As could have been predicted by the décor, the coffee was flavourless and bitter; definitely from the underground reservoir. Our meals, however, were pretty good!

The potatoes came in two forms: hashbrowns and pan fries. The hashbrowns (shredded potatoes) were pre-frozen and came out dry and paper-like. On the other hand the pan fries were potatoes with the skins still on which were very nice. The eggs came mostly as ordered, except for Leif’s which came soft and with the yolk broken. Leif always orders over hard. 

The five strips of bacon were good and tasty. The toast was done well, and the whole shebang came with a slice of orange.

As a side note, the hollandaise sauce on the Eggs Benedict was homemade and good.

The SVFR is a good, solid breakfast special. I recommend not coming during the weekend when premium rates are in effect. Even though the coffee was bad, this is a diner shaped like a hotel restaurant. It really should be a diner.

September 6 2008

Southdale Village Family Restaurant

6-35 Lakewood Boulevard

Hours of operation:

Mon - Thurs       8 AM - 8 PM

Fri & Sat             8 AM - 9 PM

Sun                    9 AM - 8 PM

Classic Breakfast - $6.99

Regular Breakfast - $3.99

Served Mon-Fri  8-11 AM

First off, please note the $3 difference in price on the Special from weekday to weekend. This is easily the biggest discrepancy between prime-time and non-prime breakfast prices we’ve ever encountered.  So show up on the weekday not the weekend or you will be punished by paying nearly double for your breakfast.

The Southdale Village Family Restaurant (SVFR) is decorated to look like it’s in a hotel when it’s not. The dusty rose and teal colours accentuated this hotel illusion along with the nauseating carpet design and fake plants. All that was missing was the smell of chlorine from a stagnant pool down the hall.

Our server was very meticulous in order taking, and showed an uncanny concern for the quantities of our hot sauce. I like that. A lot. It was Frank’s hot sauce, too, a good’un. I also liked the medium-sized jam caddy which featured several types of jam and marmalade.