The Wellington Diner

This past weekend I celebrated a very good friend's birthday! After a night of fun and before a day of skating on the canal there's nothing like that "pick me up" breakfast that gets everyone together again to reminisce on the night's events and to share in the all over aching pain of  the hangover. We all have those satisfying breakfast spots that serve us quick, easy to digest and consistent morning and lunch favourites...for me one of these places is The Wellington Diner.

Classic Eggs Benedict

Located at 1385 Wellington Street this modern take on the diner serves up classic stereotypical dishes that will fill you with that breakfast, lunch or dinner item you crave. They have an all-day breakfast menu and at least 2 specials on the weekend offering up  things like fruit and cream stuffed French toast and Smoked meat Hash. 

Boasting 2 floors of seating, a flat screen t.v. with daily sports and news and a bright, mostly natural light atmosphere The Wellington Diner is your standard diner experience. The service is good and the restaurant is clean and comfortable with some large leather banquet booths that can seat up to 8 people.

We were 7 hungry people; ordering everything from Classic Eggs Benedict, to Breakfast Clubs, to Fresh Fruit with Granola and a "Mish Mash" (like an omelette with a variety of meats, peppers and cheese). Everything was really good. Coffee and tea were re-filled regularly and the $0.99 cappuccino was a steal!

Mish Mash

They also offer a weekday breakfast special that I have had many times: $5.00 between 7-11am gets you 2 eggs, choice of meat, toast, home fries and I think a coffee/tea. Great deal!

Overall The Wellington Diner is a friendly, around th corner spot that is great for large and small groups. The prices are right, the food is good and the experience is one that will bring me back again and again.

The Wellington Diner
1385 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario
(613) 798-7800

Baker Street Cafe

Not to be confused with Sherlock Holmes' famous fictional home, Baker Street Cafe, at 385 Richmond Road, is one of the city's best breakfast spots! Hidden inside it's brightly coloured red door lies a variety of dishes that range from "Eggs Bruschetta" to "Classic Eggs Benedict". This place adds a unique little twist to it's food, offering a bit of everything to please everyone.

BSC is definitely not your everyday breakfast greasy spoon spot. The sounds of bands like The Beatles or The Rolling Stones play in the background as you are seated at a booth, regular table, high bistro style table or at the leather couches, giving BSC a laid back pub-like feel.  In the spring and summer a vase holding a brightly coloured flower is added to each table giving the black and white checkered table clothes and wood accents and furniture a little something something. The service is very good, the newspaper is always available and the smell of freshly baked goods is always in the air (top 5 best smells)!!

Their homemade cinnamon buns are amazing! I usually get one to go for later that day (4:00 pm) when I'm finally hungry again! BSC make their own breads, muffins and pies as well, which is a hard thing to find in a breakfast spot in this area.


And if you are a coffee drinker then listen up...I have two words for you...COFFEE CARAFE. Yes, that's right...at Baker Street you get your very own carafe filled with good coffee at your table. No waiting for someone to fill up your cup!

Standard Breakfast with choice of egg, meat and toast.

BSC leaves you NOT wanting more. They fill their plates to the rim, so much so that they serve their toast in a separate basket. Freshly cut fruit accompanies almost every order and their potatoes are yummy; fried with peppers and onions with the skins on.




Their specials are also quite good: Baby back ribs (yes, that's right, for breakfast) and crepes served with in season blueberries and freshly whipped cream!

As for the wait...during the week I have never waited for a seat, but the weekends are a different story. I've waited 20-30 minutes on a Saturday morning for a table that seats two. However, they usually offer you a coffee/tea while you wait...something that I think makes the pain of seeing other's food waltz by your salivating mouth a little easier! The only other downfall about Baker Street is the price. Breakfast for two can cost around $35, a bit more than your average breakfast place.

Open 7:00 am-2:00 pm weekdays and 7:30 am-3:00pm on weekends Baker Street Cafe is a splurge that is worth every penny. Simply wonderful!

 Baker Street Cafe
385 Richmond Road
Ottawa, Ontario
(613) 761-7171

Fil's Diner

Today I visited Fil's Diner, located in Hintonburg at 1209 Wellington Street. Fil's is a 60's style diner that serves up diner classics and a decent selection of breakfast items. The neat part about Fil's is that it is attached to the 30 + year old West Park Bowling Centre. So before you eat you could always head back to the alley to play a game or two or better yet...make a bet to see who pays for breakfast!

Diners are so important to any foodie's reportoire. Your favourite "greasy spoon" is essesntial for getting a fix: french fries, burgers and poutine...especially breakfasts complete with fried eggs, crispy bacon, buttered toast and chocolate milk. This morning we had the "Wake up call" and the "Breakfast club".

One thing you should know about Fil's...they make a good homefry. They mix onions and sometimes green peppers in them along with a little spice. They also substitute homefries and french fries for poutine and onion rings...yessss...a cure at 

last. 

Fil's gives you that recognizable diner lingo and nostalgic appeal. The food is good, the service is friendly and the prices are, for the most, part reasonable. If you can deal with the occasional line up for a table and the cheering coming from the bowling centre then you should definitely give Fil's a try. 

"Breakfast served till 3pm...because we want you to sleep in."

