BONUS - Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie

The Topic: Quest for Vancouver's BEST Poutine on Davie Street

The Contestants: La Belle Patate, La Brasserie, Fritz European Fry House

4 Poutines later, the results are in!

The poutine at La Brasserie is in a different league, so I almost feel it is unfair to put it in the same category with La Belle Patate and Fritz European Fry House. If I do put it in the competition, their breakfast poutine takes the lead hands down. For a gourmet poutine on Davie Street, La Brasserie seems untouchable (unless another restaurant wants to challenge them…?)

1^st place Most Authentic French-Canadian Poutine - La Belle Patate.

1^st place Best Tasting Poutine - La Brasserie’s Breakfast Poutine

BONUS VIDEO - Breakfast Poutine

The Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 1 of 4

The Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 2 of 4

The Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 3 of 4

BONUS VIDEO - Breakfast Poutine

Please subscribe, rate & comment at my Follow Me Foodie youtube channel. Thanks!

La Brasserie offer 2 different poutines: A truffle poutine that is offered as a hot appetizer for dinner (or as a side), and a breakfast poutine that is offered for their Saturday and Sunday brunch. I was lucky enough to try both!

The breakfast poutine will keep you full until dinner and maybe even a bit sleepy…but it’s totally worth it!

On the table:

La Brasserie Breakfast Poutine 6/6

• Poached egg, bacon, truffle oil, Hollandaise sauce, cheese curds, pork gravy $12
• I’m really mad I didn’t get a picture of this for my blog entry, I totally forgot. You can see it in my “Best Poutine on Davie” video though.
• Poutine for breakfast? Really? Yes, really…and don’t complain. But again, why would you? You won’t for this one at least.
• Oh my gosh...could I have died and went to heaven? Figuratively and literally? Yes, quite possibly. But would I have at least died happy? Yes, because this breakfast poutine is freaking tasty.
• Ok first off, put an egg on anything and I’m there. Poach it like the way their chef did it…I’m so there! It was a perfectly soft poached egg and when you poked the yolk it ran all over the fries and mixed in with the Hollandaise and gravy. I’m drooling all over again.
• This was a very well prepared poutine. Many things stood out, but the first flavour I got was surprisingly not savoury, but actually tangy! The tang was from one of the best parts of this poutine: the Hollandaise sauce. It’s made in house and from scratch. It’s buttery, creamy, thick, rich and intensely flavourful with a strong lemon taste. There’s also Worcestershire sauce to add to the tang and give it a kick, it’s one of the best Hollandaise I’ve had.
• The bacon was fresh pieces of bacon. Not those thin bacon strips, but actual pieces of bacon meat. They were lightly pan fried, and not that crispy ( I kind of wish they were though), but they almost had a dry chewy quality to them. It was salty, but not too salty. This is a Franco-German Bistro so they know their pork…thus the pork gravy is great too. The same pork gravy in the truffle poutine they serve at dinner.
• I could definitely smell the truffle oil even though they used less than they did on the truffle poutine. However the truffle oil became secondary to the Hollandaise and to everything else going on. To be honest, it didn’t even need to truffle oil because it was that well prepared.
• With everything combined it really is something can’t be missed. It's surprisingly only $12 too, totally worth it! It’s super hearty, filling, and rich, but really who cares when there’s so much to enjoy? I highly recommend this…but park further away so at least you’re walking back to your car…

Truffle Poutine 5/6

• Fries, cheese curds, pork gravy, truffle oil $9

Added note: This review is a little different because it was for my video blog. Therefore the food at La Brasserie was complimentary, (although I did offer to pay) but my opinions are still honest and as non-biased as I can be. The opinions and views expressed in "The Quest for Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie Street" review and video are those of Follow Me Foodie/Mijune only. There is no paid advertising and as always I write for the benefit of the customers and not for the restaurants.

