As my loyal readers would know, we have been trying out a lot of brunch places recently. With our recent interest, we were pleasantly surprised to receive an invite to try out Willow and Spoon's new spring menu.
We attended last Saturday, and were caught in the torrential rains on our way there. Luckily our table was still waiting for us, and we were ushered in very quickly and seated without further ado. Water was provided promptly, service was friendly and efficient. Apparently there is also a backyard which provides for outdoor seating on regular days, but this was not available due to the rains.
Menus were provided to us, and the specials of the day were explained. The food menu and the drinks menu consisted one page each and covered a number of savory and sweet options, coffees, juices and smoothies. It took quite a bit of debate before my companion and I decided upon what we should order. After ordering, the manager, Alison came out to greet us. She explained that they had been open in long established Alderly before their relocation, and have since been located in on Newmarket Road for the last couple of years.
Our drinks came soon after, with my cappuccino in a mug, and my companion's English Breakfast tea. I thoroughly enjoyed my coffee, especially the the rich foam which was a lot more substantial than the other coffees I've had before. The strength of the coffee was also refreshingly strong for a change.
My companion enjoyed his English Breakfast tea as well. He was pleasantly surprised by the whole leaf tea, as other places he's tried serves tea bags, or at best shredded leaves. Despite this though, he said the tea could have been a bit stronger.
Between the two of us, we shared two mains. This was the Oscar, which consisted of two croquettes with semi dried tomato pesto and a side of spinach and a poached egg. The croquettes were freshly fried and crispy without being oily. It was filled with potato, Jamon (a spanish dry cured ham), and Asiago cheese (an Italian cow's milk cheese), this ensured that whilst the filling was fluffy, the Jamon added a bit of extra texture and the Asiago ensured its creaminess. What stood out in the Oscar though was the tomato pesto which added an extra dimension to the dish to which we enjoyed very much.
The second dish was the Willow, which consisted of bacon and eggs, with buttered sourdough on the side with house made rosemary and tomato relish. For the dish we were offered eggs either scrambled, fried or poached. While the bacon was not as crispy as my companion would liked, I found it to be very tasty and thankfully not too fatty. The sourdough was crisp and the butter was very easy to spread, unlike other places I have been to. The relish I found was fragrant. However I would have preferred the eggs to have been served a bit more seasoned to create a little more depth to the dish.
Overall we had a wonderful morning at Willow & Spoon. Despite the short trek up to the north side, we found this to be well worth the efforts. We enjoyed the food and the great service, and look forward to trying out the rest of their menu.
Espresso and Matcha were invited guests of Willow and Spoon,but all opinions are our own.
Price Range: $15 - $25 per person
Taste: 8/10
Value: 8/10
Service: 8.5/10
Environment: 8/10
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