Oliver and Bonacini

Oliver and Bonacini Café Grill (Bayview Village Shopping Centre, 2901 Bayview Avenue, Toronto)

416-590-1300

Hours:

Mon 11:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Tues - Sat 11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Sun 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Brunch available on weekends.

ob.bayview@oliverbonacini.com

We came on a Sunday afternoon around 1 p.m. At that time, the place was pretty packed.

Freshly mango passion fruit juice.

There was a lot of flavour packed into this 3/4 filled glass. I tasted both mango and passion fruit. 

Poached eggs on polenta.

The lamb sausage was spicy and really juicy and tasty. The polenta looked like mashed potatoes and tasted like mashed pasta. The white part of the poached eggs tasted more rubbery than smooth as if they had been pre-poached and sitting in something for a while. As a whole dish, it wasn't bad. The lamb sausage was the star for me.

O&B Tiniest Desserts milk chocolate mousse.

The mousse was incredibly sweet, especially with the denser layer of chocolate (like something out of a torte) on top. There wasn't enough air in the mousse for me. 

Andrew's Classic Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée.

When the desserts were served, I wanted to trade with him. He said the shortbread was good. 

The service was a bit slow for my liking, especially towards the end of our meal. A bit slow and forgetful. There was a good chunk of time where we were trying to find our waiter to get the bill. When we finally flagged him down and asked for it, he forgot about it for another five to ten minutes.

Would I return? Yes. The food was decent enough and the menu seemed to have interesting options.

Total damage: $29 for my share.

Swan Restaurant

Swan Restaurant (892 Queen Street West, Toronto)
(647) 258-7952

This retro-looking joint was pretty busy on the Sunday that I went. All of the four waiting chairs outside the restaurant were occupied and still there were more people standing. Must be a good sign.

The freshly squeezed orange juice is much larger than what I'm used to. It comes in a glass that's sized for cheap soft drinks. It's laden with pulp and the colour separation is near the top of the glass.

Soup of the day:

The soup of the day was carrot, sweet potato and ginger. The ginger taste was very prevalent and the whole thing reminded me a bit of butternut squash soup. The bowl was quite large, and I'm glad I split it with Berta. I think it could've been a meal on its own for one person. She enjoyed it much more after adding salt.

Berta's omelette of the day:

She thought it was weird that they put Chinese vegetables in the omelette. I tried a piece and though I agreed with her, I think they at least cooked the Chinese vegetables properly. Often times, people will cook them to unacceptable mushiness, but these vegetables had just the right crunch without being raw. 

My eggs benedict with caviar:

The eggs are perfectly oozing with yolk as I fork into them. The caviar adds a nice salty touch. The overall benedict part was great and Berta also preferred my meal over hers. 

We both agreed that the potatoes with cumin were delicious. It saves them from being regular old side potatoes. Some of the potatoes in the pictures may look a bit blackened, but it didn't look that dark in reality. Besides, I like much of my food to be a bit on the charred side anyway. Adds texture and flavour.

I enjoyed the side of fruit, but I was mildly jealous of the toast that came with the omelette. I appreciate the fact that the honey dew wasn't overly ripe.

Berta had recommended this restaurant, stating that their potato salad is awesome. Unfortunately, they don't serve that for brunch on Sundays. Regardless, I thought the food was great and the service was equally pleasant. It's diner type food with added details and care that make it special.

I like.

Total damage for me: $25.

Chez Cora

Cora's (16 Vogell Road, Richmond Hill, Ontario)

(905) 508-1755

Hours:

Monday - Saturday 6 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Sunday 7 a.m. - 3 p.m.

This is one of Casey's regular places (until he moves away). Chez Cora is a chain of restaurants that serve breakfast and lunch. You're out of luck if you want dinner at Cora's. 

This location seems less known than some of the other ones that I've been to as the line-up isn't going straight out the door. That's probably because the plaza is new.

Apple Cheddar and maple syrup omelette (limited time only): 

I had an apple cheese and maple syrup crepe not too long ago, so I was yearning to relive that taste. Unfortunately, I think those flavours work better in a crepe than an omelette.

The apples were thinly sliced and crunchy. The cheese was a bit sparse. Egg was nicely cooked. Maple syrup was... weak? Potatoes were good. The plate seems to have less variety of fruits than some of Cora's other dishes.