Giraffe Restaurant

Restaurant: Giraffe Restaurant

Cuisine: West Coast/American/Fusion
Last visited: January 7, 2010
Area: White Rock, BC
15053 Marine Dr
Price Range: $30-50

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: n/a
Service: n/a

Ambiance: n/a

Overall: n/a

Additional comments:

• Executive chef David Chow (Dubrulle Culinary Institute)
• Fine dining
• Focus on West Coast/seafood
• Familiar to locals and tourists
• Globally inspired menu
• Creative/Fresh/gourmet homemade
• Really delicately executed, attention to detail
• Great view of waterfront
• Small/intimate dining area
• Beautiful intimate patio
• Weekly specials
• Lunch Thurs.-Sat. 11:30am
• Dinner M-Sun. 5:30pm
• Sunday brunch 11am

**Recommendation: Giraffes’ Eggs Benedict, Bacon wrapped Filet with Egg (I didn’t get to try their Belgian Waffles, but I really want to)

The reason why I had to rate everything as “n/a” is because the chef is my best friend’s brother. Therefore, under the circumstances I can’t rate this restaurant with a neutral perspective.

I’ve dined at Giraffe Restaurant for dinner more than a handful of times, but this was my first time for brunch. This brunch was also complimentary, but I would have no problems paying full price for it. It was definitely worth it. The brunch prices are actually really affordable, especially for fine dining...heck it's a bargain! I would be spending the same if I was having brunch at White Spot for half the quality and half the atmosphere (and I really like brunch at White Spot!)

As good as the Giraffe brunch is, I am definitely going to do a dinner review one day. I am lucky enough to have tried almost everything on the menu as well as some custom made appetizers. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed everything, although I do have my favourites. The menu is more fusion and contemporary, but the atmosphere is more traditional and formal and suitable for couples or small intimate groups.

On the table:

Complimentary Scones

• These are complimentary for everyone during brunch. I could have eaten 3 of them. They’re made in house and they’re so good!
• These aren't the traditional fluffy scones like the ones at Applewood Bakery, but these ones were more like cookies. They were crispy soft and chewy and reminded me of freshly baked oatmeal cookies. I loved them, it was a great way to start brunch! I feel like there was some rhubarb or apple, oatmeal and definitely some cinnamon in them. They were perfectly baked and so delicate. It also came with a really fresh raspberry jam. I do miss that devonshire cream, but these scones are complimentary so I think I'm pushing it. I would pay extra for it though.

**Giraffes’ Egg’s Benedict

• Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon, red onion, spinach and a dill hollandaise served with fried nugget potatoes $12
• I was deciding between the Giraffes’ egg’s benedict and the frittata. I went with the benedict because my friend told me that her brother, also the chef, would more likely make the frittata at home than he would the benny. (The hollandaise sauce is very time consuming).
• I was very much into my benny. The ratio of ingredients was perfect and everything was cooked perfectly. Nothing was overpowering and the flavours were all there.
• The red onions were soft, but not to the point of caramelized. It still had a crunch, but wasn't spicy anymore, it added a shallot like flavour that was very delicate.
• My egg was beautifully poached with a very soft middle. It mixed into my hollandaise and was absolutely divine.
• The hollandaise sauce wasn’t really a tangy hollandaise as it was more buttery in flavour. Made with clarified butter it’s very rich and creamy here. The dill was apparent, but very mild and I liked it with the salmon. There was the perfect amount of hollandaise to finish my benny with some on every bite.
• I really liked the crispiness of my English muffin. It sounds like a small thing, but it was enough for me to notice because more often than not restaurants don't toast it enough or it gets too soggy.
• The fried nugget potatoes were great. It was cut nice and thin so they were very crispy. This is what I meant by "attention to detail, everything here is cut to the same size and there's consistency. Therefore the cooking time is perfect for everything. A sign of true professionalism.
  
• I think it was a simple seasoning of course salt and black pepper. (Maybe one additional dried herb, but I couldn't taste it)

**Bacon wrapped Filet with Egg

• Grilled bacon wrapped filet served with a poached egg, tomato, béarnaise and roasted potatoes $16
• Okay, I don’t know what happened, but this was the first time I didn’t try something on someone else’s plate. I think I was way too into my own egg’s benedict did I totally forget to try this dish.
• However, another reason is probably because I have tried a version of this already. See My Holiday Dinners and Feasts - Chef David Chow made something similar to this on Christmas morning. I was lucky to be invited! Yes, we had beef tenderloin for breakfast! The one on Christmas had pyster mushrooms 3 kinds of potatoes for the hash, and the eggs were scrambled.
  
