Emma's Country Kitchen

I finally had a chance to visit one of my favourite brunch spots at the new location! I was doing a trial boot camp class nearby, and of course, what better way is there to treat yourself after bootcamp than with brunch!

Restaurant: Emma's Country Kitchen
Location: Corso Italia
Meal: Brunch
Day: Monday
Son's Age: 10 months

I've been obsessed with Emma's buttermilk biscuits pretty much ever since I moved into the neighbourhood, so I was really excited to see what the new space looked like. The place is definitely bigger, so it can accommodate more traffic, and I believe they now have a liquor license. How was the experience, though?

Accessibility: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Heads up - this is another restaurant that has an IKEA high chair!

I always prefer these high chairs because they just feel more secure than the typical wooden restaurant high chairs. The downside is that if your baby is too small to sit up, you can't just flip it over to set your car seat down, but I've probably only done that once ever so the lack of that feature doesn't bother me. The other good news is that the washroom has a proper change table!

It's in a spot that I suspect could have been another stall instead, but I applaud the accommodation. The one downside is that the washroom is now located downstairs. That's right - the new location is no longer stroller friendly. 

Service: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Service here has always been excellent, and the new location did not impact that. I asked for some hot water to heat up my son's food, and they brought me a coffee mug. 

It was actually the perfect size for my baby cube! Overall the servers were always extremely friendly, and either they all really love their jobs or they're really great actors. I always feel welcome whenever I come. 

Food: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Did I mention the buttermilk biscuits? I ordered Emma's benny, which is my favourite thing here. 

Poached eggs are served over peameal bacon on the infamous buttermilk biscuits, covered in mousseline sauce. Usually they are served with red skin potatoes, which I highly recommend. I chose to substitute them with fruit salad. I like to pretend it's because I'm healthy, but who am I kidding? My son really loves fruit, and he actually ate almost that whole bowl! Don't worry, I cut all the grapes in half before I gave them to him (sidebar: moms really love to judge other moms, don't they?). There was a great mix of fruit, so if you do prefer to be healthy, this is a great alternative to the potatoes. 

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

This is one of my favourite brunch places in the city and you really have to come here and give it a try. The restaurant is very baby friendly, albeit not stroller friendly, and everyone on the staff is so helpful. One important thing to note: I don't know what the weekends look like at this new location, but in the past there was always a significant line up and they don't take reservations. The weekdays seem pretty safe, though, if you prefer to avoid the wait. Don't forget to try a donut if you have the chance!

St. Clair Banh Cuon Pho Ga

There are actually a few Vietnamese restaurants in my area, but my favourite, sadly, has closed down. Determined to find another one, my husband and I decided to try St. Clair Banh Cuon Pho Ga.

Restaurant: St. Clair Banh Cuon Pho Ga
Location: Corso Italia
Meal: Lunch
Day: Sunday
Son's Age: 6 months

I admit, typically when I think Vietnamese, I think pho. Specifically, I think house pho (probably menu number 101) - made with rare and well-done beef, tendon, and tripe, sometimes with beef balls and/or brisket thrown in. My husband is a little more adventurous with the menu (with the exception of my favourite place which had six courses of beef - and that's the last I'll say about that since, as I said earlier, it closed down). However, as the name of this restaurant suggests, their specialty is in banh cuon and pho ga, so naturally, we had to give these a try.

Accessibility: ⭐️
This shouldn't really be a surprise, but this place is not super baby friendly. We brought our son in his car seat and placed him on a chair.

There is a step to get into the restaurant, and there were no high chairs in sight. The place is quite small, and the washroom is down in the basement, so definitely not stroller friendly. On top of that, there is definitely nowhere to change diapers in the washroom. 

I suppose if you were really desperate, there are some deep freezers in the basement as well right outside the washroom that provide a flat surface. 

Please note that I am not recommending you do this, because, you know, hygiene, but I'm acknowledging that sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures. 

Service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Service was pretty much what you would expect from a Vietnamese restaurant. Everything was fine, but nothing was particularly memorable and servers certainly don't go above and beyond. 

Food: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

We decided to order the banh cuon cha lua banh cong, which, according to the menu, is steamed rice flour rolls with ground pork, sausage, and cupcake. We also each ordered a bowl of pho ga, which is chicken pho. 

