Cooking with Canucks

With every weekend comes the usual question of where to go to enjoy a tasty brunch on a Sunday morning. Finding ourselves stuck visiting the same regular spots again and again, the arrival of a new (and probably the only) Canadian restaurant specializing in brunch came as welcome news. From savory and sweet crepes, French toast, thick pancakes, and waffles to eggs, omelets, fresh fruit and yogurt, the menu features French-Canadian fare made with fresh, low-fat, healthy ingredients. All the dishes have a story behind them and are named after the owner's relatives, and there's even a children's menu for the kids to peruse. As far as we can tell, Canadian food is relatively indistinguishable from common Western fare apart from the use of a few homegrown ingredients, most notoriously real maple syrup which is happily present here and which we eagerly poured onto our chosen dishes. Don't expect creative plating and haute cuisine; do expect mounds of fruit heaped atop your plate in gargantuan rather than bite size portions. Our perfectly poached Eggs Benedict with asparagus and Swiss cheese (YY76) was covered with a creamy, hollandaise sauce that nicely balanced the flavors of the dish. The Emperor's Breakfast (YY68) was generously portioned and came with helpings of fruit, bacon, sausage, eggs and hash browns deliciously grilled with onions and basil. The portions are so large you won't have room for much else, though we were tempted to order everything we saw the server carry past us to other tables. Service was friendly and attentive--the staff even asked use if we'd prefer our bacon regular or well-done--and the Canadian chef even took the time to come out of the kitchen to chat with the customers. Although we strongly recommend spending a leisurely morning at Julie's, the restaurant also serves lunch and dinner which we're certainly looking forward to giving a try. --Kim-Tien Huynh.