“We really should catch up” is a lovely sentence. It becomes even better when someone finally chooses a day and a table.

At Au Patio Thảo Điền, we have a soft spot for that first moment when everybody arrives. Bags find a chair. The conversation starts before the menus have properly opened. And someone asks the question that gives the occasion a little sparkle: shall we have a mimosa?

Why it’s called a mimosa

Before it became your friend’s favourite brunch order, the mimosa already had a rather glamorous story. It is often linked to Frank Meier at the Ritz Paris in the 1920s, although its precise inventor is disputed. It appears as “Mimosa or Champagne Orange” in his 1936 cocktail book.

The name comes from the yellow-flowered mimosa tree: a lovely match for the golden colour of the orange classic. A little floral romance, a little Parisian history—and now a perfectly good excuse to get everyone around the same table.

Begin with your favourite juice

A mimosa brings fruit juice and bubbles to the brunch table. At Au Patio, you can choose orange, watermelon, pineapple or apple.

Orange is the familiar starting point. The other choices give you a different fruit to build the moment around. You might all order the same, or discover that your friends have surprisingly firm opinions about pineapple.

There is no complicated ceremony. Choose what sounds good, raise your glass if the occasion calls for it, and get back to the story someone has been saving for this table.

Give the food equal attention

The drinks may have started the conversation, but we would like the food to have its moment, too.

A Full Breakfast brings eggs your way, bacon, sausage, beans, baked tomato, mushrooms, hash brown and bread. Eggs Benedict, a savoury toast or a sandwich can take the brunch in another direction. Spread the menus around and let everyone follow their appetite.

When the first plates arrive, there is usually a brief, happy pause. Then someone wants to know what you ordered. Another friend is already considering something sweet for later.

One glass, or a one-hour occasion

You can order a mimosa by the glass. Our Bottomless Mimosas option runs for one hour, with orange, watermelon, pineapple or apple juice to choose from.

Choose the option that suits the occasion alongside your brunch order, and enjoy the food and company at your own pace.

There is room for different drinks around the same table. Tea, coffee, fresh juice, still La Vie or sparkling Perrier can join the conversation just as happily. Good company does not depend on everyone having the same glass.

A table worth putting in the diary

What we like most is the excuse to be together. A birthday catch-up. Friends back in town. A weekend that finally has a little space in it. Sometimes there is no occasion beyond wanting to hear how everybody is doing.

The greenery and daylight at Au Patio Thảo Điền make a lovely backdrop for that kind of meal. Choose from the current menu, find your favourite juice, and let the table fill with the stories that do not quite fit into a message.

One mimosa at a time. One good conversation, finally given the time it deserves.