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| - After enjoying both weekend brunch with my family, and several late-night drinks at Janie Jones, I firmly approve of the food, the drink, and the atmosphere.
As a Brit, I'm always a bit wary of "British-style" stuff in North America, but the kitchen at Janie Jones is legit. While I've not yet tried the "Full English pizza", I will, because the roast pork sandwich I had on a recent visit was good enough to instantly convince me. It was so juicy that it has genuinely made my mouth water just thinking about it more than once in the fortnight since I ate it.
At brunch, my toddler was made to feel welcome throughout. We asked about the Weekly Waffle feature. "It's actually french toast stuffed with dates this week". OK! My wife ordered this, and I surprised myself by how much I swiped from her plate. Luckily, the portion size was such that she didn't mind too much. My Glaswegian breakfast was satisfying. Since my last visit, I've learned from BlogTO that Chef Dave has worked in several successful Toronto kitchens, and it shows.
Drinks are worth the money; no half measures here, and while the selection on tap isn't vast, it's varied enough that there's some genuine choice. I've had a few of the cocktails, and I'll have more next time I'm back. Sara, who co-owns the place, told me she makes her own syrups. I'd asked because one drink had a slightly overpowering lavender simple syrup component. In fairness, this was nothing which couldn't be fixed by requesting another shot of gin. Sara assured me that she was zeroing in on the perfect amount of lavender, and I believe her: every other drink I've had here did exactly what I needed it to.
The people in charge pretty clearly have a deep-seated passion for the mod scene, and despite my lack of prior engagement with most of the music and culture which goes along with that, the place never felt anything other than friendly and accessible in the several hours I've spent there. On my second visit, I was greeted by name, despite being - as far as I can tell - an unremarkable customer.
Between the welcoming atmosphere, the delicious and reasonably-priced food, and the decent drinking, this is an easy five stars. A great addition to this stretch of Gerrard.
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