• You don't have to worry about overcooked steaks here, hot you order it is how it arrives. Everything is made in small batches rather than in volume.
  
• The presentation on this is beautiful, and it’s only a 4 ounce steak so it’s not as heavy for brunch as you would think.

Stuffed French Toast

• Mango-apricot Cream Cheese and Strawberry stuffed French toast served with bacon, and warm maple syrup $10.50
• This was the “dessert” for brunch. Since we had it in the end, we passed on the bacon. I am very curious and interested to try it with the bacon though...even though I'm not a fan of bacon...I know, so taboo right?
• The bread is from a bakery up the street. I wasn’t a fan of the crust, beuase it was a bit dry, but I was a fan of how it was used.
• I loved the combination of ingredients, the savoury creamy cheese, the sweet mango-apricot, and the tart strawberries, but I just wish there was a bit more of it. (I’m treading on dangerous grounds here…so I’m a bit scared).
• I would have liked more mango apricot because I couldn’t really taste it. It would be nice to have a little more stuffing to match the thickness of the bread too. I know it looks balanced in the picture, but because the bread was a bit dry it felt like it need more stuffing. Or maybe if the bread was a little more soaked in egg batter that would work. I wouldn't have minded if the egg batter had a touch more vanilla and cinnamon too... =|
• I did love how the cream cheese was warm and melted. It made for a really decadent French toast and the strawberries released their natural sugars under the heat. I really don’t think there were any additional sugars because overall it wasn’t really sweet unless you used the warm maple syrup. Which I did…and it was great!
• This French toast was really good, but just minor things and it would have been over the top. Ohhh maybe even some toasted pecans to give it a crunch? Or even some basil leaves or some finely chopped mint in the middle? Yum!
• We all loved the side of fruit! It was beautifully presented, clean and fresh. Pears, apples, mango, strawberries, grapefruits and oranges. I loved the variety and you get what you’re paying for as you can tell there are no grapes, honey dew, or cantaloupe.

Special Appetizer

• This is not on the menu, but was made especially for us…I know…I’m lucky right?!
• It was a 7 vegetable chili served on roasted potatoes and topped with sour cream.
• I’m not going to comment on this because it was special made, complimentary, and not available on the menu anyways.

Cimona Cafe

Restaurant: Cimona Cafe

Cuisine: American/Breakfast/Brunch/Cafe
Last visited: January 2, 2010
Area: Richmond, BC (Steveston Village)
#210 – 3791 Bayview Street
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 2
Service: 3

Ambiance: 2

Overall: 2

Additional comments:

• Since 1999
• Popular to locals
• Owned by Mediterranean family
• Homestyle/Casual/low maintenance food
• Café/Catering
• Typical American/West Coast diner food
• Extensive menu
• Family diner style
• Old-fashioned
• Focus on catering
• Breakfast until 2:30pm
• Daily breakfast specials until 3pm
• Daily dinner specials
• Do not go by prices on their website, they’ve increased a bit
• Breakfast is café price, very inexpensvie lunch and dinner
• Outdoor patio available
• Mon-Sat 8am-9pm
• Sunday 8am-8pm

**Recommendation: Smoked salmon wrap

I’m not going to lie; it looks nicer from the outside. The inside is very causal, dated and I felt like it’s where a fisherman would go for a ‘fancy’ meal in the old days…

It’s very family diner style with small wooden chairs and tables. It definitely feels community supported and familiar with locals in the neighbouhood. I’m assuming there are regulars that have been coming here for years that order a morning coffee with the same food every Sunday morning.

The menu is pretty big and I assume they do a lot of casual catering. They serve the typical salads, wraps, soups, sandwiches, pastas and meat and potato entrees. They’re quite popular for breakfast and the prices are pretty cheap. Breakfast is Denny’s pricing, but a little more “gourmet” with bigger portions. I haven’t tried their lunch and dinner, but they are about $1 LESS than Denny’s with their lunches at about $7 and dinner at around $10-12.

The food was very mediocre and they claim to focus on healthy, however I don’t know if it’s “healthy” as it is just fresh and made upon order. The food wasn’t greasy or anything, but it also wasn’t that good or very impressive.

