There are only a handful of respectable restaurants in this city that turn out a decent brunch the whole fam-damily can savour in an environment that kids easily bust a move in and that parents appreciate for its design and decor.
Lakeview Restaurant is one of those places.
The incredibly welcoming reception started the second I walked in with my two kids, ages two and four, and told the waitress that we needed a table for six but that only one other adult would be joining us. Without batting an eye, she asked how many high chairs we wanted and escorted us to a sunshiny window banquette.
Before I’d even wiggled my wee ones out of their snow pants, she returned with a pot of hot coffee, smiled and started pouring. “I bet you need one of these.” Who is this wonder woman?
While the four bambinos doodled in their Spiderman activity books, drew pictures for out-of-town daddies, and played “let’s knock over the balanced wipes box with this Little People car,” the grown-ups took in the room. The upholstered and wooden booths, the black-topped spinny stools at the open kitchen counter, the chrome accents, the cream-coloured walls and the tiny-tiled floor all hark back to the authenticity of the 1930s original, although everything is new thanks to the three-month renovation by new owners Fadi Hakim and Alexander Sengupta (of the Chelsea Room) in late 2008.
The upscale diner menu shows a fresh dedication to quality of ingredients, like free-range eggs, organic greens, naturally raised beef from the Donato Harvest Artisan Farm, and freshly prepared juices (the apple option is excellent). And the efforts pay off.
The Captain Canuck ($8.50) crams a toasted sesame bun with copious slices of warm peameal, cool, crunchy romaine and just enough ancho chili mayonnaise to give the super-stuffed sandwich some flare but not too much that guilt overcomes the pleasure. The only peccadillo: the assembly’s hard, unripe tomato slices.
Four kinds of cheese in the Quattro ($8.50) sounds like a lot of cheese for one sandwich, but the kitchen layers just enough of it to make it gooey without goopy during grilling. The nuttiness of asiago and the sharpness of feta cater to caregivers’ tastes, and the two milder cheeses make this a preschooler’s fave. All sandwiches served with either fries or organic greens—both good.
Other midday menu options cover such ground as burgers, salads, buttermilk pancakes topped in whipped cream, fresh fruit and mixed berry compote, and eggs-focused plates like Eggy in the Basket, which brings egg-in-a-hole toast with choice of house sausage, strip or peameal bacon, chip-like house potatoes, organic greens, and fresh fruit. Plenty of simple sides please picky eaters.
Lakeview is open 24 hours, so for all of those parents out there with kids who still wake up at the ungodly hour of 5 a.m., this place is for you. And for later lingerers (or not), an interesting list of brunch cocktails includes the likes of mimosas, caesars, and The Watchman—Mill Street Organic lager with tomato juice and a raw egg.
Our server’s winning attitude carried through our entire brunch, which also included requests for a few more minutes with the menu, extra napkins, additional empty plates for dividing meals, and one shattered juice cup. On top of that, she refilled water glasses and wasn’t at all phased by the near-tantrum behavior of two kindergartners who didn’t want to suit up for snow.
Thank you, Lakeview, we will be back.
1132 Dundas St. W.
416.850.8886
