Amy's Food Adventures

Retro-inspired décor, ceiling fans in place of air conditioner, olive green painted walls, and mismatched furniture would best describe Lady Marmalade. A brunch hot spot in Leslieville, Lady Marmalade is known for their famous bennies and the use of fresh ingredients to attract avid brunchers. Let’s not forget the fact that people are willing to wait in line on a sunny, humid afternoon to have brunch at a restaurant with no air conditioning really says a lot.

Due to the small space and a high volume of customers, the entire party must be present in order to sit down at a table. I was 10 minutes late and caused Janet and Karen to wait for me; so sorry ladies! We eventually got our table after a 10-15 minute wait, where we were seated at a round table with 3 extra seats. Lady Marmalade’s extensive menu includes Mexican fusion dishes with choices from bennies, to salads, to sandwiches. If these savoury options are not enough to satisfy your taste buds, sweet temptations such as Mom’s brown-sugared apple crisp w/ vanilla ice-cream & berry couli, organic buckwheat fresh fruit crêpe, or even daily baked french toast “bread pudding” style will definitely tickle and tantalize your stubborn taste buds (hah!).

Both Janet and I selected the Poached egg “blt” with bacon, roasted tomato, red onion, spinach, chipotle mayo, potatoes & salad ($11.50). I liked how there was a large portion of greens to balance out the unhealthy counterparts: pouched eggs and bacon. Sexy and seductive; I have a soft spot for all things bacon. Who doesn’t? These two crispy strips of fatty bacon were so delish that I was salivating while having my meal; literally. The poached eggs were cooked perfectly with a vivid yellow yolk flowing out from the centre; fantastique! I would have been a pretty dissatisfied customer if my eggs weren’t runny (some places serve overcooked pouched eggs – how evil of them!). The diced potatoes were delicious, the red onions added some acidity, and the roasted tomatoes brought nothing to the plate (Sorry, they’re something else that I dislike besides berries, but that doesn’t mean I waste food! I still gobbled it up ;)). Both the chipotle mayo and paprika gave the dish a kick with the added smokiness. This de-constructed BLT was a nice twist to the traditional BLT, so I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Karen had the Baked Crêpe Croque Monsieur w/ ham, cheddar & miso-scallion cream, served w/ poached eggs, spinach & potatoes ($11.50). For Karen’s review on our visit to Lady Marmalade, click here!

For this specific brunch meet-up, Janet worked on a project called “Taste of Colour”. Both Karen and I had to describe the components of our dishes in colours and provide an explanation to each one. To find out more about this interesting collaboration, read about Janet’s write-up on her blog!

I would definitely suggest Lady Marmalade to you if you’re a fellow bruncher as well! They have a massive brunch menu and I’m sure the quality of their food won’t disappoint. Do keep in mind that there’s no air conditioning, long queues at the door, and cash is the only accepted method of payment!

Address

898 Queen Street East
Toronto, ON M4M 1J3
(647) 351-7645
Open Weekdays 8am-4pm;
Weekends 8am-3pm