Lady Marmalade, you are the SHIT!

Miss M is now 16 months and wakes up at an ungodly 5:30 am most weekends.  What is a young family to do to fill in the void of no longer being able to go out to restaurants?  Why, stake out every single breakfast diner that is open the earlier the better, of course!

Lady Marmalade is that brunch spot that is on most T.O.'s top 10 blogs of places to brunch in our dear city and also where one can never get into because of the long queue.. the secret my friends, is to get there a wee bit earlier to wait in line for the opening rush at 8 am and then quickly grab a seat and a high chair!

We opt for our usual: Americano, Pulled Pork Benny for H - Latte, Huevas Migas for myself and Miss M gets a side order of scrambled eggs (which I try to emulate at home), half an order of toast and a fruit cup.  As she gets older, she is able to eat more and more of this breakfast as the months wear on.  It is equipped with high chairs, a booster chair, chalk for the chalkboard wall for the kiddos in line and a bin of toys, duplo, and colouring books for the littles at the table.  We don't bring a stroller but definitely if need be to haul it inside the restaurant, there is a little nook where you can fold and store your Uppababy (or in our case, our CityMini GT on a crazy boxing sale from Sungglebugz online... shit man, strollers are expensive... I digress).

Loads to choose from for the brunch set, the typical organic, local fare that is consistently yummy.  Trust us, we've been there at 7:55 am bleary-eyed almost every weekend since our little bubba was 10 months.

Truth be told, I did venture in with a wonderful mommy friend and her little on a Thursday morning and there was still a line at 8 am!  The staff are understanding of the messes babes and toddlers can make and its welcome vintage vibe is cozy and comfortable.

Brunch for two and toddler with tip: $55

See website here: http://ladymarmalade.ca/

Le Select... la seule choix pour brunch



Inside the front section of Le Select



After a failed non-attempt at homemade brunch, upon Big Red's suggestion we turned our attention to a French gourmet bistro to see how it should be done.  What a fantastic way to start a misty rain-filled weekend!  Nestled on Rue Wellington just west of Spadina Avenue is Le Select Bistro: the closest Parisian-inspired haunt this side of the Atlantic, as quoted on their website. Fresh croissants are served and kind unpretentious servers are at the ready to serve and even explain the menu, its locavore philosophy and of course to refil your cup of joe.  Munching on a Croque Madame (French toast ham and cheese sandwich with extra cheese and fried egg) served with veritable frites and Eggs Benedict with Asparagus Spears inspired the travel-inflected conversation.  Hmmmmm.... don't forget to book a reservation, walk-ins are most welcome however to avoid the wait, telephonez s'il vous plait!  Open for lunch, dinner and even a drink later on (this bistro was once the ending scene of an interesting date once upon a time by yours truly.....)  Enjoy their offerings here: http://www.leselect.com/  I promise, it's parfait!



Croque Madame with frites!!



It was more than Okay at Okay Okay diner...

Eggs Benedict on Hashbrowns... who woulda' thunk?  Hidden in Leslieville, Okay Okay diner (the cute little sign says Okay 2 like in math Okay squared, ha!)  can be discovered at 1128 Queen St. E.  The brunch fare is inventive and tasty and available every day of the week with Perfect Pancakes and Elvis French Toast (banana and peanut butter.. mmmmm)  Surrounded by Sexy Maman and The Baby Mama we dined in the sun and chatted a storm.  Our server was pleasant and super kind with the water and the baby in tow and our meal came promptly.  I found the hashbrown served as a nice crunch to the perfectly poached eggs and hollandaise sauce.  Although other reviews condemn the use of the No Frills fried hashbrown variety, I find it a refreshing twist and cutely creative.  Hipsters Queen Street over fawn at this place for its retro restored vibe and fun atmosphere.  This is not a "come as you are casual because I don't give a damn" pretentious outfit as unfortunately some places are becoming.  This is a "come as casual and we'll serve some decent food" outfit... sounds super okay to me.

Eggs Benedict with Spinach (around 10)  mmmmmm....

Twisted, baked, scrambled Fork...

This morning was the first instalment of The Vancouver Chronicles as Rude Jude is taking me around the city. Our first brunch stop is Twisted Fork on Granville Whoever thought of baked eggs should be shot... in a ramekin filled with 5 eggs that looked smushed and mixed-in with Kraft single-esque gruyere cheese ($11). Thankfully it was accompanied by baked beans, a quarter of a pre-heated rosti and some bacon. Its saving grace was the sourdough bread and crack-addictive homemade rhubarb jam. The proprietors of Twisted Fork make it to sell by the jar at $8 a pop. However, the quaint atmosphere dotted with blacksmith influenced fork mobiles, clipboard twisted forks on the menu and the indie jazz music add to the cool Granville vibe. Asparagus scrambled eggs are a plus, also belonging to the $11 offerings. Note to self: if you're a coffee drinker, a french press serves your liquid gold and is oh-so-good. Check out their website at: http://www.twistedforkbistro.ca/


The asparagus scrambled eggs accompanied with the crack-addicted rhubarb homemade jam.