On the table:

Seafood Benedict 1.5/6

• Wild salmon, baby shrimp, served on a crisp English muffin, topped with hollandaise sauce served with hash browns $9.99
• This was their daily special served until 3pm. Having brunch in Steveston Village I almost feel like it would be taboo not to order seafood.
• Ok this wasn’t what I was expecting at all. I would much rather have smoked salmon eggs benedict. It was loaded with wild salmon and baby shrimp, but the wild salmon was fully cooked flaked wild salmon. It was overcooked and almost dry.
• It was a very fishy tasting eggs benedict and I wasn’t a fan of this canned salmon taste…I don’t know if it was in fact canned, but from colour to presentation to flavour the seafood benedict just didn’t work for me.
• The hollandaise sauce was really bland and almost flavorless. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was from a package. It was a very pale yellow and not very creamy or rich at all.
• The poached egg was pretty good though. They didn’t ask how cooked we wanted it and I forgot to put in a request but they served in medium. I prefer mine soft so that when I cut into the yolk it will be runny and creates its own sauce. Then I dip my hash browns, toast and everything else in it! Yum!...but that didn’t happen here. I can’t ding them if the request was never made though.
• The description says “crisp English muffin,” but mine was not crisp. It was actually very soggy and I questioned if it was toasted at all.

Hash browns 3/6

• So the menu says “health conscious,” but I’m not so sure because their hash browns were deep fried. The hash browns were those potato nuggets and they taste like frozen McCain fries in nugget form. I mean they’re pretty tasty with some dried herbs on them.

Western Omelette 2.5/6

• Red onion, green pepper & black forest ham. Served with hash browns and toast. $7.49
• Option: Substitute free range eggs for $1.50 Substitute egg whites for $1.00
• The omelette is their popular breakfast item. I can’t help to think maybe a little bit has to do with the portion size. It’s quite big.
• They do make it a bit differently too though. It’s almost a layered omelette pie rather than a fluffy omelette. Each layer has ingredients and each layer is kind of stacked so it’s a dense and thick omelette.
• The omelette was a bit overcooked and dry for me, but there were lots of ingredients and for being overcooked it actually didn’t taste bad. I don’t think they put any salt and pepper in it, but there were so many ingredients and there was lots of ham which made it salty enough.
• The red onions were roughly chopped and almost raw though. They were really crunchy and they needed to cook those for longer before adding the eggs.

Smoked Salmon Wrap 4/6

• Eggs, red onion, smoked salmon, and cheddar cheese. Served with hash browns. $8.99
• Ok so they really need to work on their plating. I mean even adding a simple fruit garnish would have made the plate look more appetizing or even just full. They almost just spread the hash browns around to take up more room on the plate.
• The wrap itself was good though, it was my favourite thing we ordered. It was really big, and nicely stuffed and very fresh. It more like a breakfast burrito than a wrap to me. It was quite hearty with lots of ingredients.
• The eggs are scrambled and not overcooked this time and they give you a lot. It almost made 1/2 of the wrap. I don’t think they season the eggs with any salt, and it didn’t need it. The ratio of the other ingredients gave it enough flavour.
• The smoked salmon got a little bit cooked with the heat of the eggs, but that’s bound to happen. They gave at least 2 layers of this as well. I really liked how the salmon was spread out in the wrap and not only in one section of it. It was on both sides of the wrap so they gave you quite a bit. It was put together really well.
• The cheddar cheese isn’t overwhelming either. They didn’t use too much, but it was more or less a nice thin and even layer that is fully melted to hold the wrap together. They used just enough so that it wasn’t greasy and it actually tasted like a hearty and relatively healthy breakfast. It’s also on a whole wheat wrap. It’s very simple with no additional sauces or anything fancy, but I liked it!

Milestones - Brunch Review

Grilled Chicken Corn Hash

Restaurant: Milestones - Brunch Review
Cuisine: American/Global/West Coast
Last visited: October 25, 09

Area: Multiple locations - White Rock
3085-152nd Street in South Point Mall
Price Range: $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3.5
Service: 3
Ambiance: 4
Overall: 3.5
Additional comments:

• Chain restaurant
• Casual and lively atmosphere
• A couple classic breakfast items
• A twist on the traditional, gourmet twists
• Homemade sauces
• In-house smoke mustard ham
  
• Quite hearty options
• $9-18 brunch menu items
• Line-up/crowded at peak hours
• Available Saturday & Sunday only

**Recommendation: Grilled Chicken Corn Hash

We couldn't find a family-owned breakfast/brunch restaurant around the area so we just settled on Milestones. I'm not against chain restaurants or anything, but I usually chose them out of convenience or if they have a new item to try. I usually try and find the independent places.

