Buffet Breakfast

Hello,

The idea of publishing this food photography blog is to bring to the purview of the uninitiated, the glimpses of breakfast options outside India. We Indians are used to a whole but wide variety of breakfast food  options no doubt. But many Indians, despite wide exposure on foreign shores are ill at ease with candies, cakes hot chocolate fruit baskets for breakfast. Indians arguably have grain based breakfast ... healthier in some ways but also more oily! Hope this buffet breakfast food photography blog gives an idea, an orientation of what to expect instead of giving a culture shock to the first time traveler out of India!

Pictures courtesy Pixabay, Published by Malini Shankar, Digital Discourse Foundation 

The Tandoor Indian Restaurant in Ho Chi Minn City is a must do for die hard Indian vegetarian travelers like me!

 The vegetarian food option on board flights depends on how much access the foreign airline has to "Asian vegetarian food" packaging outlets in India. It also depends on the time your flight on foreign shore takes off after the flight that brings your "Asian vegetarian food" from India. In case your flight on foreign airliner takes off before the arrival of a flight there from India carrying "Asian vegetarian food" chances are you are likely to get only Milo or any other hot chocolate. That is because foreign airlines depend on aviation catering from India to cater to the needs of passengers paying and opting for Asian vegetarian meals on board foreign flights. My experience booking "Asian vegetarian food" or any vegetarian food option including 'pilaf' on Viet Jet Airways from Ho Chi Minn City (HCMC for short) to Hanoi and Hanoi to Siem Reap was a waste of money. I did not get any vegetarian food option despite paying for it on credit card. Neither did I get a refund. Instead I was asked to buy a sachet pack of sweet hot chocolate milk "Milo" at extra cost. I recall with gratitude, once on a Hyderabad to Bangalore flight, I rejected the dessert in the food because of the sugar in it but the air-hostess was kind enough to get me a carton of fruit juice without sugar. Airlines are also notorious for insisting on Dollars based cash purchase if you want to buy food. Just that you know what to expect.

Black coffee much as it is so authentic especially in places like Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia is something Indians are not very used to. Indians like their coffee with milk. In Vietnam, coffee with condensed milk (sweetened) is the norm, .... but delicious and heavenly! Highly recommended. 

 Lemon and Cheese tart with nuts and whipped cream for garnishing ...A French legacy in many hip cafes in HCMC.

 Just one ounce of condensed milk embellishes the taste of coffee million fold! Unimaginably delicious!

 French baguettes are a sight to behold in hotel of all budgets in HCMC.

 Muesli with hot chocolate. Forget dieting while travelling!

 Fruit baskets (literally) are the most diet friendly options during travel.

 Pancakes with fruits, maple syrup, hot chocolate, fruit juices (very sweet!) are a popular breakfast option in a Western buffet breakfast.

Pancakes with whipped cream, honey, blueberries ... oh what an indulgence!

What's there to add to a thick foamy fresh grape juice?

Here's a lady experimenting Muesli with black coffee cinnamon and honey!

Grain drenched breads ... are a delicacy in continental Europe ... pictured at a 5 star hotel in Ho Chi Minn City.

Fresh golden buttered bread slices!

Whipped cream to lash the tongue in between pancakes drenched in chocolate syrup, choco nuggets,  and fruits... feel like heaven doesn't it? ... Not so good for the traveller's stomach all day though!

Potato patties ... with cheese and herbs

Oats with fruits coffee or tea or hot chocolate, or fresh fruit juice ... the choice is yours.

Fruit basked with oats, ice cream, hot chocolate, coffee / tea / fresh fruit juice, ...

Bread rolls, omelettes, fresh vegetable, fruit, fresh fruit juice, coffee or tea, or hot chocolate (with or without sugar) options are usually available at top rated hotels

Croissants, rolls, breads with grains are all available.

Now here's a wide angle view of the wide breakfast buffet at a 5 star hotel. There are also slices of Salami, beef and pork besides fresh cut fruit and fresh vegetables / boiled vegetables, cheese cereal, dry fruits fresh and canned juices, hot chocolate, coffee and tea.

Tomato with cheese, Muesli, soup sticks, cereal, boiled eggs, fresh cut fruit, potato wedges, breads, rolls, croissants, yoghurt, salad and pancake dressings, herbal cheese marmalades are all visible here.

Pastries for breakfast anyone?

Yeah yeah this looks like a dish! There was a time ... on my visit visit to the US and Canada in 1997 when I survived on starters like salads and soups and desserts like these fresh cream pastries only ... for a whole seven weeks for want of healthy nutritious delicious vegetarian fare. That was when I celebrated my 28th birthday as a Rotary scholar of Rotary Foundation in Michigan in the USA and Ontario in Canada.

