New York: Breakfast at Penelope's

Not Tiffany's, mind you.

At the corner of 30th and Lexington, step into Penelope and you're immediately transported into another world.

It looks almost like a picture out of Alice in Wonderland, with its wood-panelled floors, antique-ish wood and marble tables, colonial-style ceiling fans and pastel coloured walls. Not forgetting the row of pastries and cakes adorning the counter and welcoming your very entrance as you step into this cosy abode.

Magical. I couldn't think of a more enticing way to start a morning.

This is the second time I've been to Penelope for breakfast - the first time was last year when I paid homage to New York and camped 5 blocks away with a pal. It was my last meal in in the Apple before I headed up the bus for the 4-hour ride back to DC.

This time round, I crashed with the same friend, and again visited Penelope's just before getting onto the same bus bound for DC.

Penelope's breakfast menu is just that memorable that I returned a year on.

It's wholesome food, cooked with love, in a place small enough that you don't feel glossed over by over-harried waiters, yet spacious enough that you don't feel like the other tables around are eavesdropping on your conversation.

I've tried 2 of their egg sandwiches and they're both really yums, taking a twist on the usual tradition.

The Abuelo's Egg Sandwich (USD9) comes on somun bread (a lot like ciabatta), with eggs done over medium and topped with melted swiss cheese, grilled ham and a tangy balsamic mayo to balance the whole thing.

Abuelo's Egg Sandwich

The best part about the Abuelo's Egg Sandwich is that each half of the sandwich comes with a perfectly enclosed egg yolk, so that you don't have to worry about not having enough egg to go around your whole sandwich.
And you can be as messy as you want with the first half, and start all over again with the next half!

It's perfect :)

Abuelo means grandma in Spanish. And the sandwich does bring to mind going to grandma's and getting fed tons of fantastic homecooked food, making a mess, and have grandma just rub your head and pinch your nose.

The Penny Egg Sandwich (USD8) on the other hand, is a better idea if messy is not your thing when it comes to eggs.

Scrambled eggs, american cheese and a quarter-sized serving of pesto sauce on the side for dipping, on either a croissant of an english muffin.

This time, we ordered the croissant version.

Penny Egg Sandwich on a croissant

I personally prefer the english muffin version which I had the previous time I was at Penelope. But the sandwich was still as good as I remembered it to be, and the pesto sauce still as little as I recalled it to be.

My only gripe is that they aren't as generous with the pesto sauce as they are with the sandwich stuffings, and they'll charge an additional dollar or two (I forget) for more sauce on the side.

Plus, now that I've had the Abuelo's Egg Sandwich, I think that's my new favourite.

Throw in a cappuccino into the mix (I can see Kristian knitting his brows in disapproval here), and voila! A fantastic start to the day.

Penelope's is also a perfect place to just sit by the window and watch the world go by, catch up with a friend, read a book. Or just dream.

A cosy corner to watch cars zipping by,
people hurrying on sidewalks whilst nursing a coffee

I would have done all of that and more.

But I had a bus to catch.

Till next time again, Penelope.