A Pain Perdu Pancake

You may never have seen French toast--pardon me, pain perdu--like that at Café Laurent in Culver City.

Instead of the usual browned bread slices, you get a golden pancake composed of crumbled brioche, croissants and raisin rolls, with a few cranberries mixed in for jaunty color and powdered sugar over the top. Syrup too, as much as you need.   

The name pain perdu is French, like the café’s owner/chef Laurent Triqueneaux. It’s a breakfast item, served only until 11:30 a.m. weekdays, but all day on weekends, a good time to linger over coffee in the café’s pleasant patio garden.

Pain Perdu (French toast) is $8.75 at Café Laurent, 4243 Overland Ave., Culver City, CA 90232. Tel: (310) 558-8622. Open from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.