Food Adventure #10: Brit
THE BRISTOL (1087 Queen St. West)
Kate: It feels like forever since I’ve had brunch on the Obiter! As our various commitments to our master’s theses and Mock Trial kept us from doing a Jurisfoodence review in the last issue, I felt that it was necessary to go somewhere that I knew to be excellent, so I suggested (for the first time) somewhere I had actually been before: The Bristol. I am absolutely obsessed with this place, as you will soon find out.
Karolina: By now, Kate knows the way to my heart: British sentimentalism and $5 cocktails before noon. The moment these virtues of The Bristol were explained to me, I was sold.
Brunch Hours
The Bristol is open for brunch from 10:00 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday (though, oddly enough, they will not serve alcohol before 11:00 a.m.).
Wait Time/Service
Kate: Every other time that I had been here, it was pretty packed so I suggested we go at 10:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning; perhaps due to its West Queen West location (it’s a block away form the Drake), it was nearly empty when we arrived (though it did fill up by the time we left at 12:00-12:30 p.m.).
Karolina: Our server was fantastic. Maybe it’s because we’ve generally visited well-established brunch hot spots, but I’ve always found the service to vacillate somewhere between cordial apathy and affected snobbery. Previous servers may not have been incompetent, but our server at The Bristol was genuinely friendly and down to earth in addition to doing an excellent job.
I vaguely wondered during our brunch whether our server’s charming yet unexpected habit of adopting English turns of phrase, despite the fact that she was undoubtedly Canadian, was at the behest of The Bristol’s management. I hope not. Kate assured me, however, that she often calls people “love” as well, so maybe my suspicion was unwarranted.
Kate: Yeah…I feel like I know a lot of people that say that, but maybe we all just secretly wish we were British. I don’t know. Our server was really great though; super friendly and everything came to the table in good time.
Atmosphere
Kate: I love the atmosphere here; some of the British paraphernalia is a bit much, but in general it is super cozy and there are football games (European football, obvs) playing on the various screens non-stop. If you are someone that doesn’t like TVs in restaurants (a camp I am usually a part of), then you might not enjoy this, but if you’re looking for somewhere to take in some English Premier League as you nurse a hangover, this is the place for you.
Karolina: My love of the UK knows no bounds, but the Union Jacks strung up around the walls tried my patience slightly. The Bristol did “British pub” about as well as any Canadian restaurant can, which is probably not saying much. Despite the fact that the theme may have been laid on a bit thick, it had a very pleasant interior, with lovely wallpapered walls, a quaint fireplace, and comfy armchairs.
Coffee
Kate: The coffee is pretty good—it comes in huge mugs and it’s bottomless. Zero complaints.
Karolina: Perhaps inspired by the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II staring down at me, I ordered an Earl Grey tea. I wish it had been loose leaf or at least Twinings. It was fine, though. The real show-stopping beverage was what followed…
LLBO licensed
Kate: Not only is The Bristol licensed, but it has $5 brunch cocktails. In addition to Caesars and regular mimosas, you can get grapefruit and lager mimosas (I’ve gotten the latter on past occasions, and they are actually pretty delicious). Though it isn’t on the menu, you can also ask for a grapefruit and champagne mimosa; it is delicious and perhaps even life changing (see: Karolina).
Karolina: I will never drink a regular orange juice mimosa ever again. How gauche! The mimosas at The Bristol were undoubtedly the best part of brunch. They had the perfect ratio of juice to champagne, and were garnished with a lime wedge, which was a cute touch. And at $5 each, there’s really no reason not to order one.
The Food
Kate: I had the Brighton Toast, which the restaurant describes as “crispy French toast with vanilla infused puffed rice crisp batter.” In addition to *real* maple syrup, it comes with blueberries, strawberries, and whipped cream. The two pieces of toast were huge and delicious, leaving me more than satisfied. I really don’t have anything to say about this except that it was fantastic…
Karolina: I had the Glastonbury Herbivore, a sort of vegetarian eggs benedict: it consisted of a poached egg and Portobello mushroom on a scone, covered in a Béarnaise sauce which contained spinach and red pepper. I didn’t much like the red pepper, as it overwhelmed the rest of the flavours in the dish. And though I do love scones, the crumbly pastry didn’t make for easy eating. It came with homefries and a grilled tomato, which was such an endearing nod to Old Blighty (though I obviously didn’t eat it, because ew). All in all, it was a very average meal.
Cost:
Kate’s meal: Brighton Toast ($12) + Mimosa ($5) = $17 + tax and tip
Karolina’s meal: The Glastonbury Herbivore ($13) + Mimosa ($5) = $18 + tax and tip
Final thoughts
Kate: Everyone (especially soccer fans) should go here immediately, get the Brighton Toast, and indulge in a cheap cocktail. You won’t be disappointed.
Karolina: Go for the cute, if cheesy, British theme and the cheap, delicious cocktails. I’d return for those two reasons, but probably not for the food. However it is significantly less expensive than many other restaurants we’ve visited, which is a definite plus.
| SERVICE | 4.5/5 Dean Sossins |
| ATMOSPHERE | 4/5 Dean Sossins |
| FOOD | 3.5/5 Dean Sossins |
| OVERALL | 4/5 Dean Sossins |