L’Ouvrier

*The restaurant itself was bright and sunny on a Sunday afternoon. The décor was minimalistic and is complemented by mismatched china cups, a few local artwork with hot pink accents here and there.
*The menu isn’t your typical standard eggs benny that you would find in other restaurants, however there was nothing on the menu that made me say «Ohh I can’t wait to try that!».
*The service was great at the beginning but toward the rush brunch hour our server was nowhere to be seen.
*the portion does not reflect said price, it is really small and most likely will not fill you up if you are hungry.
–Potato Rosti (smoked lovell spring trout, sour cream, arugula, fried shallots, capers) — $ 14
Seriously though, this dish should have been renamed as Arugula Salad garnished with potato and trout. I felt like a rabbit that day and was still quite hungry after the brunch.
The potato pancake was crispy on the bottom and soft within, lightly salted which complimented the soft trout perfectly. Whole capers tend to be salty so I appreciated that they crushed the capers instead, which didn’t make the dish overly-​salted. The sour cream was a nice touch to balance out the dish, but the arugula salad was drenched in balsamic vinegar dressing so toward the end, I felt the whole dish was a bit too. vinegar-​ish.
–Tuna tartare (nori chips, soy glaze, picked ginger, spicy aioli, sesame cucumber) — $ 14
the lightly salted nori chips were the perfect vessel for the fresh tuna, except that they were easy to break. The pickled ginger and spicy aioli were not too overwhelming and overall it is a must order dish.
–Fresh baked scones, preserves, alliston creamery butter — $ 5.5
The scones lean toward the sweeter side with a hint of lemon citrus, and I thought it would have been nice if they were still warm, nonetheless the scone was still moist inside. Instead of preserves or jam, I got maple (?) syrup instead which was a bit strange. However the butter was unsalted and melted quickly on the tongue and I found it had a slight cheese-​like, almost sour aroma that dissipated into a fairly standard cream flavor.

Pleasant spot. Slightly above average brunch but a good atmosphere. The service was very slow. It took about 15 minutes to get our coffees which were cold and the food about 40 minutes. We came at 1:00 PM on a Saturday so busy… but not too bustling.
I don’t think I will come back. There are definitely more interesting and good service brunch spots that Toronto has to offer.

What a beautiful spot and so spacious! The place was pretty hoppin on a saturday afternoon, but we didn’t have to wait too long for a table. Our server was very friendly and service was efficient (i.e i dropped my knife on the ground and a server immediately picked it up and replaced it with a new one, james bond stylez).
I ordered the smoke salmon on a potato rosti and it was pretty good. Everything on the dish complemented each other very well and the potato rosti was really crispy and flavourful (i just wish there was more of it!). I really liked how the capers were crushed/​mashed as I typically find solid capers too salty on their own.

PROs:
— The décor is super cute! Love the pink and white theme! Definitely can see why it would be considered a perfect place for brunch
— Very friendly server and hostess
— Wait was less than 10 minutes at around 12:30 on a Saturday
— Food was good. Not great. But good.
CONs:
— There was nothing on the menu that really makes you say, «Ooh, I want to try that!» =(There are so many awesome brunch places in Toronto that throw you into a dilemma because there are a myriad of amazing choices. At L’Ouvrier, I was also in a dilemma — but only because I had a hard time deciding what would be worth trying.
— Just as another reviewer mentioned, the potato rosti is too small! GAHHH! WHY DIDN’T I TRUST MY FELLOW Unilocal REVIEWER?! For $ 14, it just wasn’t enough. (I saw another review from March stating it was $ 11. Hmm.) Presentation of the dish also wasn’t practical for eating. I can see now why the server suggested adding eggs to the dish for a surcharge. Sigh.
Meh. There is too much brunch awesomeness in Toronto to make me want to go back.

Always amazing staff, delicious food, great coffee. Hidden gem on Dundas for brunch, can’t wait to go back (every Saturday)

What a cutie! I love the way this fair size restaurant doesn’t squeeze you in between two parties. You have the luxury or plenty of space and don’t feel your conversation is joining someone else’s.
Our group was all over the place in terms of food, I think with the 5 of us, we essentially were able to try everything off of the menu and it was really tasty. Also, apparently (despite me venturing towards something else) the chocolate cake for dessert is worth a trip alone.
Little tip: while you’re searching for the restaurant, whip your binoculars out — the sign is on the bottom of the building and you may not spot instantly.

