EASY RESTAURANT (1645 Queen St. West / 713 College St. West)
After my disappointing experience at Aunties and Uncles, I was hoping that this week’s brunch adventure would boost my confidence in the Toronto brunch scene. I chose Easy Restaurant, as it is another spot with a great reputation and has a location on College Street, a stone’s throw from my apartment. Unfortunately, this may have been my first mistake, as I have since heard that the original location on Queen West is much better than the new one. Nonetheless, I found that, generally, Easy Restaurant had the opposite problem of Aunties and Uncles: the service was good, but the food was lacking.
Brunch Hours
Easy Restaurant is open 9:00-5:00 seven days a week, with a single menu that serves both breakfast and lunch.
Wait Time/Service
Despite its reputation, when my brunch companion (BC) and I arrived at Easy there were only two tables filled in the entire restaurant. Perhaps this should have tipped us off about the food, but we chose to attribute it to the time of day that we arrived at the restaurant (a Wednesday afternoon), especially considering the disclaimer on the menu regarding wait times on weekends. While this could be solely because the restaurant was dead, our server was very friendly and attentive, and our food came within a reasonable time frame.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere at Easy is relatively laid back: the restaurant’s walls are covered in posters from old movies, including Easy Rider (which I have to assume has something to do with the name of the restaurant – can anyone confirm/refute this?) While we were eating, Cheech and Chong’s Up in Smoke was playing silently on a big screen, while classic Motown and rock music from the 1960s poured out of the speakers. Though I was into this scene, my BC felt that the atmosphere was forced and noted that it was strange that the posters weren’t the actual posters from the movies, just stills with the movie’s title.
Considering there was no one in the restaurant, it is hard to say whether it provides an atmosphere for a private conversation or a loud gathering with friends. However, I will say that it is suitable for all ages, so you can bring your parents or your children (there’s even a kid’s menu) and all will be happy.
Coffee
Of the places that I have tried so far, the coffee at Easy is easily the best, though still nothing to write home about. What is important is that you will get your caffeine fix because you can get a bottomless cup for $3.
LLBO licensed
Though Easy is LLBO licensed, a classic brunch cocktail (such as a mimosa, a Caesar, or a screwdriver) is very pricy at $10 a pop. Beer and wine are slightly cheaper. Either way, I would not recommend Easy if you are a day drinker.
The Food
Honestly, everything on the menu sounded pretty delicious, so my BC and I asked our server for recommendations. She told us her favourite breakfast choice (the breakfast quesadilla) and her favourite lunch choice (a grass-fed burger). Though I heavily debated whether having a burger violated the “brunch” theme of this column, my BC assured me that every good brunch place has a burger on the menu, so I chose the latter while my BC went with the former.
Conceptually, the food should have been delicious, but in reality both of our meals were bland. My burger patty was about half the size of the bun and, despite the fact that it was topped with bacon, Swiss cheese, hot peppers, and red onions, the sandwich as a whole tasted like charcoal. It was served with fries that, while decent, came cold. The breakfast quesadilla came with a choice of chicken or chorizo; my BC went with the latter, but was disappointed to find that the salsa was cooked into the quesadilla rather than being a dipping sauce on the side, making it soggy rather than crisp. Sadly, his home fries were also raw.
Cost: Easy restaurant is on the pricier side, with an average meal costing between $12 and $16. For me, the burger ($14.50) and a coffee ($2.95) came to $19.34 plus tip.
| SERVICE | 3/5 Dean Sossins |
| ATMOSPHERE | 3.5/5 Dean Sossins |
| FOOD | 1/5 Dean Sossins |
| OVERALL | 2/5 Dean Sossins |