I love finding new places to eat especially ones that I’ve never heard of. After a late night out Stampeding, our group of five wanted brunch. Someone picked OEB, which would have been great, minus the fact that it was a 3 hour wait time. Yes, you read that correctly. Three freaking hours. Pass! Even Diner Deluxe a few steps down was packed with an hour wait to boot. Too many brunchers. Luckily, someone suggested Cerezo which was just back up the street and ta da – no line!
Cerezo looks like someone’s house from the outside. When you walk in, it oozes of comfort, family and relaxation. Apparently, they have a patio which I plan on taking full advantage of next time. Japanese tapas for dinner sounds quite appealing.
Brunch menu has some interesting options. What else would expect from a Japanese restaurant?
Wholewheat & quinoa waffle ($10.95)
Blueberry compote, maple syrup and vanilla whipped cream. Decadent would be the perfect way to describe these waffles. And “healthy”, if you ignore the whipped cream added on top. The fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and cherries) were incredibly fresh while the waffles were light and fluffy. I also ordered a side of bacon ($3.00) but the waffles surprisingly satisfied my appetite. If you like sweet over savoury, get these!
Miso pork cutlet doria with salad ($16.95)
Breaded pork cutlet with miso sauce, scrambled egg and brown rice with mornay sauce. The doria was absolutely enormous. I kid you not, this picture doesn’t even do it justice. It easily could have been a meal for dinner and more – my buddy had to pack half of it for home. A Japanese style lasagna but filled instead with cheese, rice, egg, and fried pork cutlet, it’s essentially a mini heart attack. All before it’s even noon time. Again, I don’t know how these flavours managed to work but it just did. The only criticsm we had was that the dish was a bit on the salty side – personally, I wouldn’t have wanted to eat this all by myself.
Vegetable frittata with toast ($11.95)
Our other friend ordered the frittata which came with a side salad and a couple pieces of toast. A nice oozy portion of cheese on top. It looked pretty good from my end.
Eggs sunny side ($12.00)
Two sunny side eggs, bacon, toast and choice of salad, soup or caramelized potatoes. Apparently, Cerezo’s potatoes are bomb so our friend with that. He was a bit disappointed with his order as it didn’t have the glitz and glamour that the rest of our dishes had. His was simple but still well executed.
Housemade granola & Greek yogurt ($6.00)
Look how gorgeous that granola and yogurt parfait looks. Beautifully presented and such attention to detail. Oh yeah, she devoured all of it too.
Overall, cozy spot to grab brunch with a Japanese twist. I’ll have to come back to try their tapas menu for dinner. If it’s anything like our first trip, we will be happy campers. Forget about waiting in line at other places nearby – Cerezo is worth it with their great food and care that they take in the little things that matter.
Cerezo Cafe & Bar
1002 Edmonton Trail NE
Calgary, AB
(403) 250-8894
CHERRY BOB-OMBS 