brunch – Tiana Feng

Brunch @ Love Chix

March 26, 2017Food, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a Comment

Yesterday was a super rainy day and our regular brunch place was packed so we headed to Love Chix instead. It’s location used to be the location of Farmer’s Daughter before it had to close down.

I had a glass of “OJP Ya Know Me!” to start (orance juice & Prosecco).

We all ordered poached eggs. I had one with fried brussel sprouts on a buttery bun with a side salad. The Hollandaise was nice and creamy. One of my friends had one.

Right now, this place is still not too busy for lunch but I’m sure that will change very soon.

Brunch @ Chadwick’s

November 25, 2016Food, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a Comment

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Last weekend, Nash and I had brunch at Chadwick’s where they have you can Build-A-Benny, so we both did. I picked the strangest ingredients on mine: Queso frito (fried cheese), jamon chino (chinese sausage) and instead of bread I had tortilla chips. I also had half salad and half potatos on the side.

Weirdly, it all worked together. I loved the fried cheese and their beer hollandaise sauce was creamy and delicious. The egg was perfectly poached.
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Nash went the more traditional route with peameal bacon and sautéed mixed mushrooms.

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He also had a house caesar made with fresh tomato juice and pickled vegetables.

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I had a mimosa made with grapefruit juice.

We loved our Benny’s and hope to try more of the brunch menu soon!

Brunch @ Fonda Lola

September 21, 2016Entertainment, FoodLeave a Comment

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Last weekend, I went for birthday brunch with my friend at Fonda Lola, a cozy Mexican Restaurant at Ossington Station. There were a lot of cute decorations like Mexican wrestlers everywhere.

I ordered the Hangover Chilaquiles: Salsa Mexicana soaked tortilla chips topped with jalapeños, crema, Oaxaca cheese and a fried egg, avocado with a side of refried beans. The chips were soaked in a delicious sauce and had flavour in every bite. Now looking at the photo, I realize I never received the side of refried beans!

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Not entirely sure why, but they had a tendency to be out of stuff like ketchup or juice for a margarita. I made due and ordered a Basil Mojito: Fresh basil and mint purée, citrus and housed aged Bacardi with a splash of soda.

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Since we did just all wake up there was also a lot of coffee to go around.

Overall, I was satisfied with the food (or what I received of it).

Brunch @ Me & Mine

June 26, 2016June 26, 2016Food, Restaurant Reviews2 Comments

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Yesterday, Nash and I went for brunch at Me & Mine. I think we were super lucky because we did not have a reservation but were seated right away.

Everything on the menu looked delicious but I chose the Fried Chicken Benny. Two poached eggs sat on a bed of braised collars and buttermilk fried chicken on a buttered biscuit drizzled in chilli sauce and served with potatoes and an arugula salad. The whole plate was heavenly.

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Nash had the Croque Madame Bread Pudding. It was a gruyere and ham bread pudding, poached eggs, bechamel, roasted rutabaga and apple slaw. I didn’t actually get to try any because by the time I looked over again he had licked the plate. So I guess it was good!

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He washed his food down with a glass of fresh grapefruit juice.

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And I had a mimosa made with fresh pulpy orange juice.

This was an awesome tiny place in the neighbourhood to enjoy a relaxing weekend brunch.

Emma’s Country Kitchen

April 16, 2016Food, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a Comment

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This morning I went for brunch at Emma’s Country Kitchen. My friend and I arrived before the 9am opening time and there were already locals in line. It’s a super popular spot on the weekends for brunch and also appeared on Jon Catucci’s You Gotta Eat Here.

I ordered the Emma’s Benny. Warm and fluffy buttermilk biscuit was topped with house cured peameal bacon, poached eggs and a generous amount of in mousselline sauce (like a hollandaise with whipped cream). It was served with a side of griddled red skin potatoes. The sauce was buttery and delicious and I dipped everything in it. The peameal bacon was not too salty or hard. The eggs were a perfect poach. This dish was heavenly and I washed it down with some freshly squeeze orange juice.

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My friend had the Cornbread and Pimento Cheese French Toast. A house made corn bread, dipped in a creamy custard and griddled until golden brown. It’s opped with melted pimento cheese, 2 over easy eggs, avocado, crema and finished with a smoked paprika salt. I stole a bite and it had a heat to it that was balanced well with avocado cream.

This place, even if you have to wait, is well worth it.

Why I Love Brunch

May 24, 2015Food, LifeLeave a Comment

View this post on Instagram

Victoria's Day brunch! #toeats #food #brunch

A post shared by Tiana Feng (@tianafeng) on May 18, 2015 at 9:04am PDT

Having brunch on the weekends has been a regular occurrence lately and I think it may be my all-time favourite meal. Here’s why I love brunch:

It means the weekend has arrived and is a nice way to wind down
It has to be somewhat planned in advance so it’s a thing to look forward to all week
Brunch seems like a simple meal, but in Toronto the options can get complicated and creative. You can even find all sorts of cultural brunches around town.
Great way to catch up with friends/boyfriend because they are often available for brunch and most likely love brunch too
I love Eggs Benedicts
You can have alcohol early in the day (mimosas, ceasars etc)
Excuse to eat more bacon

View this post on Instagram

Bacon bennies #brunch #toeats

A post shared by Tiana Feng (@tianafeng) on May 23, 2015 at 10:24am PDT

What do you think of brunch? Do you love it or hate it?

