where jess ate

Rose and Sons is yet another recently opened spot in the city serving up a damn good brunch. Located in the Annex on Dupont, just east of Spadina, don’t be surprised to find this small little restaurant packed on the weekends.

It’s a tiny but cozy spot with an open kitchen. If you get here late, you’ll likely have to wait outside while you’re waiting for a table since there isn’t much standing room. The restaurant mostly consists of communal seating – two long tables which can seat 8 and two smaller booths which can seat 4 each. There are also a few seats at the counter close to the action.

Brunch is served every Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 3pm while lunch is served on weekdays from 10am to 3pm. They take reservations for dinner only which begins at 6pm.

I started off with a tasty Americano ($3.25). You won’t find any drip coffee here.

With a menu full of tempting comfort food options like griddled brie cornbread with brisket, I had a tough time narrowing down what I wanted. In the end, I went with the Patty Melt – burger-grilled cheese, fried onions, ff, chili mayo ($15). It was like a burger and grilled cheese in one… the best of both worlds!

I loved that the juicy patty was cooked to a pink medium rare and the buttery rye bread was nice and crisp. The fried onions gave the melt a bit of sweetness and overall, it was a delicious sandwich!

The french fries (“ff”) that accompanied the patty melt were perfection – thin, crisp and seasoned well. They were especially addictive when dipped in the chili mayo which had just the right amount of kick.

Mike decided on the Roast Chopped Pork – with grits, poached egg and green sauce ($13). Crispy pieces of juicy pork sat on top of a bed of delicious grits. The dish came with just the right amount of grits – enough for each bite of pork. I enjoyed the addition of the “green sauce” which reminded me of the ginger scallion sauce that you’d find with steamed Chinese chicken.

As for the poached egg, while it was perfectly cooked, Mike mentioned that he didn’t find it very necessary.

After eating our dishes, I was craving something sweet and ordered the Bread Pudding – with wild blueberries ($8). Other sweet options include a soft serve ice cream sandwich and ice cream parfait.

If you’re ordering the bread pudding, you can add bacon to it for an extra $3. They make their bacon in-house and while I was almost swayed, I couldn’t do it after downing a patty melt. Maybe next time! The bread pudding was a little crisp on the outside and the interior was slightly custardy – like a custardy french toast. The blueberry sauce which coated the bread pudding was quite nice and I appreciated the fact that it wasn’t overly sweet. It was just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth.

Overall, we had a fantastic brunch at Rose and Sons – a great way to start off our Sunday! I’ll definitely back for their dinner service.

At a glance:
• Very small space; mostly communal seating
• Brunch is served on Saturdays & Sundays from 9am to 3pm
• Reservations are only taken for dinner
• Relaxed, friendly service
• Closed on Mondays

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