Saturday, 4 March 2017

Baker’s Street Café – Ottawa, Ontario


What to do on a cool Saturday morning when you can’t sleep?  Call a friend and convince them to join you for breakfast.  Many of my friends enjoy good food, so it’s not hard to find a willing accomplice to join me for a bite.  My friend Paul is adventurous so we try to find places we’ve never been to.  He's a fellow foodie and always a willing companion. 
Baker’s Street Café had good reviews so we figured we’d check it out.  According to some write ups, best to get there early to avoid the line-ups.  We arrived around 9:00 am and it was already busy.  The place is small and quaint.  All the tables were taken and there were 6 people waiting ahead of us.  We were greeted and told it wouldn’t be too long, several tables were just finishing up.  After a bit the owner came out with a tray of freshly baked mini muffins.  A very nice touch.  It makes you feel acknowledged and thanked for your patience.  After he treated those of us waiting in line, he made his way around the restaurant handing out the little treats to children.  For me this really stood out.  This place is definitely family friendly.  As a parent what better way to distract a child than with a mini chocolate chip muffin?  Little things can make a huge impact.
All the plates we saw being served looked great and were piled high with food.  My friend especially loved the larger coffee mugs.  He's big guy towering above 6 feet with a healthy appetite.  Nothing he finds more annoying than getting a tiny dainty little cup that needs to be refilled constantly cause 2 sips and his cup is empty! 
Being a creature of habit has its perks, but in this case it failed me.  I couldn’t decide what to order.  It was a toss-up between the Eggs Benedict with peameal bacon or the Greek omelette.  The Unique Breakfast also sounded really good.  I went with the Eggs Benedict one of my favourites.  Unfortunately, I was disappointed.  The English muffins were soft and the hollandaise sauce made them soggy.  The hollandaise sauce could have used a bit more seasoning.  The portion itself was generous and the eggs were well cooked, but I prefer a crunchier base that stays that way until the last bite.  I should’ve been more adventurous!
Another plus to this restaurant is that they make their own white and whole wheat bread.  You can purchase loaves to take home.  I stole my date’s toast as I enjoyed them more than my English muffins.
He had the Campfire eggs.  This dish had pan fried eggs on a bed of sautéed peppers, onions and tomatoes with home fries, baked beans, fresh fruit, toast and choice of meat.  Bacon was his meat of choice.  The plate was quite big, but he wasn’t complaining nor did it take him long to inhale it!  He liked the variety of ingredients and the different textures.  Their home fries are very different.  They have onions and peppers added and are well seasoned.  A tad greasy for me, but they were very good. 
The staff was friendly and given how busy it was, our food didn’t take long once we were seated.  Our coffee cups were never empty and as soon as we were done, the dishes were wisked away. 
I’d say the overall cost was mid-high range for breakfast at $45.00 for two.   Keep in mind the much larger portions, this is not your run of the mill breakfast special and with so much food you won’t need to worry about lunch.  I’d definitely go back and try something different.  My date really enjoyed his meal and would order it again in a heartbeat. 
If you’re out and about in Westboro, check it out!
Carm the Foodie

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