1111 7 Street SW, Calgary

So this last weekend I decided to go to Calgary to meet up with some good old friends from High school, Amanda and Annemarie. Unfortunately I missed the grand opening of The Burger’s Priest and Crashed Ice in Edmonton, but it’s so hard to coordinate weekends where everyone is free. Oh well, there’s always another chance to eat! Anyways, I went to eat at a few places in Calgary, but I decided to keep it tame and only take pictures and write about one place. I opted for a nice brunch place called Laurier Lounge. It’s located downtown in Calgary, and it’s a really small and charming restaurant. The chefs and primarily all of the serving staff are from Quebec, so I had the chance to brush up on my french a little bit. It’s kind of like our local Café Bicyclette (Also a great place to try!), but a little bit nicer.

The outside kind of looks like a small house or cabin. It’s mostly decorated in red and kind of looks like Three Boars Eatery from the outside. When you walk in, you’re greeted by a narrow hallway that connects the kitchen, the upstairs, and a small dining area on the main floor. I’ve actually been here once before a few years ago, and it looks relatively the same, with the exception of an added patio dining area. It’s kind of small and quaint and I love the atmosphere of the place. Occasionally they have french music playing in the background and it’s just a great place to catch up with some old friends and relax.

Their menu is relatively simple. You have options of Eggs Benedict, crêpes, sandwiches/burgers, and salads. They change it up every so often, so it was different from the last time I was there. I decided to get the ‘Laurier Brunch Plate’ with the Pancetta Eggs Benedict because it comes with a little bit of everything! We were also a little bit hungover so we decided to treat ourselves to their poutine.

My friends did opt to get a drink to go with our brunch. This is called the Pink Sun. I had a sip of it to taste. It’s grapefruit juice, sparkling wine, and blackcurrant juice. I’m not really an expert on drinks but this one was nice and refreshing. I liked the table decor with the colour of the drink so I thought I’d add a picture! I opted to get a cup of coffee. After a short wait while sipping on our drinks, our food was on its way.

The Eggs Benedict were pretty standard compare to the other nice breakfast/brunch places that I’ve been. Nice crispy english muffin with a medium poached egg. The Hollandaise was on point and was rich and buttery and went perfectly to balance the saltiness of the pancetta. What really stood out for me was their hashbrowns. They thinly cut and really crisp and well seasoned. A little bit different from what I’m used to, but they were delightful. They had generous portions of bacon as well, which is always a nice added bonus. The star of the plate, however, was the homemade stuffed strawberry crêpes. These were amazing! They come served with whipped cream on top, and are stuffed with with a light custard-like sauce. The crêpe itself was light and fluffy and it was stuffed with a nice and smooth sauce. It was not overbearingly sweet and I’d definitely come back for just the crêpes.

This is a full order of their poutine. We might have been a little bit eye-hungry and maybe should have split a side poutine but everything smelt so good and we were so hungry when we came! Their fries are double blanched and served with Québec cheese curds (squeeky cheese, as I’ve often heard it being called), and gravy. It’s garnished with freshly chopped green onions and served piping hot. The fries were really good and crispy. Definitely pretty authentic and tasty québècois poutine! No complaints from me.

Breakfast/Brunch places are my jam, and finding a good place to go is always a plus. If you’re ever in Calgary early in the morning, I definitely recommend this place. It has a great homey atmosphere. We did have a small situation with our orders and bill but I think it was just minor issues with new staff. If you’re not sure what to get, the brunch plate is a great idea because it comes with a variety of dishes. If you’re from Québec and are a little bit homesick and want some good authentic french food, this is a good place to go. I really need to go back and try out their lunch and dinner because I heard the food is great too!