Total damage: $18-ish for the omelette and a coffee.

The Rebel House

The Rebel House (1068 Yonge Street, Toronto)

416-927-0704

Mon - Fri: 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 a.m.

Sat: 10:30 a.m. - 1:00 a.m.

Sun: 10:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.

On Saturdays, this casual joint is open for brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Thus, the window of opportunity for some grand portions of breakfast foods is quite wide.

My omelette of the day and a glass of orange juice:
The orange juice tastes store bought, but the glass jar with a handle that it comes in is pretty cool.

Berta's Rosedale melt:

I really enjoyed my omelette. It was huge, and all the vegetables in it mixed quite well together. The poached egg in Rosedale melt was cooked properly with runny yolk spilling out as it was cut. Berta and I both agreed that the slightly browned cheese on top of the egg was good. I found that the greens didn't quite agree with the rest of the melt though.

Berta said that she liked my omelette better than her Rosedale melt. I thought it was better too.

The kettle fries were abundant and some of mine were crispy. They were much better after adding salt. Lots of salt.

Vanilla cheesecake:
I found it less dense than most cheesecakes, but Berta thought it was pretty dense. The flavour was light, simple and pretty good. Berta thought the bottom crust was too sweet and didn't like the sauce very much. I didn't eat the crust because it was touching the red sauce that presumably contained berries or berry flavours. Neither of us really ate the whipped cream, but I think it was real whipped cream. Bonus points if it was.

Total damage: $21.

Hot House Cafe

Hot House Cafe (35 Church Street, Toronto)

I decided to check out their award winning brunch buffet, and see what all the fuss was about. There was a live jazz band, which was pretty cool; too bad we were on the other side of the restaurant.

The buffet was pretty comprehensive. There's the standard eggs, sausages, bacon, and croissants, but there were also things that we didn't expect. I was pretty impressed with the variety.

Plate #1: chipotle mussels, lasagna, rice pilaf, some sort of tortellini, salmon, and roast beef.
The salmon was a bit dry, but I quite liked the lasagna and roast beef. The lasagna was very cheesy on top.

Plate #2: cheese and mushrooms omelette and crab salad.
There was a bit of a line to get to the omelette station, but it was pretty worth it. You pick whatever you want in it, and one of two friendly guys makes it for you. For me, cheese is a must. Berta said that hers wasn't salty enough. I think that's because she didn't ask for cheese.

The crab salad was pretty tasty.

Plate #3: cantaloupe slices, pineapple slices, apple crumble, and half a croissant. 
I didn't just pick up half a croissant; I split one with Berta. I liked the fact that the apple crumble was heated, but I would have preferred more crunch in the crumble. 

I wanted to try the giant waffle pieces and cakes, but alas, my stomach could take no more. The cakes looked pretty good though.

Random:

"This tastes plasticky," Berta said several times of the cantaloupe chunks, as she kept eating them until there were no more on her plate. I had no such issue with my cantaloupe slices.

Berta thought that the orange juice wasn't concentrated enough, and she does not recommend the Thai noodles. 

There was virtually no lineup when we arrived at the restaurant at a bit past 11 A.M, but the front entrance seemed packed about thirty minutes later. 

Total damage for the buffet brunch and juice: $30. The buffet alone is $18.95 per person, plus tax and tip.

Solé Restaurant & Wine Bar

Solé (83 Erb Street West, Waterloo)

http://www.sole.ca/

Cobb Frittata:
The avocado was really nice against the super salty chunk of gorgonzola. The chicken was a bit dry, but the eggs weren't bad. I should mention that I've never eaten frittata before.

Orange juice:
Too much ice.

Complimentary bread:
Oil would've been nicer with more seasoning.

Jess's eggs benedict:
The eggs looked very well made. Jess thought the potatoes tasted "funny." She thought the eggs were good, but the dish was too salty.

Casey's lobster benedict:
Casey preferred the eggs benedict we had in Montreal.

Banana cheesecake:
Jess: The cheesecake looks better in the picture. The strawberry looks like it's sorbet in the picture.

Jess thought the cake was too salty, and not banana-y enough. She thought it was "meh." Casey thought it was okay. 

Random comments:

Casey: This water smells funny. Tastes all right.

Jess: I liked your dish (cobb frittata) the best.

Total damage: $20.