Westwood: Le Pain Quotidien

Last Wednesday was the last day of Block 1 exams; midday, I had my standardized patient interview.  Beforehand, Alex, Sophie and I braved the surprisingly heavy rain and walked the few blocks to Le Pain Quotidien for breakfast.  Le Pain may be an international chain, but the individual franchises seem to do a remarkably good job of being un-chain-like.  Plus, they serve the best bread and pastries in Westwood. 

We settled into a small table at the back of the room, and the ordering commenced.  First, coffees and the bread basket to share: big slices of various crusty and sometimes nutty breads (sadly cold, but fortunately fresh), which we slathered with butter and/or the indulgent praline spread, raspberry and apricot jams that are at every table:

Sophie's oatmeal with granola and apricots:

Alex and I both ordered the croissant sandwich with ham, Swiss cheese, and egg, served hot with a tiny salad and three different mustards:

One interview and a couple hours later, Block 1 was over, and the rain stopped quite soon after that.