Nestled within the Evergreen Brickworks, Café Belong
benefits from its proximity to the year round farmer’s market. Perhaps perusing
the fresh food stalls beforehand influenced my meal choice, but their
vegetarian dishes sounded fantastic and I didn’t miss an ounce of meat!
Replacing ham, the sautéed kale and mushrooms eggs benedict
($23) incorporated plump mushrooms that provided a meaty bite. As the poached
egg oozed over everything, the molten yolk was captured into the not overly
done kale’s crevices, making for a cleaner dish. A layer of sweet caramelized onions sat on top
of the doughy soft buttermilk biscuit; it was a bit sugary for my taste, but
thankfully the buttery hollandaise helped to add back a savoury element.
Although the frittata ($19) is listed under the “cold
kitchen” section of the menu, it still arrives warm. The cubes of roasted
butternut squash at the bottom makes the egg dish heartier and I rather enjoyed
the grilled red onion and wilted spinach that adds a bite and colourful
contrast to the frittata. Just make sure to smear on some of the creamy goat
cheese (?) purée from the plate, the tangy saltiness makes for a great
addition.
A perfect “dessert” for sharing is their fluffy pancakes
($20 for three). It starts with the requisite eggy and buttery batter and is
topped with ricotta, granola and stewed apples. Personally, I found the crunchy
granola clusters detracted from the pillowy soft pancakes, but it did pair
nicely with the large soft cinnamon apple chunks. The toppings aren’t overly
sweet, so you’ll want to pay the extra $4 for warmed maple syrup – pancakes aren’t the same without this wonderful nectar.
If you’re like me and tend to opt for meaty options during
brunch, I encourage you to head to Café Belong and give our plant-based friends
a try. After all, maybe Meatless Mondays could easily become Botanical Brunch
Saturdays?
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 550 Bayview Avenue (at the Evergreen Brickworks)
Address: 550 Bayview Avenue (at the Evergreen Brickworks)
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Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
Is That It? I Want More!
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