Belgian bakery Le Pain Quotidien is to open its first Hong Kong cafe in March.

With more than 230 restaurants in 18 countries, Le Pain Quotidien Hong Kong will mark its 19th market, its third in Asia after India and Japan.

Coconuts Hong Kong reports the bakery chain is “renowned for its unpretentious ambience” and Hongkongers can expect “elegant yet wholesome boulangerie-inspired fare in the humble confinements of The Avenue Complex in Wan Chai”.

Le Pain Quotidien was founded in Brussels by Alain Coumont in October 1990. As a young chef, he was dissatisfied with the quality of bread available in the city, so began making his own based on the recipes of his childhood.

Within months he had a chain of 10 stores and the brand expanded into the US in 1997, relocating its head office there in 2004.

The cafes now offer a substantially broader fare than the brand’s bakery beginnings.

Soups, salads, quiches, homemade pastries and artisanal breads are served for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner – and the cafe will offer home deliveries.

A second Le Pain Quotidien Hong Kong outlet is scheduled to open later this year.

The store pictured is in Mumbai, India.