Nordic Brunch @ Karelia Kitchen

April 11, 2015April 11, 2015Food, Restaurant Reviews5 Comments

This morning I had brunch with friends at nearby Scandinavian restaurant Karelia Kitchen. I ordered the Potato Pancake $14 which had hot smoked trout, beet and horseradish cured gravlax, and a poached duck egg. There was also a strawberry and a yellow berry. Everything on the plate was super fresh and delicious.
I also added a side of smoked strip and loin bacon. The portion was a lot bigger than I expected! The bacon was brunchy and had just the right amount of salt.

We all drank coffee with our meal. Milk and sugar came in shot glasses which I thought was funny.

I couldn’t resist the desserts in the display so I chose the oreo cheesecake topped with berries which I believe were freeze dried and added a nice crunch.

I’m excited to discover a new spot in my neighbourhood to indulge in weekend brunch!

Brunch @ Queen Street Warehouse

April 4, 2015Food, Restaurant Reviews2 Comments

This morning I had brunch at Queen Street Warehouse. It is the second restaurant in Toronto to be offering a menu where all food items are $4.95 all day everyday. Interestingly they sustain this through company sponsorships. A Redbull logo could be seen in the corner of the restaurant but I actually didn’t feel like I was being blatantly advertised to that much. The servers were all dressed like 80s rockers and the sign to the bathroom said “Free Air Guitar”. It was corny but worked for the type of establishment that catered to young university students on a budget.

I ordered the Fried Chicken Wafflewich (pictured above). The sandwich had buttermilk fried chicken, an apple coleslaw, bacon, mayo and a side of maple syrup which I happily drenched everything in. It was served with a side of “fries” which were really more like tater tots, but crunch and delicious. Everything in the wafflewich paired nicely together but I wish it was slightly bigger. Considering it was $4.95 I couldn’t really complain.

Nash ended up ordering two things because he was hungry and had a hunch that the portions would be smaller than normal. The first thing was a Baked Fritata with egg, roasted broccoli, carmelized onion, cheddar cheese, greens, pickled vegetables and green onion.

The second was The Chorizo Hash. He added extra hash for $1. It had a chipotle hollandaise, chorizo, onion, green pepper, scrambled eggs and more.

To drink I ordered the Warehouse Espresso which contained vodka, Toronto’s “Cut Coffee” beans, kahlua and cream. It was like an iced coffee with a zing in it.

I couldn’t resist getting dessert (since again it was $4.95) so I ordered the Fried Apple Pie which was served with a side of vanilla ice cream. The shape made me think of what it would look like if someone took a MacDonald’s Apple Pie and fried it. The filling was way better than a McDonald’s pie though, it was hot and fresh. The outside was crunchy with a thick breading. It was a bit messy to eat but worth getting my hands dirty.

All in all, we had a great meal at Warehouse for the price. If you’re looking for cheap eats in Toronto, this is definitely the place to go!

Brunch @ Saving Grace

March 30, 2015Food, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a Comment

On Saturday I had brunch at Saving Grace. I had previously heard that it is usually packed but we were luckily to be seated right when we arrived by a dude that looked like he hated life. There was a line immediately behind us waiting outside the small space.

I ordered french toast with gruyere, onions, mushrooms. I actually didn’t realize it was a sandwich until I received it. It also came with a side of salad and flat crispy potatos. While the sandwich was good, I felt the “french toast” part of it didn’t really add to it. It lacked sweetness for one, and the softness wasn’t my favourite for use as sandwich bread.

The price was around average for a brunch place in Toronto but elsewhere I could’ve got a fancy eggs benny for the same price. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing but I don’t know if I’d be back if I wasn’t lucky and had to wait in line!

Brunch at Hamilton’s Jack & Lois

March 16, 2015Food, Restaurant Reviews1 Comment

I spent the past few days in Hamilton covering the JUNO awards and events leading up to it. My co-worker and I had some time Saturday morning so we grabbed brunch at Jack & Lois which was featured on the show You Gotta Eat Here.

The inside of the restaurant was very kitchy. It was colourful and the tables and chairs unmatching. It was like being at your grandma’s house complete with posters of dogs and cats that looked like prints on shirts at Northern Getaway. They had a great selection of brunch items and a menu for the more adventurous people.

Obviously, I chose to go with the excessive Triple Crown (pictured above). It was a trio of Eggs Benedict: smoked salmon, lobster, tenderloin. They came with potatoes and fresh fruit. The potatoes were seasoned nicely and had bits of onion. The bennies were so delicious, and the hollandaise had a perfect consistency. I can’t decide which of the three I liked more, they were all very good!

My co-worker had The Cobra: hashbrowns and fruit with 3 grilled cheese, sausage, eggs, bacon, peameal bacon. It was traditional brunch done right! It was great value, and such large portions that he ended up taking home leftovers.