bonjour brioche

when my plate arrived, it was just what nice brunches are made of – savoury, filling and downright comforting. i even almost finished the side salad as the bitterness of the fresh greens contrasted with the richness of the egg. finished off with such smooth coffee, it was one of those moments where you find yourself in that blissful headspace.

the spicy bacon sandwich served on the weekends is to die for. yes, there's usually a line-up out the back door in this cramped, busy spot. and yes, they won't seat you unless your entire party is present. but the french bread is perfect, the fresh juices are delicious and their house salad dressing is awesome.

came for brunch today and of course there was a long line. the weather being quite mild, the patio was open with heaters, thus the line went by quickly. had the smoked salmon with scrambled eggs, chive, caviour and potato rosti. the only complaint was the potato rosti was dried and cold..that wasn't prepared freshly. i couldn't resist their croissants so i got some chocolate croissants to go! they are the best!

good place for pastries, brioche, and croissants. i got a croque madame as well. it was good but not awesome. quiche lorraine was tasty. the wait and service are not good. would still go back for brioche!

we visited.this place based on the raving reviews of blogto who had this in their top 10.

much like with other overhyped places, we were disappointed. we made the trek out to riverside early to get the brunch and not wait too long in line. we not only waited for 40 minutes but it was cash only. bring the cash with you unless you want to walk a few blocks to the nearest bank.

the place was rammed, the service was incredibly slow, the tables were very small and tight and worst of all, the food was mediocre.

i had expected above norm since it was well reviewed so when it was 'meh' of course i was disappointed. also, i had hoped for a larger selection of in-house baked goods. i guess i always hope for european standards when it comes to baked goods so when everything is sub-par, over baked and dry...not happy. also, what happened to bakeries that actually bake in-house and do so with pride? i didn't see any of that here and considering the prices, i wished i would've gone elsewhere.

one of the indulgent pleasures of winter is slipping off for a mid-week lunch to catch up with a friend on a rare sunny and windless january afternoon in toronto. continuing my exploration of riverside/leslieville gastronomy, i suggested stopping at

adorable little brunch place! arrived at 2pm and there was a ~15 minute wait. ordered a croque madame and my friend ordered an americano and a mixed green salad. service was a little slow...the croque madame was exactly how i expected it to be - crunchy bread, soft on the inside, perfectly sunny side up egg; a little salt from the ham. it came with a mixed green salad. the salad dressing was delish (it's no wonder they sell bottles of it near the bar). the some of the salad greens were a little wilted but the salad dressing made up for it. overall, a decent brunch place with an adorable ambiance (and a patio) but i probably won't be back again!

very busy local brunch place, popular with the neighbourhood. croque madame is excellent and the roast beef sandwich too. specials like eggs benny with croissants. the best? the baguettes and flutes, with plenty of butter. downer is the coffee, if you can call it that. completely bland, watered down. expected much better than that!

the best spot for brunch in toronto! everything they sell is amazing! i just wish they were bigger so we can sit comfortably and be able to go with a large group of friends. also wish they would accept cards.

i really like the egg benedict. go early on weekend to avoid the crown and bad service.

quite possibly the best croissant i have had in toronto.

disdain for tea drinkers. unlimited cups of coffee for my companion, but i was refused a second tea bag.

coffee costs what, $15/pound? a tea bag costs what, 25¢?

how's that for customer service?

...decided to have two of the specials: the pumpkin soup, and the quiche. they were both two of the best dishes i’ve had in toronto. i even took a photo of the inside of my quiche to show how fluffy it was. and you can tell a lot about a brunch place by its salad. this salad was not an after-thought, or a plate filler. it was amazing and complimented the mains perfectly.

we went for brunch at the east end to leslieville. it was hard to decide what to try. i got the mushroom / arugula / swiss cheese tart. and since their brioche is well known, i got the blueberry brioche (i wanted to try the raspberry lemon one but they were out). the bread was good, but i have a feeling the raspberry one would taste better as there will be more filling, next time?

used to be my favourite in the neighbourhood but a while back they started hiring idiots as servers(probably because they cost less)...now when i go to eat my favourite breakfast they "discontinued" the mint tea and bringing my own is "frowned upon"....looks like i have to find another poser cafe to have breakfast at occasionally ...


-----20 nov, 2013-----

great authentic parisian style baked goods-the croque madame must be experienced ... service is very professional 90% of the time