Bread and Citruses

I've been to dozens of live shows at The Burdock (Brewery) but have never sat down in their main space. It's very popular and packed almost every night. On Saturday, I decided to give brunch a try to coincide with today's release of a limited batch of specialty beer called Sea Barrel 24. According to their promo: "A blend of our choiciest 1-2 year old barrel-aged beer resting on sea buckthorns and orange wine skins with some riesling blended in".

A bottle came in at $15. It was an interesting taste and definitely lean toward tangy. Overall, it was an odd experience for me. One sip made my mouth pucker and I'd think: "too sour". Another sip and it was a nice blend between a stronger beer and a hint of wine.

There was no flip-flopping opinion for the shakshuka ($12). This is almost an umbrella term as restaurants offer different dishes. This one was similar to Little Sito's: tomato and onion based with baked eggs and feta. They sprinkled on a bit of dill, basil, and parsley. The sesame-encrusted bread arrived in a cloth cozy. All the flavour came together to make a nice balance that played off each other.

With tax and tip the meal was $36 which was steep for a light brunch. I don't drink partly because booze really bump up the cost of your going-out experience. Slightly buzzed from drinking on an empty stomach and still peckish, I wandered over to 241 Pizza to get a large veggie slice ($4).

It was just as pleasant sitting on a stone bench, feeling the sun on my face, watching people pass by on a busy Bloor St., and eating cheap but cheesy pizza. That bread was good though; somebody should make sesame pizza crust. Perhaps a middle eastern cross between lahmacun and barbari.