OEB

OEB
824 Edmonton Trail NE

So I'd been missing out on from what I'd been told, on a great little breakfast place just north of downtown on Edmonton Trail.   I'd tried going a couple times before, but both times they were closed, but this time I was fortunate.   The specialty I'd been told was poutine - not exactly any kind, but a breakfast one, that came in what appeared to be a takeout box.   I took a look at the menu online, and definitely said to myself, I had to try this place!

I managed to arrive one summer weekend morning, with not a horribly huge lineup - but we still waited nearly a half hour for a table.   It appeared my group and I were fortunate though, to arrive when we did, as the line quadrupled in size as we were seated.  I sometimes wonder on the popularity of such places, if it's just trendy to go to non-chain restaurants, for the sake of it, or if the food is just that much better.   In this case, I was hoping for the best, as the website's pictures looked incredible.

We perused the menu, and I ordered a fruit smoothie to start the day off, while looking over the different box'd options, including the Soul in a Bowl(Two poached eggs, herb potatoes, Quebec cheese curds, slow cooked bacon lardons & brown butter hollandaise), the Gold Digga (Poached eggs, herb potatoes, Quebec cheese curds, crisp pork belly, black truffles, brown butter Hollandaise), and the Hog & Scallops (Poached eggs, seared Digby scallops, bacon lardons, Quebec cheese curds, brown butter Hollandaise).  

Oddly enough, while my compatriots decided to get one of the varieties of boxed breakfasts, I went with the Canadian Lobster and Shrimp Scramble (Butter poached lobster & shrimps scramble, green onions, brown butter Hollandaise & French kelp caviar), but without the caviar, and we also agreed to split a dessert-y item, the Belgian waffle with fresh seasonal berries, English custard, bananas, whipped cream, toasted nuts & Quebec maple syrup.   Decadent, yes!

I was able to try a bit of my compatriots' meals, and I definitely have to come back for the Soul in a Bowl, or other variants.   I will say this - the wait staff were severely hard pressed to keep up with the demand of the crowd, and a larger restaurant would do wonders for the place - but at the same time, I'm sure the owners want to ensure it's just a straight up popular place without having to worry too much about higher rent, and the like.  

To be honest, I also wasn't that impressed with my 'scramble', as it seemed a bit plain, to be honest, odd for something so rich.   It needed something to cut the creaminess I think.   Not sure if the caviar would have done it, but a more acidic hollandaise might have.   The waffle on the other hand was ridiculously good.





Taste:   8.5 - Could improve on a few minor details but overall, I'm coming back.

Presentation:  9.0 - Definitely high marks for its presentation

Ambiance:   6.5 - Noisy, crowded, exactly what I dislike about super-trendy/popular places

Service:   6.5 - Again, hard pressed to deal with the huge numbers of people.   Took a while to get a bill.

Prices:   $10-15 per entree