We went for brunch on a Saturday just by walking the hood. What a great discovery.
Happy service. Mellow doo wap music.
Reasonable prices.
Oh yeah! The food.
Amazing home fries like a ton of them.
The grilled cheese and brisket sand which — par excellence.
Gotta rush back for more. Au revoir.

Cute place, reminds me of some cafes I went in Montréal. On a nice sunday morning, we went and ordered: potato rosti, french toast, scones, and french pressed coffee.
The portions are small…
so my potato rosti was about a 4×4 square, with heaping arugula salad and a circle around of smoked salmon. it was delicious but at sunday noon and trying to cure a hangover… not enough food. hubby’s french toast was good, it had 3 pieces of thick bacon… all SOAKED in maple syrup.. i mean it’s good if you like that kinda thing. i didn’t so I didn’t even touch that.
In the end I was hungry… So i got scones in the end to dip in my coffee. they were nice, served with butter and orange marmalade.
in the end, the waitress said i did a good job and ate a lot of food… :(im sorry i eat a lot of food. I was still hungry but was too ashamed to order anything else… Self-​esteem gone.
p. s. please never tell your female customers they ate a lot of food… this is the second place it happened to me.

Went for a Saturday brunch around 12 and got a table right away which is a great start. The atmosphere is really minimal European feeling. I ordered the potato rosti with trout and arugula, then added 2 eggs. Very good and not too heavy but not too light either. The wifey had the grilled cheese brisket. It was also good but too heavy for our brunch preferences, seems more like a proper lunch dish.

L.O.V.E.
Came here for a cute date night and LOVED it. The space is beautiful — has a great french country home feel. The service was attentive (although it took a little while to get our bill).
The FOOD. So much deliciousness. The tartare was spectacular. The Tuna Tataki was fresh, the agnalotti was perfection with the dill, and the dessert was NOMZ.
Go here. You will love it!

This has got to be my best Summerlicious meal ever! Service was great and inviting as soon as we walked in, and the food– they tasted as good as they looked, and they looked like works of art.
We were a party of 4 and went on a Thursday night, they were at half capacity. The décor was classy and clean. Unlike many other restaurants, we appreciated the fact that their tables were spaced out so we could not touch the patrons next to us.
We ordered a picture-​perfect white gazpacho, beef tartare, and a tasty summer salad. For mains I had the tuna and my friends had the pork shoulder. Both were amazing. Dessert were so pretty, and so thoughtfully put together. We had the flourless chocolate cake with burnt meringue, cheese plate, and and exquisite bowl of strawberries and cream with mini meringues and a light sorbet. We can’t wait to go back ans check out their regular brunch menu!

Love this place! The ambiance of the restaurant is so cool and their food is always so inventive and imaginative! Always a hit every time I go! The staff is always really nice. Really one of my favourite restaurants!

What a great unassuming place this is. To be honest, I could have walked by 100 times and not looked in. I’m so glad we stopped in on Friday and decided to try it. We toughly enjoyed our meal and the service was so very pleasant we came back on Sunday for brunch.
To start we had steak tartar, oysters and beet salad. The tartar was very flavourful, the beet salad just so beautiful to look at and it tasted even better. If there was one criticism it would be that we prefer our oysters at a colder temperature.
Our mains were the agnalotti and the tuna tataki. This pasta was one of my favourites, better than most Italian restaurants we’ve been too. The tuna stole the show this evening. It was a playful recreation of a traditional pub style fish n’ chips.
You’d think we’d have no room for dessert but couldn’t pass up the baked Alaska. Very decadent and was perfect to share and end the evening with.

The space is open, bright and very white. There is a lot of space and a lot of privacy between tables. It makes for a great setting for brunch and very different from the trend of very small, more intimate spots.
I would give them 4 stars for the scones alone; I could live on those scones. Reluctantly moving on, the menu is unique with a lot of options not typically found on a brunch menu in the city. I had the smoked guanciale, with a board of other options that was exceptional. I also loved the french pressed coffee. I look forward to trying more of the menu

A large and open room, with tables well spaced; A diversity of tastes occurred throughout the meal. Attentive wait staff; an unusual combination.
More specifically, the oysters were good but not quite cold enough. The production of Amuse Bouche was a nice touch. The roasted beets were well done. The Charcuterie had Bologna with American mustard, which took us by surprise. The albacore tuna, although expensive was lovely and we didn’t believe that the mushroom carbonara would top it, but it did. We also liked our side order of fries.
Food total was around $ 50 per head including tax.

