Breakfast for me has always been the heartiest meal of the day. Something I attack with gusto. And my lament for years has been that there is no breakfast place in Hyderabad.

Sure we have thousands of idli-dosa options, but a proper ‘English’ breakfast has been missing. Yes of course, the clubs have been known for a good breakfast platter and so have some of the star hotels…but a pure breakfast place…serving a hearty ranch type breakfast has not unfortunately made an appearance in the twin cities.

So when Vishal invited me to a new place Ci Gusta for a soft launch of sorts I was ecstatic. I arrived at the venue (in the lane opposite the Madhapur Police Station, just about a hundred yards down, to the left), at the appointed time. And walked into the sexiest reception counter in the city.

The counter promised me froyo (frozen yoghurts). And I knew that I was about to fall in love. I stepped into the wide open, bright and welcoming restaurant and saw that a few of my foodie friends had reached before I did.

Exchanging warm hellos, I took a spin of the place and saw some promising fittings and fixtures.

The coffee machine. The freezer. The cutting table. And the juicers. This place meant business I realised. And then I sat down for the sampling.

The bread was good, apparently it is in-house bred. The homemade strawberry jam and orange marmalade were exquisite.

But then, the first sign of trouble appeared. The restaurant was obviously overwhelmed with the number of people who were there. Slowly, the service levels dropped and the gap between dishes became inordinately long.

For example, a delicious beaten curd and fruit combination was preceded by at least fifteen minutes of waiting aimlessly. Then the gorgeous Cous Cous Upma with its peas and pomegranate texturing filled in the blank while we were salivating in wait for our eggs.

Eggs Benny…Eggs Royale…Eggs Florentine…the eggs on bread with creams, sauces and sprig leaves…amazingly cooked…tempered with slivers of salmon or turkey ham…on dollop sized buns…the fare was complete.

Or so we thought…waffles, pancakes, parfaits, coffees and caramelised muesli later we knew that the formula had been discovered.

The place was great. The food was exquisite, kudos to the Chef. But the gaping hole was the service. And just because I love this place so much, I pray that they get this aspect of the eatery right and soon.

But even otherwise, if you are prepared to be kind and patient, this is a place where you should start your mornings.

I am imagining an early morning session…say 7-730…a set of news papers, or a laptop with wifi…coffee/juice…uninterrupted breakfast…more coffee…and then back home by 11 or so. With a full day’s work already put in from the comfort of a friendly neighbourhood.

As I said my good byes to my foodie family I could see that all of us were raving and saying together See You Soon @ Ci Gusta.