Belmondo

Belmondo ambiance seems to fall somewhere between hipster and trendy yuppie. One thing’s for sure. It’s not a taco stand.

Nothing ultra-trendy about this place. No minimalist or industrial furnishings. Just a nice place to sit and eat.

A breakfast menu that’s creative. About one-third Mexican breakfast classics. Yes. You can your chilaquiles. The remainder, the collection of American and European breakfast items that is becoming more and more prevalent on menus in Mexico City. You know the routine. French toast, waffles, pancakes, omelets, Eggs Benedict and Croque Madame. The menu sounds a bit like a high-level summit of the EU member states.

Oooh. I almost forgot. Eggs Benedict is no longer a member of the EU. But, anyway, you see where going with this.

It’s a menu anyone can love. Even the Indians can have a cup of Chai.

On my most recent visit I gave the buttermilk pancakes a test-drive.

Unlike the pancakes I’d had a few days earlier at Maque, these were shaped a bit more like I envision a pancake should look. And none of that whipped cream malarkey. These come with butter and syrup, like any respectable pancake should. Of course, that syrup was sugar cane syrup. The Canadian maple syrup salesman was on vacation last month.

The batter on those pancakes produced a cakier crumb than I personally prefer but I did like buttermilk in the batter. It provides a little tartness to offset that sweet syrup.

All in all, an admirable showing on the griddle cakes.

The service was spot on and the waitress a bit friendlier than usual. That’s a good thing. There’s no rule saying a waiter or waitress can’t have a personality.

I liked Belmondo. If I lived nearby this would likely be my hangout.