The Best Thing I Ate All Week: French Toast at Matchstick Café

Dessert for breakfast? Don’t mind I do.

There was an article I read, maybe back in 2012—I suppose it’s very telling, the kind of news that sticks with you—about how scientists have done all the tests and compiled all the data to determine that breakfast is the best time for dessert. Their thinking was, at breakfast, you have all day to work off the rich chocolate lava cake with raspberry drizzle—that’s far better than after dinner and right before bed where stationary dreaming burns few calories. Of course the headline in the newspaper was something along the lines of “Eat Cake for Breakfast: Scientists.” Classic!It’s this “in-depth study” that sprang to mind when I dug into Matchstick Café‘s french toast. This singular honking piece of thick-cut sourdough bread (baked that morning) was decorated with a generous spread of whip and topped with a cinnamon apple compote (more like a substantial apple sauce) and salted caramel syrup. Bite one evoked an irrepressible, “Daaaaaaamn.” The bread was still crispy, but easy to cut through, revealing a soft eggy interior—but not the kind of soft that makes you wonder if you’re going to get salmonella. The salt and sweet were in perfect balance and even though I’m not typically a fruit compote person (because I need sweet syrup and IMO syrup doesn’t go with raspberries or strawberries), this combo of whip, syrup and apple on the ? fresh bread was killer. I could not finish it, but as long as you brunch with friends this won’t be a problem.French toast, $8, matchstickyvr.com

More from “The Best Thing I Ate All Week” series:

Uni Custard at Burdock and Co.Acai Bowl at KokomoMushroom and Kale Skillet at Mamie Taylor’s