Soleil S.
Yelp
What a great find. For an old strip mall, I would have never guessed that is has such a bright and pretty place with some seriously good coffee coming out of it. Call me surprised but also call me whenever you're going here cause I want to join in.
Kerr Street is definitely the place for lunch. When I walked in, I expected it to be empty but at least 20% of the table was already taken at 11 am. By noon, its was fairly full. Looking at all the tables, I can see why... all of the plates looked very good and the cups of coffee coming out from the barista, love it. This is the stuff I would expect from Toronto... not the suburbs.
I just need to write about the coffee in one paragraph. I love how they're using a local Oakville Roasters called Brothers. I saw them at the Beanstock festival and had I known how good they were, I would have definitely tried their coffee (even though I was already heavily caffeinated). The coffee was rich, robust, and very friendly... not too bitter and definitely had a chocolate note to it. Highly drinkable and delicious. The best part, the barista really knew what a flat white was ANNND the latte art was beautiful! Yeah... I'm so happy for this that I'm rating the coffee before I even finish my usual review of service and place first. 5/5 for the suburbs (but it's really a 4.5/5 for Toronto but still absolutely love it).
The place is quite big as it takes up 2 stores from the looks of the ceiling. You have a bar area where you can do take out and a large communal table. Then you have the dining spot where most people sat. It was well spaced out so it wasn't cramped and there was a lot of wonderful light. It reminds me of a really nice curated picture of a white washed rustic but clearly upscale cottage. Warm and homey.
Service here... is probably one of the weaker points but not because they're rude. It's just incredibly relaxed and possibly unaware. So if you're here for a quick lunch during the work day... maybe not the best. But if you're to do a lazy day brunch or lunch with the girls, this would be a great spot. We did have one young guy who was really good and attentive but he disappeared after 20 minutes and only the ladies took over the staffing. They were kind... just not attentive.
Ayurveda Bowl (vegan) - a great option for those who want a healthy brunch or lunch without just having a simple romaine caesar salad. I liked how it has a variety of chopped vegetables that kept it interesting. Tender peas, cubed cucumber, diced tomatoes, fine pieces of red onions, and asparagus are all found in the bowl along side a light saffron rice and a curry tumeric dressing. I found the dressing to be on the light side but it's a nice creamt texture. 4/5
Banana Raspberry French Toast - WOW... ok. you have my attention.
A large plate of 4 thick pieces of french toast landed on our table and it was just a sight. The french toast was doubled up to sandwich rich sweet banana that are custard like. The bread is a tender butter brioche that soaked up all the custard and the kitchen perfectly seared the sides to give it a crispy and caramelized edge. The addition of the almond butter creme fraiche was delicious excess and reason to wipe the plate clean. Extra crispy banana pieces and sweet nutty pieces are just fun to scoop up with the French Toast. I love how they used dehydrated raspberries to add a vivid red shade to the dish while adding a nice tart burst to each bite. Definitely a top 5 French Toast in all of Toronto. 5/5
French Fries - Oh, these were claimed to be great by the staff. Uh unfortunately not. Though they were the prefect colour of the well done bronze, these were somehow limp, soft and soggy. I was really disappointed as the entire bowl was like this. I was hoping even one to be crunchy but nothing... we didnt even finish half the bowl and the staff didnt notice. 3/5
Flat White - What another surprise. Not only was Brother Beans delicious, they have a barista that knows how to do good pours and really good flat white. I think this might be the first time I've found in in GTA. My flat white had a great light topping of microfoam with the right balance of milk to espresso. It was enough to allow the bold espresso flavour to be prominent but still allow the milk to mellow out any sharp edges. From ordering the 2nd flat white (yea I liked it that much), I can safely say the beans is a nice robust rich flavour without any harsh acidity. It's great to see a local good roasters in the GTA West. I'll come back just for a cup. 4.5-5/5
Overall, this is a solid place for food and drinks ... there are some real highlights coming out of the barista and kitchen. With some service and dish tweaking, this would be one of the best brunch spots I could recommend of out all GTA.