No queues, private tables and children's entertainment: brunch in the « Mama Shelter »

It is 12:30 p.m. and a waitress opens the door to the « Mama Shelter » restaurant on the ground floor, where a small group is waiting for us. We had booked the first place at the brunch of the Kirchberg Hotel, which is offered on Sundays until 4 p.m.

A large island in the middle of the room is full of hearty and sweet dishes. There are salads, cheese, ham, salmon, mixed vegetables, olives, bread, eggs. In the back of the island, a cook prepares a pizza in the pizza oven. On the other side of the room there are sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs, chili con carne and curry.

The dessert counter is a paradise for all sweet tooth: lemon baiser, millefeuille, chocolate cake, choux à la crème, macarons, pancakes, viennoiseries, fruit salad. There is also filter coffee, a selection of tea, hot chocolate and juice.

Breakfast costs € 53 for adults and € 26 for children between three and eleven years.

We start on the island. Compared to other brunches that offer lobster and sushi, for example, there are not many luxury products, but everything is of good quality. In the past I was disappointed with other brunches who look « striking » but do not taste particularly good. Here I can't see anything that takes my breath away, but you can say with certainty that everything is delicious.

The warm dishes remain warm for the duration of our stay and the staff constantly fills up. The food remains appealing, and it doesn't look as if many people have gotten to work on what can easily happen with a buffet.

Although the restaurant is full, there is never a queue, which is probably due to the fact that there are several areas – a salad area, a pizza area, drinks, dessert. This ensures that people do not push together or form a long line.

The tables are cleverly placed so that the conversations remain private. One of the advantages of brunch in the « Mama Shelter » is children's animation. Two young women paint and tinker with the children in a room on the lower floor. If a child wants to go to his parents, an animator is accompanied to the table, and the adults can eat in certainty that their children are safe and have fun.

As with most other brunch, the water is not included in the price. Our table was disappointed with the freely available filter coffee. In the past we were already at breakfast in the « Mama Shelter » (until 11 a.m.), where a barista prepares any kind of coffee that is included in the price. At breakfast there is also a smoothie machine with cut fruits that customers can put together also included in the price. Therefore, we were disappointed that there were only filter coffee and bottle juice at the brunch.

Our table agreed that the food was very good. The salmon was tender, the salads crunchy and well seasoned, there was a good selection of creative side dishes, and the children thought it was great to watch the chef watching pizza.

Every dessert was fantastic. And what a selection. The lemon baiser and the mousse au chocolat are particularly noteworthy, but honestly, everything was excellent.

Was it worth the price? Brunches in Luxembourg are expensive, and the price corresponded to that of other similar brunch buffets. The price of 26 euros for children from the age of three was a bit steep for the amount of food, the toddlers, but it corresponds to the prices for children at other brunch buffets. However, this is the only brunch in which I have so far participated in which child entertainment is included in the price. Sometimes these little extras are simply priceless.

Everyone at our table agreed that the « Mama Shelter » brunch had everything you want. For us it scored with consistently good food, excellent service, no queue, private tables and children's animation.

Translation from the English original and editing: Jeff Karier