The aforementioned baked eggs.... don't judge a book by its molten butter-encrusted cover...

Mixing it up at Melanie's Bistro for dinner...

A usual haunt for the brunch folk, Melanie's Bistro (on the Danforth between Coxwell and Woodbine) served as a great setting for catching up with the girls over a prix-fixe Tuesday night-only dinner ($22). Your choice of appetizer and main, or appetizer and dessert is included in the cost. We all chose the app/main combo while sharing dessert: a not-too-sweet cheesecake covered in homemade bluberry compote. Fantastic and funny service amidst a backdrop of beautiful local art work, the crowd was buzzing and my famished company and I were excited to try the specials: Butter chicken with sauteed bok choy and white rice and Seafood Putanesca with a Red Tomato sauce. The simple descriptions do not do the mains justice as the light but flavourful dishes make the meal simply fantastic.


Snapshots of Piri Piri Shrimp and homemade crab cakes.... oh yesssssssssssssss.

(Blueberry) JAM packed dimanche....

Oh la la! Quelle surprise yesterday was... It started off with an impromptu brunch at Barrio (Queen St. E and Carlaw) with new fellow diners, in this order, wait for it... The Black Man, Perrogie (aka the Polish Sausage) and Hot Tamale rounding out the jolly quartet. I had a delectable Neptune Benedict crab cake ensemble, heaven disguised as brunch drenched with hollandaise sauce over two perfectly poached eggs served with white balsamically dressed arugula ($13). The ambience was simple and comfortable with navy blue banquettes lining the cream coloured walls decorated with avant-garde photographs. The well-kept fashonista in green, an ode to St. Patrick's Day I'm sure, The Black Man bemoaned of a lack of toast to his meal; the omelette special with steak and cheese ($12), only to be filled by a shmancy baguette and loaf of cornbread complete with homemade blueberry jam on the side, parfait! Honourable mentions are the Canadiana ($12) Sausage and Cheddar Eggs Benedict and the veggie and tomato omelette ($11) for Monsieur Perrogie. A well balanced meal which includes various allusions to bedroom shenanigans, permanently placed t-shirts and promises of Louis Vuitton chaussures is always a treat on a Sunday morn!
For dessert, the foursome strolled down to Ed's Real Scoop (Queen St. E. and Carlaw)served by the lovely Camille. Shoutouts to Mark, the chef, the creator of such mouth-watering creations as Burnt Marshmallow ice cream and the newest addition; STOUT flavoured ice cream! Fun and fabulous.

Off on the streetcar I went to visit with Cheeky Monkey at Future's Bakery and Cafe (Bloor St. W and Brunswick Ave), an old favourite from my undergrad haunts. Great vibe, sometimes too full, and teeming with idealistic minds discussing theories. Stuffed from the morning, I passed on the eye-drool fest of cakes and settled for a peppermint tea as Ms. Monkey and I laughed about the meaning of life and all its weird complexities....

Mahna Mahna and Bubble Gum Steak at the wilted Tulip...

Oye! Service, service, service could make any horrifically awful food ten times better as pity for the poor earnest shmucks serving the shlop; this always translates in a decent tip, to say the least. Thus, the equation: poor service + shlop ultimately results in = awful dining experience. Mahna Mahna (names changed for anonymity and an excuse to embed this video ) was paying for parking, a lesson learned from brunch last week and a surprise $60 parking ticket...eep! but I digress... so I ventured in to The Tulip on Coxwell Av and Queen St. E. farely comfortable as a "rough and tumble" dive (from http://www.urbanspoon.ca/) familiar from 2 other uneventful visits. 'Twas busy in ye olde restaurant, so I waited patiently to be seated, I asked for a booth and was told to sit even without the table being cleared from the previous diners who had left. Mahna Mahna arrived and we scoured the menu for their famous Steak and Eggs breakfast ($10) and I settled for the Spanish Omelette($9) marinara sauce and sauteed vegetables...how can you go wrong, you ask.... After 15 min of waiting for the bloody table to be cleared, I piped up and asked the server who had seated me to please clear the table and we are ready with our orders, clearly this was not allowed and the gentlemen waiter (who looked about 13 and was matched with the manners of a tween) greeted us coldly with, "If you had waited to be seated like we told you, we would have cleared the table for you, what do you want..." EXCUSE ME, IF YOU WANT PEOPLE TO COME BACK TO YOUR ESTABLISHMENT THERE'S SUCH A THING CALLED, UM, RESPECT!!!! Double ugh! The steak was chewy, home fries boiled and then crisped and the Spanish Omelette reminded me of Campbell's vegetable soup with an overhelping of celery?! enveloped in milk-diluted eggs. Please, oh please, if you can go somewhere else, please do! Next!