where jess ate

Serving up a tasty brunch, Emma’s Country Kitchen (@emmacountrykitc) is located on Saint Clair West, just east of Dufferin. This low-key and homey spot is brought to you by Rachel Pellett (formerly of The Stockyards) and her friend Heather Mee.

Brunch is served here every weekend between 9am and 3pm. During the week, they serve lunch between 10:30am and 5pm. You can also grab a selection of baked goods to-go including buttermilk biscuits, Lazy Daisy oatmeal cakes, cookes and squares which are baked fresh every morning.

The three of us arrived for brunch on a Sunday around noon to find the place packed. The entire front of the restaurant was full of people waiting for a table. While putting our name down for a table, I could tell the staff was a little flustered and overwhelmed by the crowd.

We were seated after waiting 20 minutes and when we ordered at around 12:30, I was really upset to hear that they had run out of their French toast which I’ve heard so many great things about. It wasn’t even that late! Another item on the menu which caught my eye was the New Orleans style beignets which were similarly sold out. Guess I’ve just gotta come back earlier next time. Early bird gets the worm!

At the front of the restaurant, they have a glass display with their baked goods. When I noticed there was only one Maple Glazed Bacon Donut ($4) left, I quickly snagged the last one to avoid more disappointment.

It was quite large in size and was covered in a generous layer of maple glaze which looked much sweeter than it was. The yeast donut base and maple glaze were fine but what really made the donut shine were the thick pieces of ridiculously good house-cured bacon. If none of the dishes you’re ordering comes with bacon, I highly recommend ordering a side of bacon ($4 for 3 slices).

Since the French toast was sold out, I ordered another one of my brunch favourites, Emma’s Benny – warm and fluffy buttermilk biscuit topped with house cured peameal, poached eggs and smothered in mousseline sauce and served with a side of griddled red skin potatoes ($13). The perfectly poached eggs were coated with a delicious mousseline sauce which tasted like hollandaise (according to Wikipedia, it’s basically a hollandaise with the addition of whipped cream).

The eggs sat atop a buttery biscuit, my favourite vehicle for an eggs benny. They’ve really nailed the biscuits here at Emma’s – so fluffy! I loved every bite of this benny! The plate also came with a heaping pile of chunky potatoes which I didn’t end up eating much of because of what came next…

As if the benny wasn’t decadent enough, I also ordered a Breakfast Biscuit Sandwich– buttermilk biscuit topped with an over easy egg, cheddar and choice of meat ($5.50) on the side. I ordered this with the house-cured bacon of course. This breakfast sandwich definitely puts those Timmy and McDonald breakfast sandwiches to shame.

With their delicious biscuit, a perfectly cooked egg, melty cheese and bacon… need I say more? I’m pretty sure I slept most of the afternoon after having brunch at Emma’s. Next time I think I’d order a side benny (so awesome that they do this) and a side breakfast sandwich.

My friend Jo ordered The Classic – 2 eggs any style, house cured bacon (or sage and onion sausage), crispy griddled red skin potatoes with sea salt and thyme and your choice of toast ($10). She seemed to enjoy it all and also commented on how delicious the bacon was.

When we went up to pay for our meal, I noticed they were selling little bags of house made potato chips and Bacon and Almond Brittle ($5). I took a bag of the latter home with me…I couldn’t resist!

The bag came with a surprising amount of brittle. The brittle was quite tasty – I liked the sweet and savoury combination but I found it to be incredibly greasy from the bacon. The pieces of brittle were all coated in grease…can’t eat too much of this brittle in one sitting!

Overall, I had a great brunch at Emma’s Country Kitchen. They do a fantastic benny and their house-cured bacon is some of the best I’ve ever had. Just make sure you get here early to avoid disappointment!

At a glance:
• Located on St. Clair West, just east of Dufferin
• Serving up brunch on weekends (9am to 3pm) and lunch Monday to Friday (10:30am to 5pm)
• Loved the eggs benny and the house-cured bacon
• Ordered at 12:30 and they were already sold out of French toast and beignets
• Very busy on weekends – get here early!

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