Coffee and cake is a calorific afternoon indulgence in Germany!

Grape flavoured cheesecake!

And the indulgence goes on ... in German they say "Die Völlerei geht los!"

Cereal with marmalades, honey, maple syrup and chocolate syrup.

Freshly baked cheese cake with chocolate syrup and dressed raspberries.

Honey dressed cheesecake with chocolate syrup and whipped cream.

Raspberry fruit baked.

Freshly baked raspberry muffins.

Choco nuggets.

Cookies with powdered sugar and jelly.

Black coffee with a Burger

Black coffee.

Is it coffee or tea?

Coffee for writing.

Coffee with condensed milk ... an oriental delicacy.

The choicest of coffee beans fr the most sophisticated black coffee.

Colourful coffee mugs.

Coffee mugs themselves have become a fashionable industry today!

Coffee bean that has been ingested by simians and excreted in Indonesia have become the rage. it is a highly sought after coffee in Indonesia and very expensive.

Coffee with whole cinnamon sticks and stone fruit to flavour the black coffee is a spiced but flavourful option in places like Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam. In Sri Lanka only the very expensive 5 and 7 star hotels offer authentic coffee. Sri Lanka is known more as tea country...

Black coffee to the uninitiated...

Vietnam is lately renowned for its cafes...

This indulgent Sundae has to be followed by a black coffee!

A tomato lettuce and egg salad

Croissants go well with butter, marmalades, pickles, spreads, and can be eaten both fresh and toasted.

Croissants flavoured with roasted nuts and coffee!

Coffee mugs...

Cup cake...

Cup cakes with chocolate syrup and Kiwi slices...

Pancakes with fresh strawberry slices whipped cream mint sprig, and crushed orange rind spread

Dressing up the food is what gives food photography the edge.

Banana and walnut cake with whipped cream, cinnamon, stone fruit mint and black coffee!

Mint Mojito

Glistening cup cakes

Now these are Vietnamese starters ... vegetable rolls.

Bagels with  mustard seeds

I am not sure but someone said this is snake meat dish in Thailand.

Waffles with orange marmalade...

Muesli with dried Kiwi honey and wine ...

Waffle with chocolate Nutella / chocolate spread and whipped cream.

Cereal with fruit, milk, marmalade milk, avocado, and salad.

Waffle, cereal, fruits, hot chocolate, honey, milk, peppermint, and herbs.

Chocolate fondue with fruit, chocolate syrup, sticks, sponge cake, and hot chocolate.

Fruit basket.

Fruit basket.

Fruit basket.

Fruit basket.

Hazelnut.

Collectors' display of honey...

Corn cob for spreading honey.

chocolate sundae

Chocolate sundae with a munch.

Cold coffee ... my favourite

Honey and pomegranate marmalade anyone...?

A tray full of orange marmalade...

A fruigetarian buffet.

In South East Asia, eating a portion of pork and beef with rice and fruit is the norm for breakfast as well as brunch, lunch and supper.

Lemon and honey with mint makes a great drink hot or cold.

Mint lime and iced water for the tropics...

Coffee book and lounge...

Cookies with sweetened whipped cream arranged in the form of a pagoda.

Pancake, with orange marmalade whipped cream and fruit.

Thick chocolate syrup on ice cream and muesli...

Roll and marmalade

Indulgent honey.

Coffee to stimulate the intellect.  \

Honey jars

Marmalade for the cookies...

Authentic orange marmalade...

A mud brick oven.

Pancake sandwich with honey, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, raspberries, powdered sugar,  mint sprigs,

Pancakes with eggs and honey.

Pancakes with honey and blueberries.

Pancakes with chocochips and berries.

Oven fresh cup cakes

Pizza with tomatoes oregano and basil

Plum and cheesecake.

Fruit and whipped cream tart.

Cheesecake / cheese and raspberry tart.

Rice and vegetable curry a vegetarian breakfast in Vietnam.

Pork slices with rice - another traditional breakfast option in Vietnam and Cambodia.

Beef slice on a roll.

Raw vegetable buffet breakfast in vietnam.

Tomatoes, avocado cucumber peanuts and pepper ...

Sushi with Wasabi

Tropical ...water melon juice.

Fresh vegetable salad

tropical fruit juices galore

Vietnamese street food.

Fruit basket.

Sushi

Cheesecake

Rice with omelette and pork salad.

Breakfast hall in a hotel.

Vegetable basket.

Waffles with varied dressings.

Waffle with honey.

Waffle with whipped cream and fruits and coffee

Honey jar on a breakfast table.