But where to go in Toronto? Reviews are always hard to gauge, since even the most highly recommended place will still have a daunting pack of naysayers floating behind it. I have a few friends that I trust implicitly with food (including GB, but he’s a vegetarian so his word is limited), but brunch seemed to be uncharted territory.

So, after a night out, my friend SM and I were determined to have a lovely Sunday brunch.

Honestly? It was everything I had hoped for. Maybe it was because I was used to spending Sunday mornings hungover in bed, wishing that Starbucks delivered, flashing with irritation every time my phone would ring. But being forced to get out of the house in a nice outfit, actually getting that cappuccino I so often wished for, and walking downtown to a cute brunch spot was exactly what I pictured a breezy Sunday morning to be like.

We ended up at Czehoski, and the atmosphere was perfect for brunch. Food reviews for Czehoski turned out to be abysmal, I found out later, but my Eggs Benedict were fine, and SM’s arugula omelette was yummy. Still, the food paled in comparison to the great seating environment.

We sat by the door at the bar with tons of natural light flooding into the place. The mix of white walls, hardwood, abundant wine bottles and art gave a very cosy gallery feel, and the service was friendly and laid back. All in all I thought it was a great success.

I was new to brunch, though, so I could have been easily getting ahead of myself.

Determined to try out more places, I checked out another restaurant that I had specifically picked out: La Palette in Kensington. I was debating between La Palette, Bar One, Peter Pan and a few others, but after weighing the supposed pros and cons of each place, I placed my bet on La Palette. I hoped it was good– it was my boyfriend’s birthday brunch, and I wasn’t sure how excited he was about brunch in the first place (aka not very).

Small and quaint, the paisley handkerchief tablecloths with the Bonne Maman jam jars filled with brown sugar (my favorite jam brand!) reminded both of us of Paris.

Despite the overall rave reviews, there was a mixed blog review (at A Glutton in Kingston) featuring shadowy pictures of the food, and complaints of how the mains were good but that the sides were lacking. They also mentioned how their omelette was mushy– but I didn’t care too much, as I’m really not an omelette fan in the first place and had no intention of ordering one. I could see from the blogger’s picture, though, that the omelette indeed looked a bit mushy.

However, when the waiter revealed that the omelette du jour was made with boar rib, cherry tomato, BRIE, and caramelized onions, I couldn’t resist. I thought, “sogginess be damned, I want brie this morning”.

And it was heavenly. Our omelettes looked nothing like the one from the other blogger’s picture– its edges were crispy, the egg was thin but resolute and quietly complimented the bursts of flavor in the sharp cherry tomato, the decadently creamy brie, and the exotic boar rib.

I don’t doubt the other blogger’s review when he complained that his salad was overdressed, I truly believe it probably was that morning. I personally also really dislike overdressed salad. But that morning it had a perfect amount of a light oil dressing, and the fries were delicious with crispy outsides and hot, soft insides– accompanied by a fresh mayonnaise.

It had actually been showering just before we arrived to the restaurant, but the moody sky and rainswept floors gave an unexpected cinematic grace to the whole experience. By the end of the meal, though, the sun was in full force and while I enjoyed the way the light was reflecting all of the tiny rain puddles, I think my boyfriend was dying of a heatstroke.

The coffee was also excellent, so much so that I drank it black.

Verdict:

La Palette really raised the brunch bar for me, and I look forward to my next brunching experience. Excellent food– food that moves you– and lovely atmosphere. Okay, I hate to rain on my own parade, but the boar rib in the omelette could have been a little more tender. Seriously though, overall, amazing food.

Czehoski had “good” food, comparable to breakfast from chain restaurants like the Pickle Barrel – but it was really the feel of the restaurant that I appreciated.

—–

Czehoski

678 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON M6J 1E5, Canada
(416) 366-6787

www.czehoski.com

La Palette

256 Augusta Avenue
Kensington Market, Toronto
(416) 929-4900

www.lapalette.ca

I thought if I was going to blog, I might as well write about the restaurant I’ve been practically living at for the past month. I was vaguely aware of this, but then my friend MK pointed out that I had tweeted about eating there 3 times in the last week…

Hibiscus is located in Kensington market. Just take the westbound streetcar outside College Station, and get off one stop past College & Spadina. Walk down Augusta Ave. and you’ll find it tucked away.

There’s not much to order there. Everyone mostly goes for the Soup & Salad special. Now hold on, this ain’t no romaine affair. I was hesitant too, when my friend GB introduced me. He usually introduces me to cool places, but for some reason I like to go kicking and screaming.

But back on track. Yes, there’s basically just the Soup & Salad special. They have buckwheat crepes as well, but you know what? The Soup & Salad special is so amazing that I have never, ever been tempted to order a crepe. Like I said, this ain’t no romaine affair. What you get with the special is a bowl filled with different piles of all these lovely, lettuce-free superfood salads. Things like quinoa with dried cranberry, sweet potato, marinated broccoli, ginger carrot, or one of my favorites– the soy paste with mushroom. There’s a bunch of other stuff, including grated beets with sesame oil. I’m usually not crazy about beets (I never understood those people who just piled those frightening, fluorescent slices of them onto their plate at the salad bar) but as my friend FM agreed, these are delicious.

