I freakin' love Portland Variety. Great food, gorgeous decor and sweet staff.
First off, the decor is one of the prettiest in Toronto (in my opinion). Think marble counters, a mix of wood & marble top tables, a skylight, and whimsical chalkboard drawings. It's airy looking but still cozy feeling.
At the front of house, they have a great variety of tasty takeaway baked goods (cookies, croissants, etc) and readymade food (yogurt, sandwiches, salads, etc) & coffee drinks. Their espresso is one of my favourites in the city - I usually order a latte. Also, points for having decaf! If you get one thing from Portland Variety, make it a chocolate chip cookie. You will have dreams about it later on and may struggle to contain your foodgasm in public (I speak from experience).
As far as breakfast goes, I've had the bacon egg cheddar croissant and the breakfast burrito with egg, monterey jack, homemade chorizo & salsa. Both were fantastic. The bacon egg cheddar croissant is buttery, flaky, fluffy.. basically everything I've dreamed of a croissant sandwich being. If you're looking for something with a little kick, I recommend going for the breakfast burrito.
Brunch service doesn't start until 11 am, but you can order from the cafe at the front and eat in the back before then.
I'll definitely be popping by Portland Variety for brunch and dinner & cocktails in the very near future.