It seems to be warming up and Saturday or Sunday brunch seems to me like one of the best pass times in the city. Lately its been sunny on the weekends, Beach ave., the seawall and the beaches seem to be more crowded than ever; people walking, riding their bikes, roller blading, walking their dogs and their kids – to each his own. And I walked with everybody else enjoying the sun and the occasional cool breeze from the water, narrowing my eyes like a cat while looking at it. So when its warm and sunny and pretty it makes you a bit drowsy and in need of something cold to drink which adds up to the need to savour this beautiful day and stay close to the water. Brunch is the perfect solution.
Two places I have lately visited for brunch were Raincity Grill and Fiddlehead Joe’s – where I’ve been many times before.
Fiddlehead Joe’s is on Beach avenue, under Granville street bridge (almost…as there is nothing under the bridge really) and it has the best outside sitting area where you can watch the people and the boats coming and going so settle down with a Sea-Breeze (vodka, cranberry juice & grapefruit juice), a Mimosa (orange juice with some sparkling wine) or a Crantini (vodka & cranberry juice) and enjoy the refreshing cold drink quenching your thirst while you wait for the food to be served! One of my favorite things to order is the Slaughterhouse (not a very appealing name I must say) which is a big enough portion for two; it has a small steak, a piece of lamb, spicy sausage, bacon, two poached eggs with Hollandaise & some grilled tomato slices. Other things I have tasted at Fiddlehead Joe’s include fritatas and salads (try the green papaya and chicken – its really nice) and they were very nice as well.
This Saturday we went to Raincity Grill and given that we barely had any breakfast we were pleasantly surprised that the Brunch and light Lunch menu were combined into one - increasing the number of options available. The menu included the majority of appetizers available for dinner, some classic brunch choices like eggs and french toast as well as slightly ”lunchier” items like sandwiches, Mussels as well as a Steak Frites which I fell for :) and went really well with the very cold Red Ale I just ordered. The steak was prepared just right and the thick fries were a nice change. We also had some fresh croissants and mini scones with jam and butter and those were delicious.
Fiddlehead Joe’s:
Address: 1-1012 Beach Avenue Tel: 604-688 1969
WWW: http://www.fiddleheadjoeseatery.com/
Raincity Grill
Address: 1193 Denman Street Tel: 604-685 7337
