I was going with friends to see a play in Rockville, and we decided to do lunch beforehand. We decided on Mosaic Cuisine, a French restaurant with a reputation for a great brunch. The reputation is well deserved.

Mosaic Cuisine is located in an unassuming strip mall on Halpine Road, right off Rockville Pike near the center of Rockville. It is a family owned and operated restaurant, created by Chef Thierry Jugnet. Jugnet is originally from Lyon, France and trained with master chefs in France. Mosaic Cuisine has been open since 2001. The restaurant is most famous for their waffles, and Jugnet even had a second, waffle themed restaurant for awhile.

Menu

Mosaic’s breakfast menu is served until 6:00 PM. There is quite a variety of options, with the sections: Starters, Soups, Salads, Breakfast, Most Popular, Waffleissimo, and Large Plates. The starters have an eclectic mix of cuisines. There are waffles and croquettes, but also taquitos, empanadas, and Peking Duck Rolls. The soups are also eclectic, including French Onion and Tomato Bisque, plus Shitake Mushroom, and Turkish Red Lentil.

Breakfast items include waffle sandwiches and a breakfast platter, which I’ll cover below. Among the salads are Goat Cheese Souffle and Tuna Nicoise. The Large Plates include omelets, quiches, Eggs Benedict and smoked salmon. There is also a specials menu, which was mostly non-breakfast items. Some notable items were: Coq Au Vin, Portobella Swiss Burger, and a Bavarian Soft Pretzel.

Our Brunch

I decided to go with one of their signature dishes, the Giant Panko Fried Chicken Waffle. This is a beast of a sandwich, arranged on a plate in one giant tower. It’s a great presentation, but for eating it is readily disassembled into two sandwiches. While the waffles are big, they are light and airy. The menu notes that they have no more calories than a slice of bread. And, unlike Belgian waffles, they are not sweet. Inside the sandwich are breaded and fried chicken breasts, along with ginger slaw, lettuce, and tomato. The chicken is thin but tender. And the tomato was very fresh and full of flavor. This is a good sandwich.

My friends ordered the Waffle French Toast and the Breakfast Mosaic. The Waffle French Toast is exactly what the name says, French Toast, but made with waffles instead of French bread. Breakfast Mosaic is a breakfast platter. It consists of 3 eggs, potato hash, bacon, sausage, and a waffle. Both dishes come with your choice of egg. One chose scrambled; the other, over medium. Both reported that their lunch was good.

Drinks

Mosaic Cuisine has a good sized cocktail and drinks menu. My friend ordered one of the seasonal specials, the Flaming S’more. It is their version of the classic drink, the Mudslide, but with two key differences. First, it is made with hot chocolate instead of a coffee liquor (i.e. Kahlúa). Second, Sambuca is used instead of vodka. It’s a dynamite combination. The anise flavor or the Sambuca complements the rich chocolate quite well. My friend loved it. I had a sip and concurred.

I ordered the red Sangria. The Sangria itself had a strong, fruity flavor. And the fruit inside was very fresh. This was the best Sangria that I have had in quite a long time.

Ambience

Mosaic Cuisine is a busy place, but I still had a relaxed, enjoyable lunch. We had made a reservation, so we did not have to wait for a seat. It is recommended to have a reservation, a recommendation that I second. Our waitress was gregarious and friendly. She gave prompt service and was helpful in describing items on the menu. Our drinks were regularly refilled, and our order came out quickly. All in all, a great dining experience.