I am actually quite impressed with the brunch we had at Milestones. They bring traditional breakfast items to new heights and add their own gourmet touches and creativity. Most of the options are quite hearty and the portions are quite big so it fills you up for most of the day. The best thing is that the sauces are homemade - I just wish the breads were too...but that could be asking for too much...?

I would come back again to try the other items or even just the grilled chicken corn hash, that was really good!

On the table:

• Grilled Shrimp California Benedict 2/6
• Spicy house-made avocado salsa, double-smoked bacon & grilled shrimp.

• I was actually disappointed in this because it sounded so good on the menu.
  
• The menu says "large grilled shrimp" but they should have wrote "grilled shrimp". They were pretty small - 2 shrimps on each English muffin. They were also overcooked so they maybe shrank more than they should have.
• The avocado salsa was really weak too. It was very brown, and didn't look fresh. It looked like it was sitting under the heaters for too long, which very well may have been the case. It's house-made and I was expecting diced avocado, lime juice and onions etc., but what I got looked worse than grocery store guacamole. There was no flavor except for some seasoning salt.
• Bacon wasn't crispy either.
• The poached egg on the other hand was really good. The hollandaise is also made in house but it wasn't thick enough. It was very buttery but on the watery side.
  
• Okay this is the shock factor - despite the poor execution the combination of it all actually didn't taste bad! It just could have been so much better if everything had been fresh!
• **Grilled Chicken Corn Hash 5/6
  
• Sliced grilled chicken mixed with potatoes, onions, roasted corn, red peppers and house marinade. Topped with two poached eggs, hollandaise and salsa. Served with Roma tomatoes and grilled herb toast.
• This was very tasty! The house sauce is what makes this dish, it was really good. It's almost like an onion-based barbeque sauce but not as thick and not as bold in flavour. There was a smoky charred flavour and the dried Rosemary and oregano really came out. The fresh salsa was the perfect balance. It was nice and saucy especially after breaking the egg yolks into it. The texture of this hearty dish was just excellent, crunchy, soft, crispy and the flavours: sweet, savoury, tangy and smoky!
• Strawberry French Toast 3/6
  
• Baguette dipped in cinnamon vanilla egg batter, then griddled. Topped with fresh strawberries poached in agave syrup with Mango cream finish.

• This was a really big portion of French toast. It was good, but I think it was too big and I got sick of it fast. Using baguette is a creative idea, but I would have preferred a regular bread or brioche...it would absorb the flavours better.
  
• They should consider making their own bread.
• It was moist but it was swimming in a pool of agave syrup. The syrup was also a combination of agave and a simple sugar reduction. It needed to be more reduced because it was too watery. I did appreciate the generous amount of fresh strawberries though.
• I couldn't taste the mango cream at all and they needed more of it.I could barely see it.
• They called it a" cinnamon vanilla egg batter," but it wasn't as flavourful as it sounds. They used an extract instead of the real vanilla bean so they shouldn't bother advertising the "vanilla" part...what kind of French toast doesn't have cinnamon or vanilla in the mixture anyways?
  

Nice Cafe

Spinach & Feta Omelette with hash browns and toast


Restaurant: Nice Cafe
Cuisine: Breakfast/Brunch/Lunch/Diner

Last visited: August 30, 09

Area: Vancouver, BC

154 East 8th Ave

Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very Good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 2

Service: 2

Ambiance: 1

Overall: 2

Additional comments:

• Focus on breakfast/brunch items - lunch available
  
• Attracts locals/regulars/hipsters
• Whole menu under $10 - really cheap breakfast
• Go back because it's cheap, not because it's good
  
• Line-ups/crowded
• Very casual
• No fuss, simple breakfast
• Fresh hash browns grated in house, homemade jam
• Overcooked pancakes & eggs
• Most of it was overcooked
  
• Chocolate milk is powdered chocolate milk
  

**Recommendation: I guess the hash browns, because they're fresh not frozen. They also do a good job soft poaching eggs (upon request).

