Brunching at Harbord House

I literally passed by Harbord House every week this summer while walking home from the grocery store and never stopped in until this month. I'm so happy that I finally did! A friend and I were looking for somewhere cozy to chat over brunch between church services and since Harbord House was just down the street, we decided to give it a try. 

Image from Trip Advisor

From the outside, it looks like a cozy house, but it's actually fairly large inside because there are two floors. We dined on the lower floor and got one of the large booths near the windows. It was pretty quiet in there when we arrived, just before the brunch rush, so the atmosphere was perfect for conversation. 

I started my brunch with a black coffee (typical). What I loved about the coffee here is that it's fair trade. Also, the servers bring it out on a large plate with mini pitchers of milk and cream and a ton of sugar, so you have the whole works within arm's reach. While I only used one of the raw sugars, I appreciated having it all there just in case. 

For my meal, I went with my usual go-to brunch choice of smoked salmon Eggs Benedict. From the light side salad to the main course of the meal, everything about this dish was absolutely delicious!

First off, the poached eggs were cooked to a perfect consistency that wasn't too runny, but cooked just enough to cover the English muffin and salmon. Growing up, I thought runny eggs were absolutely disgusting, but over the past few years poached eggs have really grown on me.

Next, the hollandaise sauce. One word: yum! Like the eggs, it was just the right consistency and flavour. Sometimes I find that hollandaise sauce can be too thick, but that wasn't the case with this sauce. 

Even the salad that comes with the Eggs Benny was delicious. The organic greens were tossed with other veggies and a light vinaigrette. I'm not usually one to order a salad at a restaurant, but I would actually order this salad on its own for lunch! 

The portion was perfect for our early brunch. With the Eggs Benedict, salad and fruit pieces, I left totally satisfied.

I’ve also tried the Crab Benedict here — poached eggs on crab cakes with tarragon hollandaise — and it’s not one you want to miss out on.

If you're looking to try out a new brunch spot, I'd highly recommend Harbord House! I'm hoping to try out their dinner menu items such as the blackened salmon tacos or potato crusted salmon. Clearly salmon is one of my favourite foods.

What's your go-to brunch food? What brunch hot spot do you frequent in Toronto?