clothes and immediately headed down to the pool at the Francois Plantation for breakfast. As a guest of the property, we were guaranteed a table for breakfast as part of our stay. If you’re not a guest, a reservation for breakfast or brunch in St. Barth, particularly on Saturdays and Sundays is in order. Families, friends, locals, and vacationers book their breakfast and brunches at Villa Marie St. Barth within a heartbeat.
~ Breakfast Day 1 ~
Breakfast is served under a canopy of foliage in Francois Plantation. Nearby is a pair of giant palm fronds and banana tree leaves with broad drooping leaves of yellow and green. The pool is just a couple of feet away glistening in the sun. The plantation got it’s name from Françoise and François, the couple that owned the property prior to the Sibuets. There was a smattering of fluffy white clouds dotting the blue sky, and the early-morning sunshine reflected brightly off the pool. Lovely St. Barth was pulling out all the stops for our first day. What better way to start our trip than with breakfast or brunch in St. Barth. After all, the island is a tropical foodie paradise.
While some have dietary restrictions, Pat and I still enjoy our daily sweet at night and in the morning. So when they brought over the complimentary fresh baked pastries like croissants, pain au chocolat, and pain aux raisins, we accepted them with a smile. Patrick watched me grab a pain aux raisins. Pat and I took a bite and reclined back into our seats. We didn’t speak as we each enjoyed the pleasures of sugar, raisins, and pastry cream. The soft, warm pastry fresh from the oven was irresistible. We took a sip of our café au lait and espresso as we waited for our mains.
Like all things at Villa Marie St. Barth, when you think you are ordering just “waffles” or “french toast,” you are gravely mistaken. What you’re truly ordering is the better, more delicious French version. A scrumptious, buttery waffle with powdered sugar. French waffles, or gaufres, are cake waffles, not to be confused with breakfast waffles. In France, gaufres are considered a dessert, not a breakfast. But Villa Marie St. Barth caters to the sweet tooth connoisseur, like me, so offers them for breakfast or brunch in St. Barth as well. One bite of the warm waffle transported me straight to Paris.
After the previous evening’s ferry ride mishap and skipping dinner, I was eating two meals this morning (or at least that’s the excuse I gave myself in order to indulge in all the delicious food available at Francois Plantation). To top off our sweet pastries, we ordered eggs benedict and scrambled eggs. I don’t know what it is about scrambled eggs that some boutique hotels do so well. The softness of the eggs is almost like a porridge, but they’re just as creamy and rich in flavor. I licked my plate clean. I couldn’t wait for breakfast the next day to try all the remaining items on their menu.
~ Breakfast Day 2 ~
The next morning we chose to sit by the kidney shaped pool, isolate from the rest of the breakfast crowd. The long, rectangular tables behind us were already set up for the brunch or lunch crowd coming in later on in the day. It was a beautiful and private little outdoor niche with oars hanging on the walls and tropical artwork contrasting against the wooden walls and stark white ceiling. But enough about the well thought out architecture and design, which I could talk about for hours, let’s get to the breakfast or brunch in St. Barth! The second day we ordered a mix of sweet and salty once again and this time took recommendations for the staff on the best food to order. Of course, we had to try it all.
We ordered the French waffle once again, because it was that good. But this time also ordered the staff’s highly recommended and if not, signature breakfast dish, pain perdu. We learned that the French referred to French toast as something entirely different. They call it pain perdu, or ‘lost toast’ because it’s made with stale bread that would be otherwise thrown away. The pain perdu is steeped in rum, but it’s not an overtaking flavor, it’s very subtle. I looked out at the nearby couples enjoying brunch. While there were other people around me, in that moment it felt like it was just me, isolated from the rest under the pergola near the kidney shaped pool. It was just me, a bright blue sky, the lapping water of the pool–and my pain perdu.
The chef wouldn’t share his recipe secret, so I’m not sure how he prepared it, but it was very light and airy. It was one of those meals that ruined French toast for Pat and I. We would never be satisifed with just “french toast” from now on, it had to be pain perdu…who knows the next time we’d find it. The beauty of it? It’s so airy you won’t feel stuffed after. So how best to describe pain perdu? I would say life-changing.
The avocado toast was recommended to us by the staff as well. I wasn’t in the mood to order it in all honesty since it’s a meal we enjoy plenty of times in America. But I was not let down. Creamy, soft, perfect hints of lemon, salt, and basil…and the bread–oh the bread! Heavenly.
Lastly, we were told to enjoy the acai. The mixture of fruit, jam, acai, and granola make it the perfect refreshing and energizing meal for a start to the day, especially in this hot and tropical climate. Plus it’s just healthy. After all, acai is one of the richest sources of antioxidants, packed with vitamins, minerals, and dietary fibres. As we finished up our meals Pat and I discussed our plans for the day. We were going to hike to Colombier beach nearby before heading to our second stay near Anse de Marigot beach. I reached my arms out in a big, lazy stretch, then relaxed and smiled at Pat. “I see you loved your pain perdu,” he told me. “It was delicious,” I said as I popped the last bit of the avocado toast into my mouth, then rubbed my full stomach and frowned at all the empty plates on the table. “I wish I could have that meal all over again!”
>> Next: François Plantation Restaurant, St. Barts
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