Ordered potato rosti. It was amazing.
Basically it’s smoked salmon chunks, hash brown, crème fraîche, capers and with a heap of arugula.
It’s more like a salad than your regular dish. But great for $ 11!
And for $ 3 you get a medium sized French press full of coffee. Quite bold and aromatic blend too. You can definitely share that with at least 2 – 3 people
Could’ve used better décor for their place. Felt like I was eating in an abandoned, creepy Forever 21 with their mannequins and opaque white tables/​chairs. But maybe it’s their style.

This is definitely one of my new favourite brunch spots.
They smoke in-​house some of the best and most unique bacon I have had.
While it was traditional, I very much enjoyed the eggs, bacon and toast — they did it right.
My sister is obsessed with their French Toast. They don’t serve you large portions but she swears it is that good. I will need to try it the next time I go there.
This place is also unusual in that it is quite large, it does not get overly loud and you really feel like you have your own space to eat in peace, unlike most places in the city.
Our server was also quirky and very kind.
I have heard they serve dinner but have yet to try this out.

Had a very lovely early eve dinner on Saturday night at L’Ouvrier. I liked the dim lights and open space and the way the amazing music playlist (one of the servers’ we discovered later) contrasted with the modern, streamlined atmosphere. A place of culture clashes from my experience but a fun clash nonetheless.
Our «amuse bouche» was basically a high class potato skin w. bacon, crème fraîche and scallion. Something you’d order in a sports bar (and satisfies a certain craving to be sure) but here it is tiny and simple and two to a little silver plate.
For our mains my friend ordered a very standard looking «wellington county beef burger, house bacon, 3 year heritage cheddar, brioche bun» and fries ($ 18). She enjoyed it but when it arrived I thought the presentation looked very lackluster. I ordered the miso glazed mackerel, oysters, daikon, ginger dashi broth, radish, sesame, oyster mushrooms ($ 21) — this was absolutely delicious. Nearly licked the plate clean!
Post dinner we had digestifs in pretty little glasses but there was no room for dessert. Perhaps another time.
I couldn’t help thinking though… that space would be well served as a dance floor after dining hours (or even during on Fri/​Sat nights only perhaps). I put it in the suggestion box ear of our server who was in agreement — there being a perfect space behind the island near the back of the restaurant.

One of my friends raved about brunch at L’ouvrier, so I had to try it out for myself.
The décor was minimalist with predominantly white furniture and white walls.
We started with French pressed coffee ($ 3 per person). The coffee was good, and even better when served in a dainty pretty teacup.
Freshly baked scones ($ 6 for 2) — Nothing warms my heart more than freshly baked scones! At $ 3 apiece, these were a tad pricey, but highly enjoyable nonetheless.
Grilled cheese, aged cheddar, raisin-​walnut bread ($ 11) — This was, hands down, one of the most delicious grilled cheese that I’ve ever had. The best part was indisputably the walnut-​raisin bread. Slightly sweet, slightly crunchy, altogether a wonderful combination with the gooey, tangy cheese. I will be coming back for this one.
French toast, house smoked bacon, ontario maple syrup ($ 11) — I’m a huge fan of sweet and savoury, so the French toast with house smoked bacon seemed like the perfect choice. The toasts were thin-​cut and superbly crispy, topped with slabs of thick-​cut bacon. It was a good dish, though not as memorable as the grilled cheese.
All in all, brunch was fabulous at L’ouvrier. The food was delicious and the portions were just right, and I didn’t fall into a post-​brunch coma after the meal.

This is a cute little restaurant with questionable interior designs. I came here with a friend for brunch on a Sunday morning.
The first thing we ordered was French press coffee ($ 3 per person). It was my first time trying French press and it tastes like normal, good coffee to me.
Next, we ordered scones ($ 3 per scone) and it came with crème fraîche and strawberry jam. It was delicious! I highly recommend getting the scones. A little tip is to keep the crème fraîche and jam after finishing the scone so that you can use it for your French toast.
We both wanted to try their bacon so we had to order a dish with bacon in it and we settled for the French toast ($ 11). The other dish we shared was the grilled cheese sandwich. The grilled cheese sandwich ($ 11) was amazing. They used a raisin-​walnut bread so that the sweetness of the bread complements the savory of the cheese. The French toast was average but it tasted above average with the crème fraîche.
I can’t wait to come back to this restaurant to try their salads because they look refreshing.