where jess ate

Notorious for the long waits, Mike and I decided to go to Clinton St. Baking Company on a Monday around 11:30. Although it was quite busy, we only had to wait about five minutes before a table freed up for us. After the long wait at Blue Ribbon Bakery the day before, we were thankful we didn’t have another long wait here.

I loved the bright, cheery and lively atmosphere at this brunch spot. What I didn’t love was how cramped it felt as the tables were only a few inches apart. So, you’re pretty much eating with your neighbors.

When I saw strawberry rhubarb lemonade ($5) on the menu, I knew what I’d be drinking. The price was a little high but it was delicious. I loved the sweetness and tartness of the strawberry and rhubarb combination. Very refreshing! Mike went with a glass of fresh orange juice ($3.50).

Famous for their pancakes, this was one thing we knew we had to order. Hey, if they were featured on Bobby Flay’s Throwdown, they have to be good! The pancakes here come in three varieties: blueberry, banana walnut or chocolate chunk. Mike decided on the banana walnut pancakes – with warm maple butter ($13).

Okay, these pancakes definitely lived up to the hype! The dish came with three light, fluffy pancakes, exactly the way pancakes should be. What made these pancakes unreal though, was the warm maple butter. Wow. Just wow. Melted butter and maple syrup? I dipped each bite of pancake goodness into this delicious concoction.

For our other dish, we went with the fried chicken sandwich – on a French bun with pickled green tomatoes, shredded lettuce, mayo and a side of chips and coleslaw ($15). I enjoyed the fried chicken, which was juicy and moist. However, after trying Pies n’ Thighs the day afterwards, this fried chicken paled in comparison. My favourite part of the sandwich was actually the pickled green tomatoes – deleish! Overall, this was a solid fried chicken sandwich but nothing I’d go out of my way for.

The side of chips the sandwich came with were also pretty good, but I didn’t end up eating much of them after filling myself up with pancake. The sandwich also came with coleslaw, which would have actually been nice in the sandwich. Too bad we thought of that after finishing the sandwich…

I almost forgot to mention the sugar cured bacon ($4) we ordered. When we heard the couple next to us order it, we realized we missed it on the menu. Ever since I tried candied bacon at Barque, I’ve been craving it, so we had to get an order of this. Salty, sweet and chewy – perfection!

Brunch here was the perfect start to the day. Sure, it made us a tad sluggish, but it was worth it!

At a glance:
• Come on the weekdays to avoid the long waits
• Their famous pancakes are worth the hype
• Try a side of sugar cured bacon
• Cash only

Ratings (out of 5):
• Food: 4 stars
• Service: 3 stars
• Atmosphere: 4 stars