So I feel the description needs to be clarified. The rice rolls are similar to Chinese cheung fun stuffed with ground pork. The sausage comes on the side and is reminiscent of cold cuts. The cupcake is like a deep fried cake with shrimp inside, about the size of a small cup, so while the description is technically accurate, it is somewhat misleading. The dish is served with fish sauce. Personally, I found the whole dish to be very tasty, although I could have done without the sausage. My husband didn't think it was particularly special, but I really love cheung fun so this dish was right up my alley. As for the chicken pho, I definitely recommend it, especially for people who like chicken more than beef. I thought it was delicious, although I personally prefer beef. The pho was served with a plate of bean sprouts, lime wedges, and basil leaves, as well as some cut up chilies, which I like better than the whole chilies that most pho places give you. I wouldn't mind eating here again, but I should note that my husband wasn't impressed so it's not a place for everyone. 

Overall: ⭐️⭐️½

Despite the food being different and enjoyable, this place is really not designed to be baby friendly and the service doesn't help improve the situation.

Emma's Country Kitchen

I'm not sure how relevant this post is because the beloved (by me) Emma's Country Kitchen has officially closed. Not all sad news! It is relocating to a larger location just down the street. At the time of announcement, though, they didn't have an official reopening date and I couldn't bear to go so long without their buttermilk biscuits, so I decided to come in for brunch with my little one. 

Restaurant: Emma's Country Kitchen

Location: Corso Italia

Meal: Brunch

Day: Wednesday

Son's Age: 13 weeks

Weekdays here are vastly different from weekends in that I had my choice of table (in theory), whereas on weekends there is typically a line going out the door. The restaurant itself is very charming and somehow distinctly feels like a live action version of Diner Dash - while waiting in line, there are newspapers on the counter to read and you can order something to drink while you're waiting. Also, on weekends they have the most fantastic donuts with unusual flavours like maple bacon or cookies 'n' cream. I digress, of course, because as I am describing their weekends, this particular visit was firmly in the middle of the week.

Accessibility: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I said earlier that I had my pick of table in theory. This is because I still came with my baby in a stroller so the fine print is that I needed to sit at a table where my stroller wouldn't block the aisle. Luckily, this was not a problem. 

I had no issues navigating the stroller to my table. The washroom also had a change table available. 

Unfortunately, I removed a star because the single washrooms are quite small (hopefully this will be corrected at the new location), so I could not fit the stroller into the washroom and also use the change table. Luckily, the staff is very friendly (more on that later) so I felt comfortable leaving my stroller outside while I brought my son's car seat into the washroom. 

Service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Whenever I come to Emma's, I always see the same two ladies working here, and the last time I was here I was visibly pregnant and was told that I absolutely must bring my baby in once I'd given birth. When I walked in the door, I was a bit disappointed to see that neither of them were working, and a gentleman I had never seen was my server. Luckily, it appears that they are quite consistent in hiring pleasant servers, because he was extremely friendly and helpful. At one point, I had to breastfeed my son, but I was still hungry, so I fed him under a cover cradling him with one arm and continued to eat my brunch with my other. The couple at the next table were visibly uncomfortable and quickly scarfed down their food and bolted. This has nothing to do with the restaurant, of course, but I mention it because I started feeling ashamed about it for a split second, even thoigh breastfeeding is natural and no one should be embarrassed to feed their baby in public. My shame quickly subsided when my server pleasantly came by to refill my coffee as if everything was normal, also asking if I needed anything else, and noted that I was still working on my plate. It seems like such a small thing but it made me feel infinitely better. Once I had finished eating, he followed me to the door and held it open so I could push the stroller out. The experience was a perfect example of excellent service. 

Food: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you didn't figure it out from my intro, I love the food here. As soon as they reopen, you need to come here immediately. I ordered the break-wich sandwich and a side of watermelon salad. 

The photo does not do it justice. This place has the best buttermilk biscuits ever; it's as if they melt in your mouth. The sandwich is customizable, and I had mine with an over easy eggs, bacon, and cheddar cheese. The watermelon salad had mint, cucumber, feta cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette, and it perfectly hit the spot on such a hot summer day. Bonus points: the coffee is bottomless. 

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½

Obviously, I love this place. I'm sad that they are closed, even if only temporarily. This restaurant has amazing food and amazing service, which I'm sure will carry over to the new location. The only thing that needs improvement is the size of the washroom, so hopefully this will be fixed after the move, but if not, it wasn't a particularly large hindrance on my overall experience. Keep an eye out - they should be reopening in August.