Laidback café covers off brunch basics
Upper Beach Cafe
1917 Gerrard St. E., 416-465-8002, upperbeachcafe.com Brunch served Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
On the Menu: The usual suspects are well represented at the Upper Beach Café, including a build-your-own omelette selection (with fillings ranging from avocado to zucchini) for $10 for a maximum of five fillings, fruit salad and the house home fries. While the make-your-own omelette tempts, I go for the classic bacon and eggs — a simple benchmark of how good any place claims their brunch can be. Nothing fancy here: two eggs any way you like them (I ask for mine over easy and they are prepared perfectly), buttered multi-grain toast, a few slices of bacon, some home fries interspersed with sweet potatoes and a little tropical fruit salad. The eggs and toast are the highlights as some of my potatoes are undercooked and my fruit salad (al- though better than the usual under-ripe melon affair) lacks the mango promised on the menu. At $7.25, it’s decent value. If you don’t think that will fill you, go for the Big Breakfast: three eggs, all of the above and a pancake, $11. The husband goes for the Eggs Florentine (under the Benny goes to Hollywood section). Hollandaise, tomato rounds, spinach and poached eggs with the same sides as my order plus a spinach salad. He decrees it’s adequate, but not a standout. From the overcooked eggs to the wilted spinach, he wishes his dish had a little more oomph — such as caramelized onion, salt, pepper or garlic to set the whole dish alight. Next time, I’m ordering the intriguing sounding French Toast with plantain batter ($10). The “I’d Wake Up Early to Eat That Again!” Dish: The Eggs Florentine was the better of the two dishes, $10.
The Queue: We get a late start today and arrive at 1 p.m. But it seems the residents of The Beach like to brunch early because the crowds have already dissipated and there’s plenty of room inside and out.
The Vibe: This is a casual eatery on the northern edge of The Beach where the ambience is laid back and mellow. A small side patio seats about a dozen.
Kid-Friendliness: Our server, for the first part of brunch, is the owner’s son. He’s affable and smiling. The second half, a lovely woman takes over. Both coo at the kid.
Joe and Other Liquid Assets: We asked both servers what kind of coffee they serve. The responses are odd: “It’s just a regular coffee,” says the woman, “but our coffee machine grinds and brews each cup separately, which is why it tastes so good.” The owner’s son’s response: “It’s some fair trade, organic stuff. Our machine is what makes it good, though.” Must be some machine! We give the coffee 2.5 out of 4 beans.
Price Tag: Our bill for two which includes one order of bacon and eggs, one eggs Florentine, one coffee and one OJ totals $32.73 including taxes and tip.