Paris photos - grand dejeuner?

"Breakfast is not very copious ..." - Thomas Cook Traveller's Guide to Paris

This was the breakfast buffet to beat them all. On the first day we were simply blown away by the amount of choice. Due to incomplete information, we failed to appreciate that certain pastries were sweet, and we ended up combining sweet with savoury throughout the meal. We even made the rookie error of mistakenly eating a portion of heavy muesli too early on. However, carefully selecting a table behind a large screen meant we were hidden from public view and could engage in our random eating frenzy with abandon, and it also enabled much food to find its way into to our bags for later in the day, a welcome bonus. Yes, a good quantity was consumed but there was just no method to the madness. We needed more order and more discipline if we were going to make our mark.

On the evening of the first night I put a business breakfast buffet plan together, plotting out an effective multi-stage business breakfast eating strategy, maximising food input and minimising wondering between stations. We would also replace the pile 'em high approach with multiple visits, maintaining a semblance of decorum about the whole affair. Perhaps you think I jest? But no, this is a most serious affair monsieur. Click on the image below and see the bottom right quadrant:

It is titled 'Breakfast Plan of Attack Strategy'. The plan was designed to front load the protein, which came in the form of eggs. Mid-way through, we would clean our palates with yogurt and prunes. Then we would take down the savoury breads before striking hard on the sweets. The muesli would also star in the back half of the plan, playing a role as a filler and blocker to keep us going through the day. If new items were available we would improvise.

Execution was close to the script and proved highly effective. Eating time ran to about 1.5 hours, and when I turned to get more milk for my cereal they had shut up shop, with the head of the breakfast service dealing us a cheeky, knowing grin. However, by then our work was largely done. Here's how it went down:

As far from petite dejeuner as you can get

Tray 1: Potatoes, Scrambled Egg on Toast, Tea, Milk.
Tray 2: More Potatoes, Scrambled Egg on Toast, Boiled Egg, Coffee, Orange Juice.
Tray 3: Two Croissants with Cheese, Yogurt and Prunes and Honey, Capuccino, Grape Juice.
Tray 4: Large Plate of Scrambled Egg on a bed of Potatoes, with sauce. Bowl of Muesli, Hot Chocolate, four Sweet Pastries. Oh, and another Orange Juice.

I ate it all, nothing was bagged and nothing was wasted apart from a little bit of the muesli, which would have been eaten had I found more milk! I will remember this for a long, long time.