Sometimes you wake up and there's nothing in the fridge, other times you awake and want something in particular, or something you can't make or perhaps want to be served. That's what this thread is about – breakfast options.
Ecuadorean breakfast is alright, nothing in the realm of Indian breakfast options, like chapati with spicy curry potato stew and delicious chai. Definitely can't have that for breakfast here unless you make it your own, and good luck with that. Thankfully, living in a capital city, and I'm sure this applies to Guayaquil, Cuenca and other bigger cities there are places that accommodate more than just local fare.
And by more than just local fare, it's basically American/European/Continental, and perhaps bland, but hey sometimes an omelet or pancakes hit the spot.
Alright so my first review is the Magic Bean which has two restaurants one on Plaza Foch, and the other on Portugal just off of Shyris, I'm reviewing the latter.
I ordered the spinach cheese omelet which comes with a slice of toast (wheat), and a cup of coffee for $6. I liked it, the spinach was fresh and the accompanying aji was nice and mild, actually too mild, but after a while, especially for those accustomed to proper spiciness you assimilate to the point where too spicy is just too much. Their menu also includes pancakes which I'll try next time as I was pleased with the omelet.
Overall I liked the ambiance with prompt service and nice mix of customers as in singles, couples, families and groups, and perhaps all Ecuatorianos but maybe some from neighboring countries, I'm not good enough in Spanish to distinguish dialects especially when spoken fast (relatively).
I definitely recommend it if you want to eat familiar food in a nice setting. You guys have any recommendations for breakfast?
Breakfast Options
Good. Another V Simple food thread! 
For brunch or a late breakfast, how about Crepes & Waffles, which has several sucursales in Quito....
The one I've eaten at is in the patio de comidas upstairs at QuiCentro mall.
cccmedia in Quito
Easy French toast....
Crack open two eggs. Discard eggshells. Stir eggs in a bowl or container for 30 seconds.
Pour beaten eggs into a shallow dish or pan.
Soak two or three slices of bread in the eggs, getting both sides well-soaked.
Pour egg-drenched bread slices into pre-buttered pan on the stove.
Pour any left-over eggs in the original bowl onto the slices in the pan.
Cook each side of the slices for about two minutes at high temperature. Look for modest browning to occur.
Remove French toast from pan with a spatula or similar.
Serve with butter and syrup or mermelada on top. These sweet products are available at the Maxi supermarket chain.
cccmedia in Quito
Nice simple recipe. I probably cooked about 5-6 times past month at my new place, and I'm not blaming the induction stove, although I seriously need some adequate pots and pans for it, and perhaps I'll get comfy cooking. Usually I just go around the corner to get my morning calories, but too much Ecuadorean food and one needs a change.
BTW Crepes & Waffles is cool, I ate there before, but the one in my area is in a mall and opens a bit late.
What are you guys talking about?
Breakfast in Ecuador is the bomb!
Bolon de queso or de chancho o mito and a couple of fried eggs, a glass of juice and of course cafe con leche with panela.
Encebollado con chifles.
A large cup of avena poloka
Bolones de pesca over rice
Seco de pollo anything...
Tigrillos
pancakes o crepes con marmalade
desayuño Guayaco: pan fried fish and patacones
pan crocante con queso y tomoate y cafe.
Of course in Montañita you can increase that by Empanadas Colombiana, Shakshuka Israeli, and Waffles with every fruit imaginable, Fruitsalads with yogurt, batidos (milk fruit shakes), and the ubiquitous...toasted ham & cheese sandwhich...
...oh how could I forget humitas!
Susan_in_Ecuador wrote:What are you guys talking about?
Breakfast in Ecuador is the bomb!
Bolon de queso or de chancho o mito and a couple of fried eggs, a glass of juice and of course cafe con leche with panela.
Encebollado con chifles.
A large cup of avena poloka
Bolones de pesca over rice
Seco de pollo anything...
Tigrillos
pancakes o crepes con marmalade
desayuño Guayaco: pan fried fish and patacones
pan crocante con queso y tomoate y cafe.
Of course in Montañita you can increase that by Empanadas Colombiana, Shakshuka Israeli, and Waffles with every fruit imaginable, Fruitsalads with yogurt, batidos (milk fruit shakes), and the ubiquitous...toasted ham & cheese sandwhich...
Fair enough, I haven't tried Encebollado con chifles, but looks good. I actually enjoy hot meals for breakfast and sometimes opt for the seco de pollo, and treat it as brunch.
ccmedia.
Are you making your French Toast the correct way ? Let's start with the thickness of your bread and where you get it............
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/ … ench-toast
French Toast?
Either the Brioche Pan Molde from the Panaderia on the corner sliced at least an inch thick...or the Challah from my peeps at Hola Ola!
And of course that egg milk ratio has to be right with huevos crillo, the milk has to be raw from the vender that comes by at 8am, then cinamon, nutmeg and vanilla...
I prefer to toast in bonella, a margarine...for the taste... and top with Aunt Jemima syrup but if unavailable I make a simple syrup of fresh fresas (strawberries) or mora (blackberries) or mangos....
And some tocino humado from Plumrose for the right salty kick...
Of course a nice glass of Jugo de limon for a bitter sweet and a cup of Cafe con Leche Guayaco style finishes that off...
I'm going to head out to my local mercado soon for brunch and some delicious Caldo de Gallina (chicken soup), and if you guys are paying attention to cccmedia Spanish learning threads then you'll know there's a difference between pollo (chicken) and gallina (hen).
And if you're at a Mercado, and you notice one seller selling Caldo de Gallina for $2 and another for $3, what do you think is the difference?
The $2 vender, while delicious will be ordinary factory chicken, the type of white chicken you buy at supermarkets.
The $3 vender will probably add a boiled egg in there, but the chicken is a campo hen or free range countryside hen. And the taste and skin of the chicken is different from the white chicken, and much tastier. And by the way, the skin is absolutely delicious.
This info is true for Quito, and for all I know, you folk living outside of civilization in small towns it's all campo. 
That's fascinating but not precisely what I have heard.
Pollo is the name of the ave species we call chicken
Hens are also called pollo or pollito and roosters called gallos.
A de-sexed rooster, what we call a pullet, is a gallino or gallina (as it is no longer truly masculine).
By desexing them they grow plumper and because they are XY are normally a larger (and tougher) bird. They are used for soups and stews rather than roasting or frying, which is the preferred use of non laying hens. The proverbial spring chicken, which is the tenderest is reserved for these purposes and small chickens on rotisseries can be seen in most towns by the sea as chicken is an appreciated alternative to the fish eaten all the time!
Pollo criollo is country chicken. Gallino/a criollo, country pullet
The term criollo is the designation for country style which means not raised in an agricultural environment. What is called in the USA free range. Huevos criollo are especially delicious and have a distinct orange yellow yolk and are high in omega acids which are very important in cell metabolism.
Anyway, that's my experience. Enjoy your caldo de gallina criollo!
From an Andean song with flute, harp and traditional instruments (although this refrain or copla is found in many verses and songs):
Como me gusta la sopa
cuando la gallina es gorda
Más me gusta la sirvienta
cuando la patrona es sorda
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