ISLAMABAD: French toast has come a long way from its soggy homemade variant, associated with school recess and lunch boxes.

Part dessert, part brunch and breakfast indulgence, this simple combination of egg, bread and caramelised sugar are like a canvas to chefs, who are putting everything from Nutella to Ice-cream on top.

The chefs in Islamabad have also gotten creative with this old favourite, offering it with new gourmet spins. One cannot talk about French toast in Islamabad and not mention Chaaye Khana.

This rich vanilla flavoured French toast has almost acquired a celebrity status, pulling visitors from as far afield as Karachi and Lahore.

The white bread used for this French toast is almost an inch and a half in thickness and always freshly baked.

After being dipped in egg, cinnamon and sugar, it is fried to a very light golden with a very slight crispness to the caramelised bits.

The buttery exterior reveals a soft, pillowy centre which oozes a thick, gooey vanilla flavoured filling.

Truly decadent, Chaaye Khana’s French toast leaves little room for any accompaniment except chai.

For those who have eaten Chaaye Khana’s star dish a few too many times, there is the Lime Tree at Kuch Khaas where the French Toast could easily give Chaaye Khana a run for its money. Lime Tree’s French toast has a very crisp, almost burnt exterior.

The bread used is here is also thick, making for a filling meal but without the gooey custard-like filling of Chaaye Khana’s toast, the finished product is light and fluffy.

The centre of the toast is very soft and the flavours and the textures combine well.

But the most memorable twist is the addition of banana to make The Lime Tree’s Banana French toast.

This simple ingredient tossed on top, when the toast is almost ready but still in the pan, melts over it and adds a whole new range of flavours.

The freshness and zest of the banana slices offer a welcome contrast to the overpowering taste of the sweet, caramelised edges of the bread.

Another strong contender is Street 1 Cafe, where the French toast, up against the likes of red velvet pancakes on the breakfast menu, becomes overshadowed.

However, on its own, this dish is made to perfection and falls in between the offerings by Chaaye Khana and the Lime Tree in terms of richness.

Thick slices of freshly baked circular bread are used and the taste of butter is discernable.

The caramelised exterior is a good balance between soft eggy dough and the browned crispy bits.

Served with a bowl of fresh fruit and a generous amount of maple syrup, the only bad thing about this offering is that it is only available before noon.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2015

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