Ok... so, when I heard that the B Side in Bearspaw had an amazing brunch, I was a bit leery. A lot has been said about brunches in and around Calgary, and nothing to date has come close to touching Banff Springs. I'm also no rookie to the brunch scene by any means. Now that I've gone and seen the light, I can assure you, the champion has now been dethroned. I would pick this place to go to any time, any day, if the food is this good. You'll also have to excuse me if this post gets a bit incoherent, I'm in great-food-overload-shock right now. Our family, as is our wont, trekked to the Bear's Den this Sunday to get our fill of brunchy goodness. While not expecting too much, the Calgary Sun review suggested that we'd be in for a treat. They'd mentioned something about a Canadian version of dim sum, where servers would come by with trays of goodies, along with the standard buffet assortment along the way.
It was quite a sunny day, so walking into the Den itself was a bit of a surprise. It was exremely dark, but with a very high-class feel to the entrance. There is some amazing stone artwork all over the walls, and I wasn't at first sure if I shouldn't be dressed in a suit and tie to be there. There was a sign regarding a dress code, but apparently the BSide Bistro is a lot more casual, and once we were shown our table, it was decidedly lighter in the dining area than in the entrance.
I can't really say enough about the food at the tables, except to say everything was excellently prepared, and amazingly fresh. A lot of times, the fruit is completely picked over, the seafood is ransacked, and it is rarely refilled, but I kept noticing people coming along to replace half empty trays with full ones. I might have to let the pictures talk on this part - other than to say, the fish and the beef stew was superb.
What really set this apart though, was the plates and bowls of food that servers would come by with, including cinnamon buns, a halibut slider, garlic shrimp with salsa, grilled pineapple with caramel and toasted coconut, mini yorkshire puddings stuffed with roast beef, meatballs skewered with mushrooms, savoury cannoli, fish and chips, a breakfast pizza, and a perfectly cooked eggs benedict.
Again, I don't know if I have the words to describe what I just experienced, because every single bite I had, had me going 'Mmmmm, so good!' If you are looking for a good Sunday brunch, I recommend here. My brother says 'If I lived any closer, I'd be here every single day'. It's THAT good.
The only (incredibly minor) things we noted were that the beef sausages were slightly harder than I'd have liked, and that my family thought a couple things were too salty. I could also say that the desserts weren't amazing, but just plain good.
Our family used to do yearly pilgrimages to Banff to worship at the altar that is the Banff Springs Hotel Brunch, but I see a new destination in mind, considering the price, the quality and freshness of the food, and the much shorter drive. The King is dead... Long live the King!
Taste: 9.75 - a couple things were a bit salty, but overall, wow. I loved the beef ragout, and the fish in cream sauce! The eggs benedict were cooked perfectly, and the shrimp were big!
Presentation: 9.0 - Well done for a buffet. All of the servers' plates as they walked by were well presented too.
Ambiance: 9.5 - slightly dark, but comfortable, and not stuffy.
Service: 10.0 -friendly, fast, funny wait staff. Hard to say no to all this extra food coming around!
Prices: $20 per person, not including coffee/tea.
No comments:
Post a Comment