I would come back to Nice Cafe because it was cheap, but not really because the food was good. I wasn't expecting gourmet food, but I was expecting a bit more because it's always busy. It's a standard breakfast you would expect to get at any small diner breakfast joint. It's the non-chain version of any other breakfast chain...if that makes sense? It's crowded and busy and you can tell it's frequently visited by locals that live nearby. For a foodie - this place is a no-go, but if you're not picky about your breakfast and just want something cheap and filling then come here. I would rather pay a couple bucks more for something better...breakfast is relatively cheap anyways.

On the table:

• Traditional Sausage & Egg Breakfast 1.5/6
• 2 eggs, 2 sausages, hash browns, 2 slices of toast
• Eggs a bit overcooked for my liking, too rubbery
  
• Sausages - the breakfast sausages you buy in a package from Superstore
• Hash browns - the best part for me, fresh not frozen - shredded in house, and you can tell because sometimes you'll come across a chunk of potato (the chunk is actually the end piece of the potato that is too small to grate)
• Traditional Ham & Egg Breakfast 1.5/6
• 2 eggs, ham, hash browns, 2 slices of toast
• Again eggs are overcooked. You can tell by the picture they're overcooked.
  
• Ham is standard. Hash browns were the best part.
• Pancakes 1/6
  
• 3 pancakes for around $4.95
• They taste better at McDonald's. If you want rubber tires for breakfast you should order these. They were so tough and I had to saw through them with my knife. They're tasteless and really flat. Need to eat it with a lot of syrup and butter. Overcooked and not fluffy at all. Don't order these - so horrible. they should have been free.

  

• Alberni Benny 3/6
  
• Smoked salmon benny served with hash browns.
• For this type of restaurant, this was a good attempt - not that they really tried to make it extra good or anything. It was one of the better things we ordered. The hollandaise sauce is from a powder and it's really runny and watery in texture. What made up for it was the poached eggs. We requested them to be cooked soft and they did a great job in ensuring this. They were quite perfect, the knife sliced into them perfectly - probably the only thing they didn't overcook.
• Spinach & Feta Omelette 1.5/6
  
• The spinach they use isn't even baby spinach...AND they included the stems. You should always use baby spinach and never include the stems when you're using it in an omelette. I felt like I was eating a lot of plain spinach that was blanched in hot water with an egg wrapped around it. More spinach than it is an omelette.
• The Feta was a shredded Feta and it was the only thing giving this omelette flavour - hint of saltiness. They call all their omelettes "fluffy" omelettes, but they aren't as you can tell. You can tell by the picture that they overcooked our omelette, just like they did with our pancakes and scrambled eggs too. Even by overcooking our omelette they still didn't manage to melt the Feta cheese...I could have made a better one at home.

The Bohemian Bagel

Restaurant: The Bohemian Bagel - Brunch review
Cuisine: Eclectic/American/Breakfast/Brunch/Lunch
Last visited: August 14, 09

Area: Kelowna, BC
524 Bernard Ave
Price Range: $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4
Service: 3
Ambiance: 3
Overall: 4
Additional comments:

• Open Wednesday - Sunday
• Serves breakfast and lunches
• Lighter than pub food, not gourmet, but home cooked style
  
• Cafe and catering
• Focus on homemade sausage, bacon, dressings, soups
• Freshly baked goods
• Each table has this homemade fruit jam, a great added touch!
  
• Healthy & tasty options
• Homestyle, casual/laid back feel
• Attracts all ages/families
• Popular to locals, quite busy
  
• Daily specials
  

**Recommendation: Blueberry oatmeal pancakes, homemade sausage/bacon, apparently the Huevos Rancheros is good (although I didn't try this)

So we got this recommendation from the front desk at the hotel. He's a self-acclaimed foodie and seemed trustworthy. It was a great recommendation, although he did warn us that the hollandaise sauce was not homemade...which I beleive, otherwise they would advertise it like they do with everything else that is homemade. The bread was baked in house, but I prefer the bread from across the street at The Bread Company. It was a young staff, with laid-back service. We had 4 servers for brunch so it was a bit disorganized, but not hectic - just sllooww.

