Best Place for Brunch in Toronto? Table 17...at least I think so!

What can be said about brunch that hasn’t been said before? Lots actually… When you dine at a breakfast joint such as Cora’s, Eggspectations, Sunset Grill - you usually get what you pay for – which is a meal consisting of the usual suspects that you whip up in your own home. There is nothing wrong with that, but you can and often do get the sarcastic waiter/waitress, the generic coffee and creamers, the screaming kids and mass produced food. Not sure about you, but that doesn’t always hit the spot for me – especially because I  love breakfast food and always searching for the latest and greatest in Toronto. Could I have found it at Table 17? The answer is a resounding yes!

 

I consider myself an expert on breakfast food. When I was an apprentice at the Waterside Inn Hotel, I was put in charge of the breakfast service for six months to pay my dues. I can honestly say breakfast done well is not as easy as scrambling some eggs and flipping flapjacks. People expect homey comfort food that is both fresh and delicious – what a great way to start the day. At the hotel, breakfast was paramount, it had to be fresh, hot and dare I say it…prepared with a bit of flare. It needed to be something easily recognized as breakfast but taken to another level. This relies heavily on one of the key principles of cookery - Respect. Specifically, respect for the ingredients - treating and cooking them to perfection simply and consistently.
At Table 17, the brunch menu is simple - there is something for everyone. The chef definitely knows how to use the ingredients and balance flavours. When you combine that with great friendly service, a beautiful dining room, you have something special - you have Table 17.

Since my trip to Lake Louise for a wedding photo shoot, I have been on the look out for a Caesar that was as good as the one they served there. It's been a long time coming, but I think I might have found it here. Nothing gimmicky or cliché - just a darn good spicy Caesar. One of the best that I have had in a LONG TIME!

Just a nice detail shot of some of the nice touches that abound in the decor at Table 17, nice light fixtures, art work and photography line the walls. There is definitely a nice cozy feeling to the restaurant.

Alsatian onion tart with caramelized onions, double smoked bacon lardons, blue cheese and poached pears on puff pastry served with a mixed baby green salad. It was perfectly cooked, warm and tasty with the zing of blue cheese. The bacon made for the perfect complement of salty and smoky flavour and the pears round out the entire dish by providing the perfect amount of sweetness. The salad was dressed well and added an acidic quality to cleanse the palate. Overall, this was a success and I loved it.

Farmer's breakfast with scotch eggs, assorted country cheese, pâté, branson pickle, toast and mixed baby green salad. For those that may not know what a scotch egg is, it’s a shelled medium to hard boiled egg wrapped in a sausage meat mixture, breaded and deep fried. I do not normally order these as the breading and the sausage mixture get in the way of a good egg, but these were supremely tasty. I loved every bite. The breading was crisp, the eggs perfectly cooked and the sausage mixture was just enough to give flavour and was not over bearing at all. The pâté was unfortunately a bit lacking but it was yummy when combined with the mini toasts and branson pickle. Maybe some Dijon mustard would be nice next time? The cheese assortment was very nice it included some old white cheddar and a brie cheese to complete the hybrid Scottish/English ploughman’s lunch. It was very yummy and I loved this as well!

Here's a picture of the overall spread! In addition to ordering two main dishes, we took this opportunity to sample a wide range of their sides. We ordered potato rösti, double smoked bacon, and two varieties of sausage. One was a more traditional English sausage the other was more like a chorizo sausage with a bit of kick. We couldn’t decide which one we liked best as they were equally delicious. I cannot wait until our next visit!

Yet another photo of the spread of food from Table 17 - it was a bit of a feast for us. Every bite was just as fantastic as the first.
When we were done our meal, something at another table caught our attention – dessert! Although they don’t normally offer a dessert menu during brunch service, we lucked out. Another table had specially ordered sticky toffee pudding and thankfully, the kitchen was able to accommodate our request to have one as well! Thanks goes to the kitchen and the waitstaff for giving us the opportunity to try the mouth watering pudding! 

The sticky toffee pudding was served warm, gooey and surprisingly not as sweet as you would think. It was absolutely perfect. I am not sure what the sauce was that accompanied the caramel/toffee but, it was delish. I am thinking that it was a pear/apple preserve on the side. I'll just have to go back for another one and find out. 

Table 17

782 Queen St. East
Toronto, Ontario
M4M 1H4
416.519.1851 

info@table17.ca

Hours of Operation:
Brunch Saturday - Sunday 10:30 - 2:30
Dinner Monday - Sunday from 5:30pm