The Last Brunch - Mildred Pierce

Well, maybe not the last, but one of the last. Yesterday morning, Darryl, Diane, Michael, Louis and I drank in the good life and enjoyed the most delicious brunch on the patio at Mildred Pierce.

My TTC connections were flawless, so I arrived well ahead of schedule (9:30AM) and took my place as first in line, leaning up against the window boxes next to the iron gate. The staff were setting up tables for outdoor dining since it was such a lovely day and they greeted me as I approached -- so nice. Makes you feel really good about the restaurant.

By the time they unlocked the gates, the line-up stretched well down the parking lot, but everyone who was waiting was seated immediately. We squeezed into a table originally set for four on the patio to enjoy the the sunlight.

As usual, we started with the butteriest scones and biscuits in the world that came with tiny dishes of fresh butter and blueberry jam. Alongside, we sipped on freshly-squeezed orange juice, coffee, and ginger lemon fizzes (yummy sodas with a layer of gingery syrup at the bottom).

For our mains, we all ordered the Veda's Choice (eggs benedict), which was flawless. It was a homemade croissant with two poached eggs and smoked salmon covered in velvety smooth bearnaise sauce. It's so rich, but in the very best way. If you want to taste perfection, you have to have it at least once. I don't know how they manage it, but the egg is soft, runny, and warm and oozes luxuriously into the surrounding sauce. Heaven. The deep-fried potatoes alongside were crisp with just the right amount of salt and were piping hot.

We lingered for as long as our consciences would let us because by this time the line-up had reappeared. They serve you mimosas while you wait, which I thought was a nice touch.

Later on in the day, I ran 9 miles in preparation for the half marathon on May 13, but even so I doubt that I broke even. It was that rich. And good.