On the table:

• **Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes 5/6
• One of their most popular items! Topped with icing sugar, lots of warm blueberries and served with maple syrup.

• I really enjoyed these! They were delicious. It's served in 4 mini pancakes - the oatmeal is ground into the pancake batter so it's a smooth texture and not gritty or anything. Nice and moist, not really fluffy though. They're not your thick and hearty style pancakes though. They're thinner and quite moist becuase of that; completely different than the giant pancake I had from The Grizzly Manor in LA - I like both styles of pancakes though. The blueberries are fresh and added a natural sweetness to the pancakes. Nice, simple, and very enjoyable. $11.50, so a bit more expensive than usual, but worth it for the quality.
• **BOH Combo (Select 4 favs) 5/6
  
• 2 eggs, hashbrowns, homemade sausage, homemade back bacon

• Must try the homemade sausage and bacon - the back bacon and bacon strip are all made in house in the back. It's very fresh and not the cured bacon most people serve. This is gourmet bacon. The sausage and bacon were were both quite lean and not oily, both were very flavourful and juicy. Quality meat, so there's no need to add anything to enjoy them.
• Classic Eggs Benedict 2/6
  
• With the homemade back bacon and English muffin (don't think the English muffin is made in house though)

• This was good, but also just a standard eggs benedict. I came in biased to this item because I knew that the hollandaise sauce was from a powder and not homemade. Therefore it tastes like a benny you've probably had before. This is actually one of their popular items, but that doesn't surprise me because most people are used to that packaged hollandaise sauce rather than the real deal. You can even order the hollandaise as a side people like it so much - I wonder what brand they're using...
• Spinach and Fresh Cherry Salad 4/6
  
• Quite creative. Spinach, fresh Okanagan (local) cherries, Goat's feta, tomato, and carrots with you choice of dressing. We had the mustard-soy dressing which is made in house and tastes great! Really nice dressing, more like a vinaigrette, it would go well with any salad.
  
• This salad was on their specials board, so it's seasonal due to the fact that there's fresh cherries in it.
• Pineapple Peach Cornmeal Muffin $2.50 3/6
  
• Another creative item on their specials board! I love how they take advantage of the seasonal fruit that is so abundant throughout the Okanagan. Fresh local peaches and pineapple (not sure if the pineapple was fresh though) go into this cornmeal muffin. I tasted more cornmeal in the muffin than the fruits though - I think the cornmeal overpowered the fruit flavour. You can actually bite into and see the pieces of fruit, but I found the flavours lost in the cornmeal. I could taste the fruit in the first couple bites and then I couldn't taste it after that.
  
• Remember to ask them to warm up the muffins - it tastes better. Also try their muffins or homemade breads with the homemade fruit preserves served at every table. Really bold and fruity in flavour.
• Mandarin-Apple Streusel Muffin $2.50 4/6
• This was a slightly better muffin, but it tasted like a coffee cake with the nutty brown sugar topping. It's hard to compete with a muffin that has a crunchy streusel topping. It sounds like a really creative and unique muffin, but again you couldn't really taste the mandarin or apple. If anything the apple flavour came out more than the mandarin flavour.
• Nice and moist on the inside, this is a good muffin - it's just that it doesn't taste like what it was supposed to be. Again remember to ask them to warm up the muffins - it tastes better.
• Soups 1/6
  
• All the soups are made in house and change daily.
  
• We tried the gazpacho and the corn chowder.
• Just because it's made in house doesn't always mean it's good. Yes, it's fresh and homemade, but that doesn't mean the recipe is good. The recipes for the soup were unfortunately not good. We happened to try both becuase the original order the gazpacho was so disappointing. It tasted like canned tomato sauce that was watered down with veggies in it. So the waitress traded it and gave us the corn chowder - which was also disappointing. It was better than the gazpacho, but still had that watered down taste and texture. The corn was definitely from the cob, but it didn't matter becuase the soup base itself just wasn't good. Rarely do I ever ask the server to take something back, but in this case it was necessary because it really was that bad.
• Homemade preserves available at each table - full of real fruit flavour