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| - Mon Ami Gabi whisks me away on a journey of deliciousity.
Located in Paris hotel in a prominent location offering both indoor and patio seating Mon Ami Gabi has a steady stream of diners and can become very busy. The wait times can stretch over an hour, and the patio and dining room wait times are segregated so there's no getting the first available.
The restaurant has a classic ambiance with a gentle French theme. Nothing garish, nothing thematic, just very classic. The menu offers a nice variety at decent prices.
Recently I came here for breakfast and ordered the Bananas Foster French Toast. I will admit, I was a little skeptical because as much as I love French Toast I often find restaurants drench it in butter and syrup and it becomes sugar toast. I was immediately pleased to see the portion sizes were reasonable. It was incredibly filling, but I didn't feel overly stuffed or defeated.
The French Toast was simply amazing. They had a light caramel sauce over the pieces and these delicious carmalized banana slices that popped with flavor. They weren't overly mushy either instead with a nice firm texture. The French Toast itself was perfect. Fluffy, but firm with just enough bananas foster flavor that I recalled the similarity to the dessert without feeling like I was eating dessert. The dish came with maple syrup and fresh whipped cream on the side in individual dishes. I would dab my toast pieces in the whipped cream but left the maple syrup alone. I felt that the maple syrup overwhelmed the banana foster flavor and saw no point in doing that. It was amazingly delicious.
So, why a 4 instead of a 5? Well, the service isn't remarkable. It feels very mechanized with everyone going through the same routine over and over until patrons are simply numbers and mouths to fill and usher out. There's no warmth, no energy among the staff here. Our waiter came, took our order, checked on how our food came out, and delivered our check. He never smiled, never broke a monotone, barely made eye contact and every person was like that from the ladies at the front desk to the people refilling our water. It felt impersonal.
But the food is delicious!
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