Starting this Saturday, August 3rd, Earls on 150 King St. W. (Twitter: @earlskingst, Facebook: Earls King Street) will be offering a brand new weekend brunch service (other Earls locations to start brunch service on Saturday, September 14th). Opening a half hour earlier than weekdays, Earls will serve brunch Saturday, Sunday and holiday Mondays from 11 am until 3 pm alongside their regular menu. Thanks to Jacque from Earls, I was invited to preview their new brunch menu yesterday.
Beautiful day. Perfect weather for a patio brunch.
Earls’ new fresh sourdough bread is really the star of their brunch. Rising slowly and naturally from an in-house grown sourdough starter, the dense, chewy new bread make its début on the brunch menu. Each of Earls restaurants has a starter of their own that they need to nurture and feed twice a day.
Complimentary house made brioche cinnamon buns brushed with cream cheese icing for each table.
A few cocktails to start:
Mimosa (left) - Fresh squeezed orange juice, sparking wine
Sangria (right) - White peach
Sangria (left) - Red with berries
Signature Caesar (right) - Smirnoff vodka, clamato, signature spices
Earls King Street’s head chef Richard Baksh telling us about their signature sourdough as well as the care and attention it needs to perfect it.
Sourdough French Toast ($12)
Chantilly cream, berry puree, pure maple
Eggs Benny ($13)
Virginia ham, hollandaise, grilled sourdough
Frittata ($12)
Field mushrooms, grape tomatoes, goat cheese
Croque Madame ($13)
Virginia ham, swiss, roasted serrano cream, house sourdough
Chorizo + Mushroom Hash ($14)
Poached eggs, crispy fried potatoes, avocado, field mushrooms, hollandaise
Granola + Yogurt Parfait ($9)
House made, flax, rolled oats, dried cranberries, sultanas, toasted almonds + pecans, fresh berries
I really enjoyed my brunch at Earls - especially the sourdough, it was amazing. Sliced thick, Earls' signature sourdough has a texture that's elastic with an ever-so-slightly-rubbery-but-in-a-really-good-way crumb. It was awesome in the French toast; the sourdough's large air holes acted like sponges soaking up all that egg batter, Chantilly cream, berry puree and pure maple syrup. So very tasty. Perfectly grilled with Virginia ham, the sourdough's crisp, crunchy, robust crust really shines through in both the Croque Madam and Eggs Benny.
Another favourite of mine was the breakfast hash with chunks of avocado, chorizo, field mushrooms and crispy fried potatoes topped with poached eggs. It's honestly not a dish I would normally order but man, I'm so glad I tried it yesterday. It was pure comfort....the perfect hangover food. For the wholesome and health conscious, Earls' house-made granola combines flax, rolled oats, dried cranberries, sultanas, toasted almonds and pecans with yoghurt and fresh berries. Lovely and light. My least favourite dish was the frittata. Even though I'm a sucker for anything that's served in a skillet, I like my eggs runny (i.e. I prefer my eggs sunny side up / poached / over easy than hard boiled / scrambled / over hard).
A few things I want to mention regarding the brunch before I go:
1) Great price points with really generous portions;
2) No bacon found anywhere on the brunch menu (it's refreshing!);
3) Best crispy fried potatoes I've ever had; and
4) Those were some perfectly poached eggs.
The public is invited to join Earls in Toronto on Sunday, August 4th for the kick-off to Sunday brunch. Guests will enjoy a bit of extra brunch loving with samplings, a DJ-created Sunday brunch music mash up and a patio side Mimosa Bar 11 am – 3 pm, Sunday, August 4th.
*This meal was complimentary. The opinions and views expressed on this post are my own*
