the federal

this is probably my most favourite brunch place right now. i've been here a handful of times and have always had a wonderful culinary experience.
i love the eggs federal so much that i always stick to that everytime i come here. it's poached eggs, mushroom tarragon cream,baconor kale on an english muffin. this combination is from heaven. i can't tell you enough how extremely delicious this is. everything goes so well together and it's not heavy. i'll give you a tip...getbaconand add the kale for $1 extra. totally worth it.
my date had the vegetarian omelette and he said it was probably one of the best he's ever had. the sweet sauage was incredibly savoury and worked well as a side.
we also shared the cauliflower soup, which was the soup of the day. it totally hit the spot. hearty and delicious. something that reminds you of your mom's and brings back the warm fuzzies :)
be prepared for a bit of a line up when you arrive but it's totally worth the wait. i'll definitely be back soon.

this place was recommended to me and i'm glad i listened :)

cute little spot with polished wooden tables and an overall cozy decor. ordered the four guys burger and my coworker ordered the grilled cheese with bacon. i love that instead of fries the side is potato rosti (reminds me of the rosti i would always get at richtree growing up) and greens which was essentially mixed greens topped with pickled red onions. 

although it was a bit of a long wait at a time where the restaurant was not busy, it was worth it. my burger was exploding with flavour and thebaconon top was cooked perfectly. the pickles and special sauce created a delicious concoction similar to a mcdonald's big mac but gourmet, yummmmmmmmm. the grilled cheese proved popular too and we left feeling full and satisfied.

located on dundas st west and gladstone, the federal serves up brunch everyday from 9am to 3pm.

while they are primarily known for their brunch service, they also offer an evening menu from 6pm tuesdays to sundays. since brunch is their specialty, that’s the meal we came for. the four of us arrived around 11:30 on a sunday and thankfully only had to wait 10 minutes before being seated (i think we got lucky… short waits during prime brunch hour in the city doesn’t seem to be the norm).

the space is quite small so groups of two are definitely your best bet. the tight space features exposed brick walls, a bar at the back and the usual hipster décor. 

the federal’s brunch menu consists of several sections: soup & salad, eggs, sandwiches and “un-savoury”. on the beverage side of things, they offer brunch cocktails (from 11am), a selection of beers and house-made pop. oh, and bonus points for bottomless coffee for $2.50! 

i decided to go with the eggs federal – poached eggs, bacon, english muffin, mushroom tarragon cream ($14). you have the option of substituting thebaconfor kale… but i think you all know me better than that. the toasted english muffin was topped withbaconand perfectly poached eggs. while the mushroom sauce was tasty and made for a nice take on a benny, my preference is still hollandaise sauce (nothing beats a buttery hollandaise!). 

the accompanying sides were quite enjoyable. the arugula salad added a nice freshness to the heavy dish and i loved the addition of the pickled red onions. i also loved that the benny was served with rosti – which tasted amazing with their house-made ketchup.

mike ordered the cubano – roast pork, cheddar, ham, avocado, dijon, pickled red onion & dill pickle on sourdough ($14). it wasn’t traditional by any means but it was a damn good sandwich. the roast pork was wonderfully moist, the pickles and pickled red onions were plentiful and the avocado added a nice creaminess. a must-order in my opinion! 

mike and i also shared a half order of belgian waffles – served with lemon cream, fruit & maple syrup ($10 or $6 a half order). unfortunately these were pretty mediocre. i found the waffles to be on the hard side and just not very memorable. le petit dejeuner is still the place to get some of the best belgian waffles in the city. 

one of our friends ordered the sausage waffle sandwich which is a secret menu item. while i didn’t try any, he didn’t have any complaints and seemed to enjoy it. 

despite the waffles, we still had a great brunch experience. the federal is definitely a great brunch option in the dundas west area. 

at a glance:

• serving up brunch everyday from 9am to 3pm

• evening menu offered tuesday to sunday from 6pm

• located on dundas st. west (one block east of dufferin)

• small space filled with mostly two-tops

• must-order: the cubano

ratings (out of 5):

• food: 4 stars

• service: 4 stars

• atmosphere: 3 stars

great brunch spot but extremely busy on the weekends. worth the wait once you get a table. the eggs federal and gold standard are both amazing if you're abaconand eggs kinda person.