OEB Breakfast
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Kev’s friend has been talking about this breakfast place forever, but we had a hard time “accommodating” to its operating hours (daily from 7 am-3 pm). We heard that weekends are always crazy busy (*long lineups*). We have very little patience when it comes to eating so we try to avoid the waiting scene. That left us no choice but t0 visit it on a weekday when Kev had no work.
On a weekday, you could easily grab a table with no wait at all. This cute, little diner in the Renfrew neighborhood can seat only about 35 people at a time.
The long communal table in the center with adorable lights resembling oversized eggs and chalkboard ceiling inscribing with their menu items gave the restaurant a chic, modern vibe.
The 2-sided oversized menu listed multiple breakfast options. Too many of them and all “look” sooo good. What really caught my attention is their commitment to use local ingredients, free-run eggs, fresh local meat without growth hormones, and all-natural bread. After pondering over what to order, we narrowed down to the Benny and Box’d sections. (We were being told that the Box’d items are their signature dishes) At the end, we settled for benny upstream and gold digga.
While waiting for our food, the sweet aroma of waffles filled the air, making our tummy growling and mouth watering.
My benny upstream ($15.50) tasted incredible. It consisted of 2 poached eggs, brown butter hollandaise sauce, spinach, Norwegian smoked salmon- all on top of a toasted English muffin. Twice-fried herb potatoes and fresh fruits were served on the side. The runny yolk paired with sweet hollandaise sauce, creating an excellent smoothness. The fresh smoked salmon added a savory touch to it. Their potato wedges were made with organic duck fat, giving them golden crisp edges and wonderfully silky texture inside.
benny upstream
The gold digga ($16.99) is basically a pork belly + benny poutine. The mixture of poached eggs, hollandaise sauce, herb potatoes, cheese curds, black truffles and pork belly brought an overwhelming taste of saltiness. The pork belly cubes were fatty and chewy, yet a little bit too dry and salty. The more we ate, the more intense the flavour was. For a moment, I wondered if I was too salt-sensitive.
gold digga
Overall, we had a pleasant brunch. While I liked the ambiance and appreciated the innovative dishes, I did not have the “wow-I-need-to-come-back-again-despite-the-long-wait” experience. If you don’t believe me, come and check it out yourself. Oh, remember to bring some cash (or debit card). Credit cards won’t work here.
