Sunday, July 15, 2012

The Oakwood in Kitsilano

Joe's Grill. Sophie's. Zen. Sunshine Diner. Jethro's Fine Grub.

I've pretty much exhausted the breakfast places in my hood. Therefore, when I am free for breakfast on a Saturday or Sunday I try to seek-out a unique brunch spot. I haven't been to this space since it changed over from Tatlow's but read a lot of great reviews on Yelp and was intrigued by their brunch menu. They have a small number of brunch items, but they represent a good balance of flavours and options: short ribs and fried eggs, lumberjack, house-brined corned beef hash...

My pops ordered the mascarpone-stuffed french (intentionally not capitalizing this!) toast, and I had the short ribs. The french toast was crispy, and the sweet cheese filling ensured that the interior was moist (I hate this word, but I have to use it here) and flavourful. The over-easy eggs and lean short ribs were stacked on top of a crispy latke, and these heavy ingredients were counterbalanced with a small tomato-frisee salad. The portion sizes were perfect too. 

I have a few trivial criticisms. First, their dinner menu contains a dictionary sidebar with terms used in their dish descriptions. I find this pretentious and unnecessary. Second, the layout fails in the feng shui department. Containing booths, banquettes, a bar, and an awkward longtable, the interior design has no flow and made me feel kind of anxious.

I should also mention that the service and craft beers on tap were impressive. While it is a bit far to be my "local" I will definitely give this place a try some evening. I have always wanted an alternative to the worn and uber-casual Darby's, and now I have one!


Keywords: "Vancouver brunch", "Alex Dawkins", "Oakwood Bistro"

No comments:

Post a Comment