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| - Dear the Lakeview: you've been hyped up so much that my review can only be taken with a grain of salt, or maybe more than a grain - the amount served in your brunch dishes...
Tons of my friends are repeat lovers of Lakeview. They rant and rave about how great each visit is, to the point that I just had to organize a huge brunch outing with lots of people so to properly sample this magical diner. Unfortunately it was a bit of a let down, and that's me being a very kind reviewer.
Our group of 6 got seated relatively fast, considering the massive brunch line-up. We got one of the dimly lit booths in the back, but realistically it comfortably seats 4. One friend just had a knee surgery so we requested to switch spots and was repeatedly promised a relocation, but it never happened. The decor of the diner is great, but it's so chaotic on Sunday mornings that it detracts from the friendliness that a diner typically exudes.
Between all of us we ordered the poutine lakeview, clubhouse stack, cornflake chicken, standard burgers (x2), disco fries, fungi town and a side of crab cakes. I had heard that mushroom gravy was used in the poutine and I love vegetable gravy, but it ended up being oversalted and especially unappetizing with thin dried up peameal. The burgers were equally mundane and I was really disappointed with the crab cake, which also presented itself dried and shriveled. The chicken turned out juicy, but we were all chugging too much water (on account of the salt) by the end of our meal to notice. Is this why its revered as a brunch spot? Electrolytes galore for the hungover mob?
I plan to return again when it's less busy, maybe on a weekday, maybe in the evening. When there are places on the west side/Ossington like Mitzi's or Levack Block around, why the hype for the Lakeview?
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