PaiGu

In the spirit of fair competition, I visited several other breakfast spots this weekend, one of which was Over Easy. I’d been to Over Easy on Bloor before, although I had been hungover and the only reliable memory I have of my meal is that the portions were big.
This time, I was very sober and very hungry as I made my way down Bloor Street on a Monday morning. Weekday mornings do not suffer from the same long line-ups as weekend mornings, the place was practically empty this morning.

A server immediately came to the door to seat us and give us the menus. The place was painted a yellow-cream colour, and decorated with a lot of roosters. The front portion has many booths, which allow for some privacy, although the back portion is open and more cramped with rickety tables and chairs.

My companion settled on the corned beef hash and I ordered the Western omelet. A bread basket came soon after, although half the toasts were badly burnt. I was appalled that they could serve such badly burnt toast. Even at home, I would have thrown them out.

The corned beef hash was the first to arrive. The beef was tender enough, although the mish-mash was thrown together with such carelessness that it tasted like leftovers. The poached eggs were appallingly rubber-like, even though the yoke was not cooked through.

The Western omelet was very satisfying. The omelet was thick and cooked to perfection. There weren’t a lot of veggies and ham, but that meant the omelet held together nicely. The home fries, however, were a disappointment. Unexciting little potato cubes lacking in flavour and crispness.

While my omelet was good, the appalling state of the poached eggs on the corned beef hash and the incredibly burnt toasts were hard to overlook.

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After reading multiple reviews raving about this “charming little brunch spot,” I headed down to Le Petit Dejeuner at 10 am this past Saturday to see for myself.

We arrived at 10:25 to find the place without a line, unlike what many reviews had warned us about. The last member of our party had yet to arrive, so we walked around for another 10 minutes (they will not seat you unless your entire party has arrived). By the the time she arrived at 10:35, the place was full. We waited about 20 minutes before our server came out to get us.

The place was small and narrow, with large paintings in subdued colours on an exposed brick wall that was faded brownish red. It looked less charming than it sounds.
The food arrived about 20 minutes after we ordered. I had a Brussels’ style waffle with scrambled eggs and an apple coleslaw.

The Brussels’ style waffle was light and crispy, just like the menu promised, but it was also completely tasteless. The scrambled eggs were a little overdone, and the apple coleslaw had dill pickles in it, which was just bizarre. The peameal bacon was the only item that didn’t disappoint.

My companions’ eggs benedict fared a little better, although the hollandaise sauce was not that different from what we’ve had elsewhere.

With mediocre food, mediocre service, and a mediocre atmosphere (floorboards that creaked and only one washroom?), I couldn’t figure out why this place had gotten such great reviews.
“Maybe this place is cheaper than most brunch places,” one of my friends suggested. She often brunched at The Drake, and declared that our brunching experience was not complete until we had been to The Drake. But when I got home and checked the menu at The Drake, I found that there eggs benedict was priced at $12, while the eggs benedict at Le Petit Dejeuner was priced at $12.95.
“Maybe it’s a homelier vibe,” my other friend suggested. The place was not nearly as charming as some cafes I’d been to, which also served breakfast mind you. And if I really wanted a homely vibe, I could have made a better breakfast at home and even eaten it in bed if I wanted.

In the end, I really could not figure it out what about this place had charmed the previous reviewers. Maybe their $6 mimosas? But for a good sober breakfast, I’d go elsewhere.

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Waldo’s on King is an adorable little restaurant just outside the Covent Garden Market in London, Ontario. It seemed like the perfect setting for a ritual Sunday brunch. Unfortunately, after our meal, it will not be a regular visit. While the decor and service were effective in setting the right atmosphere, the food was surprisingly unimpressive. Despite an excellent array of appetizers on the brunch menu, everything that arrived was wanting.
The Lobster, Shrimp, and Scallop Bisque sounded amazing, but when it came, it was nothing more than orange sour cream, with a few scarce pieces of seafood. The scallops had a funny taste to them, as if they had been chemically treated (they tasted basic).

The Baked Brie in Phyllo was even less appetizing, with the “fresh fruits” garnish amounting to nothing more than a strawberry and a slice of orange. Why even bother putting that on the menu? It’s just sad.

The Chicken and Coconut Soup was a watery pool of coriander. I should have known. Coconut and broth do not fit in the same sentence.

We were excited when the Neptune Salad arrived though, a heaping plateful of shrimp, scallop, and lobster. That is, until we realized the scallops again tasted funny, like the chemically-treated kind. Besides, premium scallops would never be heaped onto a $11 salad, so I guess we should have seen that coming.

The only perk? They have great coffee.
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