Fil's Diner

1209 Wellington Street 

Ottawa, Ontario

(613) 728-9987

Breakfast dessert

I decided that to drive 20 minutes through a snow storm to pick up dessert...after breakfast that is! I have been wanting to try the cupcakes from the new Flour Shoppe at 617 Bank Street. Was my trip worth it?...YES! If you've never been to New York City to see a "cupcakery" to have an oh my gosh feeling inside that screams "I MUST INDULGE IN ONE OF THOSE CUPCAKES" then you must visit this place.

Not your ordinary cupcakes!

The Flour Shoppe brought back that childhood memory of watching my mom beautifully decorate cupcakes for my birthday. The sponge like cake inside of each paper wrapper topped with frosting of any flavour or colour made each birthday special. That is exactly the same feeling I had when I walked out of this place with a box filled with 6 of my very own special cupcakes!

Cupcakes here are not like the store bought boxed Betty Crocker kind. The Flour Shoppe's cupcakes are much more flavourful and dense cakes that come topped with a variety of icings. Their flavours change daily and are listed on their website. I visited on a Saturday. You can sit in or take out your cupcakes and 6 cost about $14. I chose...Chocolate Peanut Butter, Chocolate Peanut Butter (ha ha I needed 2), Chipotle, Earl Grey (my favourite), Strawberry (another favourite) and Coconut.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake

I love anything with Chocolate and Peanut Butter so for me this cupcake was in the top 3. It was a chocolate cupcake with peanut butter icing topped with a chocolate covered peanut!

Early Grey Cupcake

The Earl Grey cupcake was also amazing! The frosting was a light lemon flavour and the cupcake itself had a faint early grey smell and taste to it. 

It was very good!

Who knew something so simple as a cupcake could turn someone's passion into a quant little shoppe in the popular Glebe area of Ottawa.  My cupcake choices were based on both recommendations and my love for PB and chocolate, but I encourage you to try something you never would normally go for in a cupcake flavour. Although I am a pretty avid baker I still enjoyed this experience and pose the question "let's do cupcakes...tomorrow?"

John's

The latest place I checked out was a local breakfast spot called John's. It's familiar comfort breakfast foods, quick service and regularly filled cups of coffee make this breakfast rendezvous a great place to meet friends for a much needed catch up!

So much for so little.

On the boarder of Westboro, John's offers simple breakfast dishes that could satisfy even the pickiest eaters. I went back to the basics...breakfast special: 2 eggs , bacon, toast, homefries and beans...and it was sooo satisfying. The hashbrowns were lightly seasoned but crispy and golden and the toast was Texas Sliced. But the "piece de resistance" was the baked beans...weird right? How many times do you crave baked beans in a week...ummm zero! But this part of the breakfast adds that sweet factor for me, much like jam or PB does for those of you who don't use your toast to soak up your yolks. And the even sweeter thing is that, with a tea, it cost under $7.00! Yummm!

John's is a quiet breakfast and lunch spot, accepting cash only and open early and closed before dinner time. The service and food were great and I would definitely return.

John's
1365 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON
(613) 761-1010

How do you like your eggs...over easy, scrambled, or benedict style?

One of my favourite breakfast treats is eggs benedict. Rich in taste (and calories) eggs benedict satisfies a creamy, saucy and savoury eater. I often make eggs benedict, and different variations, at home on the weekend. 


Making EB can be a little complicated for the beginner chef. There are many components, each needing it's own attention to detail. Like many meals EB requires the daunting task of timed preparation...over or under cooked eggs, separated hollandaise sauce or burnt english muffins can quickly and easily turn this delicious treat into a mediocre morning mess.

Plus you can bake flans, frittatas and mini cakes and can mold food in them too!

I recently discovered a new tool to make things easier...Poach Pods. These little gadgets are simple to use and easy to clean after use. Ranging from $10.00-$15.00 they make dropping an egg in vinegar infused boiling water and bulky poaching pans a thing of the past.

This morning's benedict was slightly off the beaten path...try it...the grilled tomatos add a great juicy texture.

...with a side of home-fried mini potatoes.

Toasted whole wheat English muffins, bacon, grilled tomato, soft poached eggs and hollandaise. 


Yum!

Welcome to Let's do Breakfast!

"Breakfast hits the spot!" I love breakfast! It's the most versatile, and important, meal of the day and it's just freakin' delicious. Whether you enjoy it at a restaurant or in the comfort of your own home (or even better in bed) breakfast is a timeless and satisfying meal. 


This morning meal feeds every palate, texture and taste. Maybe you are a sweet, crisp crunchy handful of fresh berries piled top of buttery pancakes with real Canadian Maple Syrup kinda girl or a classic 2 eggs, over easy, smoked bacon, ketchup covered savory home fries breakfast guy...but no matter which way you take it, breakfast is truly that special meal that satisfies hunger, cures hangovers, fills your craving for home baked treats, and just makes you feel good!


My goal for this blog is to share, with others, my experiences, knowledge and unique breakfast discoveries and to inspire you to "do breakfast" at some of the amazing spots that Ottawa, and other areas, have to offer. 

"Cup on the saucer, coffee in the cup; Mama's fixing breakfast, everybody's up.

Eggs on toast, toast on the plate; Breakfast is ready, don't be late.

Cup on the saucer, coffee in the cup;Papa's having breakfast, come on get up!"

With that being said here is my first post...enjoy!