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| - Rolling out of bed at 9:30 this morning, I realized we might actually be on time for the "brunch window," that illusory ten-minute period between when brunchers with children leave and brunchers with hangovers show up, when line-ups disappear and breakfast eats are truly available on-demand. Alas I was mistaken, and we waited the prescribed 30-plus minutes for a table. Brunch al fresco is not an easy thing to find in this city.
(Pro Tip: Get coffee before going for brunch. I pre-caffeinated at a nearby coffee shop, which made the wait bearable.)
I don't mind waiting outside for a seat, as long as I don't wait an unreasonably long time for food once I'm seated, and as long as the food lives up to expectations. Aunties and Uncles failed on both accounts today. The menu is still great, but the delivery fell short.
I love fresh grapefruit juice with brunch and was lucky enough to get the last glass before they ran out - at 11:30. My companion opted for coffee, which is quite good here if you're not too hip for drip.
We ordered.
And waited.
We had been seated for close to an hour before our food arrived. This was a significantly longer wait than the neighbouring party, who appear to have received "rush order" status after heading in from the patio to enquire about the timing of their meal. Great for them, although I suspect it held up our order even longer.
The food itself drew mixed reviews; my companion's take was more generous than my own. I had the western omelette of the day (ham, caramelized onions, havarti) and I chose a complementary side of potato salad as well as an extra side of peameal bacon for a double-shot of the Other White Meat. My companion went for scrambled eggs with a choice of three sides (greens, cottage cheese and bacon were hers), later declaring her appreciation of such a flexible menu offering.
I was less than thrilled with my omelette. The egg was thick and heavy with no integration of the ingredients. The resultant presentation resembled something of a bulgy, overstuffed burrito. It tasted fine, but it's hard to make eggs, ham, cheese and onion taste bad no matter what you do to them. The potato salad side is a great offering for brunch, although I remember being much more excited about it on previous visits - this time around it was just fine. The peameal was fine too, although I would have expected a bit more of a serving than the two dainty slices I enjoyed.
My companion was happy with her meal. The scrambled eggs were chunky, just the way she likes them, the greens were substantial with a memorable dressing and the cottage cheese was as-ordered. She enjoyed the bacon, too, although she surrendered the undercooked, chewy bits to me.
All said, this was a disappointing experience. Aunties and Uncles has a simple, limited menu (there are no fried or poached eggs on the regular menu, for example) for which a lot can be prepped in advance. They should be able to deliver a high-quality product on a reasonable timeline. This didn't happen for us.
Both NOW and BlogTO readers have recently chosen Aunties and Uncles as the best brunch in Toronto. I'm not sure what to make of it. Did they just have an off day? Are they coasting on their reputation? Or have the brunchers of Toronto just lowered their standards?
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