b Espresso
111 Queen Street East #102
Phone: (416) 866-2111
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The last time I reviewed b Espresso, I had lots of good things to say about their service and drinks. Nothing in that department has changed, thankfully, but they are now open Saturdays with a full brunch menu and it's so good it just begs to be Re-Reviewed.
The highlight of the meal was the above-pictured french toast with berries and syrup. Thick flavourful italian eggbread, stuffed with mascarpone cheese and covered in berries and served with syrup on the side (which conveniently also helps hold up the large slice of bread in this gorgeous presentation).
Across the table, poached eggs with asparagus, goat cheese, toast and a delicate leek(?) pattie.
Most dishes hovered above or below the $10 mark
Other dishes included egg classics like eggs benedetto (benedict, of course), frittata and various polenta spreads. See the full brunch menu here.
And naturally, we weren't about to leave without the beloved b Espresso cappucino and a few house biscotti on the side.
All in all, yes, Toronto has yet another amazing brunch destination... and I'll definitely be back here soon.
Update: Please note that this cafe no longer serves Illy coffee
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b Espresso Bar - 111 Queen Street East (just East of Jarvis) - (416) 866-2111
Comments (9)
You reviewed the same restaurant twice in past 4 months ? Thats a little odd.
I dont mean to be critical, but there's a whole city full of restaurants out there.
I don't mind a double review. It's hard to use someone's single visit to a restaurant to judge whether or not to go. Consistency of service and quality is important. Also it's nice to hear about different selections on the menu. You should do a second look at more places you've reviewed, IMO (and that I would love to help with!)
Why must you always make me so hungry, Tanja? I just need some of that French Toast right now.
Adam - when a restaurant completely changes their menu or adds something new, I like to do a re-review. When I wrote about it in the past, they only did basic cafe stuff and weren't open on weekends... but why am I writing this, I already explained in the post.
We have enough space for all the posts... unless you have a quota for pictures of great food you can handle in a day.
I checked out b espresso today. I was seriously underwhelmed by the Illy, although it was made properly. The place is also very physically uncomfortable. Even more or less empty, I was not comfortable. Yes, I had a backpack. I don't see how you could possibly get comfortable, or move around, in this place when it's busy. Long benches don't work for me. Give me individual chairs that I can move around and make my own little space with. Even the fixed chairs at the communal table in Dark Horse on Queen are more attractive than this setup.
The 4 or 5 (?) folks behind the counter seemed very busy (in this moderately busy cafe) and they managed to make me feel uncomfortable, like I was interrupting them. There was no rudeness, but no friendliness either. This place isn't somewhere I'd go to relax or for a good espresso. I didn't try the food so I'm not commenting on that. And if there are other sections to the cafe, I'm only familiar with the one section where I got my coffee.
My friend's hot chocolate could have been best described as "soupy", and my espresso was lukewarm and contained grounds. We were deceived by the chic decor, but won't be coming back.
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