Boom Breakfast and Co.

 808 College Street
(416) 534-3447
new location at 1036 St. Clair West
(416) 657-3447

Boom is a trendy and comfortable breakfast joint along the College West strip at Ossington, just at the cusp of Little Italy and in the St. Clair/Oakwood neighbourhood. The Little Italy location looks like a classy but trendy diner with a old fashioned looking bar and nice 4 seater booths for privacy. In addition to brunch, they also serve “lunch and dinner” items like pasta, salad, burgers, and many veggie options.

As Boom is know for brunch, and having been opened for 2 years, we decided to go in a group (me, Justine, Pam, and Bryan). Pam ordered the Eggs Florentine and thought it was excellent. It came with very tasty homefries and a bit of fruit. Price and portion size were adequate. She thought service was excellent and the decor was modern & cozy. I liked the booths! Also, very clean looking.

Justine had the chocolate chip pancakes and thought they were somewhat tasty. She felt that they could have been a bit lighter and more fluffy (3’s Company is much better). She liked the egg decor on all the walls and the big egg near the entrance….She thought it was very playful. Justine found the prices to be very reasonable (under $6 for her pancakes. She thought the portion size for her pancakes were very good. She enjoyed the nice ambience…Booths made the place very casual and loungy, but they also had the bar area that had blue tiles as a backsplash and classy wooden tabletops…There was a mix of casual and upscale trendy. She thought it was nice to keep all types of people happy (the casual, laid back kind of person and the more yuppy type).

Bryan had the Tuscan eggs: poached eggs, grilled tomato on rye bread, fruit on the side. He enjoyed it, tasted fresh, light, and eggs were properly cooked. The price was standard. Ambience was fun and modern, upbeat and friendly. He liked the booths. The decor was simple and tasteful but not exceptional. He loved the College West location.

My order was a slight disappointment, unless you are anorexic of course. I ordered had the very berry crepe, which was light, thin, and full of fruit (stawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries). It came with a chocolate drizzle and it was excellent. I was disappointed because I asked the waitress if she could recommend something filling (Chocolate Chip Pancakes versus the Very Berry Crepe) and she recommended the crepes. Well, she was wrong. The crepe was tiny and I was not satisfied at all. Justine was generous to share her Chocolate Chip pancakes which were thick and delicious.

Open daily from 6:00am. Accepts all cards. Accessible on the College street streetcar (on College) and along the St. Clair streetcar (St. Clair location) and the Oakwood/Ossington bus.

Dutch Dreams [by: Erin]

78 Vaughan Road
416 656-6959

 

This place was introduced to me by Mark (not Mark Aaron Polger) when we were in grade 9 and has been a Toronto landmark for almost twenty years. Ice cream is served the “dutch way” with whipped cream and fruit on top. They have awesome homemade ice cream (over fifty flavours), gigantic sundaes, (check out the baked Alaska!)… Truly an ice cream lover’s fantasy. Choosing what to order can be a difficult decision. You’ll go back again and again so you can try everything on the menu!

– Erin Toole

Churrasco Of St Clair‎

679 St Clair Avenue West
 (416) 658-0652

Affectionately known, at least to my family, as “Churassco”, this Portuguese eatery has been a take-out staple for many years in the mid town area. The term churassco actually refers to the way in which the chicken is prepared. I could not describe to you in earnest how that is, all I know is that it is delicous.

Walking into this establishment, located just east of the intersection of St. Clair and Christie, a blast of hot air hits you as dozens of butterflied chickens are visibly being grilled in plain view of the salivating customers. Orders of half or quarter chicken are available, each of which coming with a generous serving of small round potatoes and a heap of white rice. Chicken sandwiches are also available but they work better for lunch. Ribs are available though I have never tried them. If you like spice, be sure to ask for some hot sauce to dip the chicken or potatoes in. The potatoes are also particularly delicious and it never hurts to order an extra helping (unless of course you are watching your carb intake).