Everything is delicious, and even though it’s just a bowl of vegetables, I have never met anyone who wasn’t full afterward. Even my friend CT was full– and he’s a tall, athletic, hungry guy. All the skeptical, burger eating people who have tried the special (including myself) have loved it.

It comes with a mug of the daily soup, which has ranged from butternut squash with beet to ginger carrot. Dip in their raw sunflower seed cracker that comes with your meal, and you’ll be one content son of a bitch.

Was that unnecessary language? I’m sorry, but I feel the need to be a bit aggressive after prattling on about all this flowery health junk.

But seriously, folks, this is a place you can leave feeling good.

A bunch of hippies that were sitting near me once voiced out the thoughts that I was secretly thinking– key point being secretly, as when you say things like this out loud you sound moronic and insane. But to their credit, yes, yes I did feel like all the toxins were leaving my body. I, unfortunately, was unable to match them on their spiritual cleanse…

In general, for this glorious year of 2010, I’ve been trying to stay on a bit of a health kick. Gone are my days of frozen dinners (although those cheese cannellonis seriously aren’t bad). I’ve been drinking water, eating real vegetables, and I’ve finally replaced sugar and maple syrup with agave nectar.

What the hell is agave nectar? Well, it’s this natural sweetener derived from the agave plant, and it’s supposed to be better for you. I think it’s because it’s sweeter than sugar, and thus you need less? Regardless, it’ll be a gentler calorie count, and it doesn’t have any scary side effects like aspartame. Usually, when we substitute something for something healthier, we’ve downgraded. This is not the case. I actually prefer agave nectar in my oatmeal now. It’s a lighter, cleaner taste than both sugar and maple syrup, without losing sweetness.

I feel like Gwyneth Paltrow. What the hell am I doing, touting agave? I’ve become Vanessa’s douchebag mother from Gossip Girl (“I only use agave”). But you know what? It’s pretty cool when you can find healthy things that don’t secretly sort of suck, like Hibiscus and agave nectar.

Not that I always treat my body like a temple. Sometimes, after popping all those omega-3′s and slow cooking all that oatmeal, a girl needs to eat something disgusting and awesome. Buffalo wings are a favorite. I don’t need a million different flavors– I’ll always be a Duff’s girl at heart. Last night I dropped by St. Louis’ for some hot wings with my friend MV after the Tegan & Sara concert at Massey Hall. Which brings me to a point Tegan raised on stage: when you tweet (or in this case, blog) about something, is it a form of bragging?

Things to consider.

——

Notes:

Hibiscus (416) 364-6183
238 Augusta Ave.
Toronto, ON
M5T 2L7

Closed on Sunday. Open Monday to Saturday, and you have to get in the door by 6ish as they close at 7.

Also, try their ice cream. They’re all non-dairy, but I’d stick to one of their three coconut flavors: coconut mango, coconut blueberry, or coconut raspberry. Seriously, so amazing. I tried a regular flavor that wasn’t made with coconut puree, and it tasted like newspaper. Like the stuff you expect health food to taste like.

*The picture of the food from Hibiscus is mine, but I stole the store front from yelp.ca, and the agave picture from Thursday’s Girl.

It’s not your typical Chinese restaurant. For one, it’s small without being decrepit. They also don’t use MSG, so shazam, there goes that stereotype. The crowd’s also usually at a nice, low murmuring level, so you’re not in a shouting match with the table next to you. Another nice touch is that they offer nice bottled organic Black River juices (though they use to go with Sarah’s), which is a really nice change from your standard Coke and Sprite. They get bonus points because this was one of their features way before the organic boom.

Their deep fried squid with spicy peppers is my favorite, and their soups are always so amazing too. There’s no reservations though, so either go early or late unless you’re willing to wait in line. I remember I used to bump into my old private school French teacher here all the time when I was young. She went there every week, I think. Good memories.

Lee Garden
(416) 593-9524
331 Spadina Ave.
Toronto, ON M5T 2E9

http://www.leegardenrestaurant.ca/

I’ve read reviews about Japango, and there are a lot of complaints about the cramped size etc… I prefer it that way though, even if it means I might have to wait longer for a table. There’s just something about a tiny restaurant that brings me back. It makes me feel like there’s a private space I can escape to.

I like that they play jazz music there, it’s an interesting compliment to the Japanese food. It reminds me of some of the sake bar/restaurants I visited in the Harajuku district in Tokyo.

Although Le Cafe Michi is still my favorite Japanese restaurant in Toronto, this is a lovely, accessible place to go with friends. I really suggest taking advantage of their authentic appetizers, instead of only getting a sushi platter which you could get anywhere. Check out their yaki nasu (grilled eggplant) or their sweet shrimp karage.

Japango
(416) 599-5557
122 Elizabeth Street
Toronto, ON M5G 1P5