Restaurant Review: Early Bird
EARLY BIRD
613 Queen Street West ~ early-bird.ca Instagram: @earlybirdbrew ~ Twitter: @earlybirdbrew Co-Diner: Tim Golem
I'm not much of a big coffee drinker but when I saw that blogTO named Early Bird as the #1 Best Latte in Toronto I needed to find out for myself. With two locations, I visited the one in Alexandra Park (practically Trinity-Bellwoods) on a Saturday morning. This is the kind of place that you'll want to roll up to as early as possible because it'll get hella busy especially on the weekend. Expect to line up and wait, unless you arrive early enough. The room is narrow and fresh with white-painted brick walls, plenty of natural light from the large front windows, marble tabletops, and a hint of an industrial vibe. It feels very current to say the least. Thankfully we were able to be seated right away, although the whole place was certainly packed and only becoming more full by the minute. Our server was very friendly and helpful in answering any questions that we had. We were given menus and once decided, got up and approached the busy counter to place our order. This part of the process seemed to take a very long time because the line at the counter was long and placing orders seemed to be a lengthy endeavour. The delay in ordering and receiving the food is my only real criticism of this restaurant, but then again, I understand that they were very busy. The first item on my to-do list was coffee, of course. I selected the Latte ($4.50) because that is what I was there to try. However, I really liked the sounds of such beverages as the chai latte, matcha, blue matcha, and golden milk. I can imagine the rainbow of colours.
Perfectly perfect. One sip of this latte and I knew that it was incredibly good. For me, the mark of a great latte is one that doesn't taste like it needs anything else. If your coffee needs a pound of sugar to mask the flavour, then the coffee itself probably isn't very good. Coffee shouldn't be bitter or burnt-tasting. This beautiful cup delivered on all levels, highlighting what a well-made cup of coffee should be. I did add a bit of raw sugar to mine (as is my preference) but it tasted great without it. The beans were from Pilot Coffee Roasters, a local roaster in Toronto. Early Bird takes their coffee very seriously, every step of the way. Sourcing beans and serving an exceptional product is one of the most important parts of their business. I would say that they are doing an excellent job! I was also very excited to find some of my favourite Canadian roasters on their retail wall. Early Bird was offering beans for purchase from 49th Parallel Roasters in Vancouver and Transcend Coffee in Edmonton. Two of the best! While coffee is very exciting at Early Bird it might be rivaled by the food. You might think that you're going to stop in for a quick drink but then the food menu will capture your attention... And you cannot look away. Their idea is to bring contemporary art to the plate with beautiful colours and flavours. There's a bit of a Middle Eastern edge to many of the dishes. They've got several toasts and sandwiches on the menu and they dive straight in with different egg dishes, bowls, and a shakshuka (but I mean, everyone is doing a shakshuka these days). I very nearly ordered the eggs benny, which sounded great (beet hollandaise? Served on a crispy potato latke?). But it had to be the EB Avocado Toast ($17.00).
This was certainly the correct choice because I fell in love instantly. Every item on this plate was magic. The thick rye bread was coated so gloriously in pillows of whipped cream cheese, creating the most beautiful base. Then the smoked salmon, which was a stunning colour - a little bit purple-red around the edges which makes me wonder if it had been beet-cured. The whole avocado was a work of art in itself. And to top it all off, a gently runny egg, absolutely perfectly soft boiled. I can't say enough about this dish. It's ridiculously fresh, the ingredients are gorgeous, and the presentation speaks for itself. A must-try! I was very happy with my experience at Early Bird. The only issue was that it took a bit longer than I would have liked. That aside, the food and coffee was certainly worth it.
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