Attractively Plated Brunch at Canteen

Sunday brunch has to be one of my all-time favorite meals. We often find ourselves heading out for a delicious brunch with good friends on Sundays around noon - what a perfect way to enjoy a leisurely meal with friends and without the exhaustion that we all seem to experience during the week. Believe it or not, sometimes being a lawyer wears you right out.

Why do I profess to love brunch so much? Two reasons: eggs benedict and mimosas. Take a good piece of salted pork, perfectly poached eggs, and smother them in buttery hollandaise sauce. Seriously, what could be better? And any opportunity to drink champers for me is a win.

This past weekend found us at Canteen with some of the best company. This is certainly not your Denny's or Cora's style breakfast! Welcome to the world of espresso-based drinks, brown sugar bacon, braised short ribs, and sausage gravy. 

It was consistently busy during our hour and half long brunch. I was glad to have made a reservation in advance as there were a few people lingering at the door waiting for a table. The bar was also full, both with diners and those waiting to be seated. We were directed to wait at the bar when we arrived. I ordered a delicious latte and the boyfriend had an americano. It wasn't quite a Credo latte, but it was much better than a Starbucks latte. My only small quibble would be that they only had whole milk. No skim or even 2% milk. They also have a few good beers on tap at their very attractive bar!

The Marty

In less than 10 minutes our table was ready. Our server took our jackets as we were seated, which was a nice touch. She also brought them back when we were ready to leave. 


The boyfriend was super excited to try "the marty" (1/2 pint of beer and 3 slices of brown sugar bacon, $8). It came to the table exactly as described: half a pint of granville winter ale topped with 3 slices of sugary bacon. The bacon was fantastic. It's hard to describe the sticky, salty, sweet, carmely, fatty goodness of this bacon. I'm not so sure about the beer pairing, but I'm fairly certain the boyfriend could have ordered 4 more rounds of this.




Between the four of us, we were able to try most of the mains on the menu.

Apple Marscapone Stuffed French Toast

First up, the french toast (Apple Marscapone Stuffed French Toast With Spiced Walnuts, Apple Cider Syrup, Berries And Sugar Bacon, $16). The plating alone is worth noting; the marscapone was beautifully piped in two ribbons on either side of the toast. My friend said this was absolutely delicious.

Truffle Grilled Cheese

The grilled cheese (Truffle Grilled Cheese With Grilled Scallion And Mushroom, Eggs, Chicken Apple Sausage, Hash Browns, $17) also received rave reviews, particularly paired with the house-made ketchup, which had lovely hints of curry.


The boyfriend went with the short rib skillet (Short Rib With Roasted Potato, Applewood Cheddar, Arugula, Caramelized Onion, Eggs, Toast, $18), which was served in a lovely cast iron skillet. The short rib was so tender and flavourful. The bite I tried didn't have any cheddar, but the potatoes and the egg made for a delicious combination!

Short Rib with Roasted Potato

Finally, I couldn't resist ordering the biscuits and gravy (Poached Eggs On Cheddar Chive Biscuit With Sausage Gravy, Chicken Apple Sausage, Hash Browns, $17). My eggs were poached to absolute perfection, with the yolks oozing out but the whites were cooked through. I loved the biscuits and the gravy. However, I wasn't the biggest fan of the chicken apple sausage. To be honest, I didn't really think it added anything to the plate. The hash browns, on the other hand, were crispy, salty, and fluffy on the interior. Yum! And the boyfriend was happy to eat the sausage. 

Poached Eggs on Biscuits with Sausage Gravy

This is certainly a brunch spot that we will be returning to time and again. Service was attentive but not hurried and the food was downright delicious. 

Make sure you reserve a table in advance! Canteen does OpenTable reservations which, if you've never used OpenTable, is super convenient. 

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Canteen

10522 124 Street, Edmonton

(780) 485 6125

http://canteenyeg.ca