PaiGu

Discovered The Hoof Cafe through Yelp¹ and went for a New Year’s Day brunch. Turned out to be the best decision I ever made in 2011 (so far).

The place was as popular as it was tiny – we weren’t the only ones who ventured out on a rainy New Years morning – but it was well worth the wait. We could tell the place had character the moment we stepped in, with exposed brick walls, broad wooden floor planks, and a faux vintage metallic ceiling.

The suckling eggs benedict (eggs benedict with pulled pork) was the best I ever had. And surprisingly, it wasn’t the eggs or the pork that made me think so, it was the biscuit.

The eggs were done perfectly so the yolk ran and was soaked up by a scrumptious biscuit, the likes of which I’ve never had before. It was surprising to find that a place that boasted meat could make such delicious carbs, and it really showed their meticulous attention to detail.

Who could say no to dessert for breakfast? But seriously, best waffles ever. The caramelized bananas were a nice touch, but the real treat was the dark chocolate in the waffles. The mixture of sweet and bitter made my taste buds beg for more.

All of it went down very well with some quality french press coffee and friendly service. Vegetarians, don’t be fooled by the meat-centric menu, a lot of it can be done without the meat². I can’t wait to return to Toronto and try something else on their menu.

Rating:

1. I am so glad Toronto Yelp finally has enough critical mass to be useful! [↩]
2. The waffles were originally supposed to come with bacon. [↩]

Yogoberri is one of those places you pass by and you think, “Hey, that looks cute. I want to try that one day.” Well, that one day came on Saturday night, when my friends and I were driving up and down Yonge St, looking for a place to hang out after dinner. Suddenly, I pulled the car into a small parking lot.
“Where have you taken us?” They asked, as they looked up through the glass window of Yogoberri to see a few Asians chatting over dessert.
Without a word, I walked up to the door and held it open for them. In they filed, and up the stairs we went, arriving at a small but busy room, decorated with black and white leather seats, green highlights, and fake potted plants along the wall.

I immediately plastered myself against their cake display. There were only three cakes on display, sweet potato, butternut squash, and fruit cake, but I also saw signs for mocha and green tea. I was smitten.

My friends and I ended up ordering a slice of each cake, as well as half a waffle (I’ve never seen half-waffles being sold but here they were). Each slice was amazing, although I ended up buying the sweet potato cake to bring home for my dad’s birthday, because it had the kind of taste you can never get sick of – subtle, sweet, and smooth.


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