The partially self-serve coffee had no taste, it was just warm & brown. We actually mentioned this to the server, who replied “I don’t drink coffee, I don’t know how it’s supposed to go.” We suggested adding more grounds, and the second pot they put out was stronger. It was still Maxwell House brand, which unfortunately falls short of our standards.

The breakfast was okay - definitely nothing great. The eggs were standard, the bacon was pleasingly cooked in a kindling-bundle-like stack and the hashbrowns were buttery-oniony good, cut into tiny chunks. The side of sausage I had were deep-fried breakfast links which always disappoint.

An average breakfast. You might be better off going across the street to the Viscount Gort.

Saturday, May 08, 2010

St. James Cafe

1719 Portage Avenue

(In the Fox & Hounds Tavern)

Breakfast Special - $3.85 before tax, coffee $1.25, free refills. Breakfast served until 11:30am.

This is the restaurant of a thousand names. It is listed under former names such as Carmelo’s (written above the outside door), Fox & Hounds, The Jolly Sixpence (written above the inside door), but the current name is the St. James Café. It’s been under this moniker and ownership for about a year, and from the sounds of it, there’s some competitive feelings between the restaurant and hotel workers. “These people are crazy!” our server said, referring to the women at the front desk of the hotel. We never got a satisfying answer as to why.

The restaurant’s décor was sort of Englishy. They advertise themselves as having an “English flavour,” which is sort of like being a Fub (fake pub) like J. Fox’s (no matter how good their food was). I thought the upholstery on the seats was interesting – embroidered images of fox hunting, ripe for protestors to throw blood upon.

Preparing for a vigorous breakfast.