After looking for a new brunch place that open early in Fort Lee, NJ, we found this spot. It looked like a regular residential house, which was interesting. They had a shared parking with other business in the back, which had a sign that says Valet Parking Only. However, early in the morning, there was no valet. Maybe they don’t start until it gets busy?
They had a nice outdoor seating space by the entrance. Since it was away from busy street, it seemed like a quiet, tranquil spot without much noise. The entry way was wide, with a few tables to the right, and ordering counter to the left. You can see the spacious dining area up ahead.
And it was spacious alright. It was roomy, bright with loads of natural light coming through the large window. I liked the modern and simple interior with fun element to it. I thought the play between the clean, strong lines against softer, round shapes.
They had some air plants hanging at the back of the wall, simple yet perfect for creating the calm and peaceful environment. I especially loved the up-cycled lamps along the walls, made with old coffee grinders!
Now, the food… They are supposedly “patisserie” and that means they should have a pretty nice selection of desserts, right? Well, they didn’t have much on this morning. Maybe they have more later in the day?
Well, we were there for the real food, so that was ok… I ordered Hamburg Steak ($15.95), comes with beef patty, egg, cheese, rice, pickle, salad, macaroni salad, and house made special sauce. It is a mouthful, and they did have a good amount of food on the plate.
Even though it came with lots of side items, the plate itself was not so large. The cute plating of this dish reminded me of a “kid plate” that is offered in so many restaurants in Japan. The hamburg steak was thick and meaty. Their special sauce was very flavorful. Cheese was hidden between the egg and hamburg steak, which was really nice addition to the dish. Egg was cooked to perfection for some egg porn. The dressing on the salad tasted like sesame with mustard? Nice little Kick to it, I liked the flavor. Macaroni salad was fun too, with some corn in it which gave additional texture.
Since we usually do “sweet and savory” items for breakfast/brunch, my hubby ordered Earl Grey French Toast ($10.95), comes with Brioche toast, strawberry, Earl Grey spread, Earl Grey whipped cream, and raspberry jam.
The “Earl Grey” French toast didn’t have that much Earl Grey flavor, which was disappointing. Also, each bread slice was not as thick as I wanted them to be. It was ok, but nothing really special.
They had a bathroom tucked away to the side, and right by the bathroom doors was a wall of books. Since they only have one bathroom each for men and women, hopefully no one will take a book from there and spend long time in the bathroom…LOL.
The bathroom was clean, bright, and spacious. It also had diaper station in there for customers with babies.
So, at the end, we had a nice brunch here. The staff is not overly friendly, but polite. We liked the food, but not the best we’ve had. For Hamburg Steak, I prefer the one from Shinpo Korean Eatery. Their Hamburg Steak is bigger, and almost half the price! But, I would like to go back to Mavi’s and try some other enticing menu that they offer.
Mavi’s Coffee and Patisserie – 237 Main St, Fort Lee, NJ 07024