I met up with my maid of honour on a beautiful Saturday to grab brunch before checking out bridesmaid dresses. This was the best plan. To have an indulgent meal before trying on dresses, a true dress rehearsal for the wedding reception. Even though we were on a tight schedule and knew that Emma’s Country Kitchen didn’t take reservations, every bite was worth being 10 minutes late.

Atmosphere: At 1pm on a Saturday, the restaurant was busy. There was a steady line of diners queued up that consisted of families with small children and regulars assuring their guest the wait would would be worth it. The dining room itself was small, cosy, seated about 30 people with only one or two large tables. We ended up sitting at the front window and baked in the sun. Despite the line outside, we didn’t feel rushed and the meal was relaxed.

Service: While not the most efficient, I did appreciate that the servers took their time to check in on diners, and let everyone enjoy their meal at a comfortable pace. If I hadn’t been in such a rush, I wouldn’t have been scouting how long a table took to be cleared. Our server was very friendly, food arrived quickly and it was easy to settle your bill at the counter at your own leisure. I loved that you were able to get a cup of coffee while waiting for a table. Major plus point.

Food: After enjoying a cup of coffee in line, I ordered a glass of fresh grapefruit juice to go along with my meal (and many more cups of coffee). My friend and I made the smart decision to split a savoury and sweet plate. Our savoury dish was The Classic with two eggs over easy, sage and onion sausage and upgraded to a buttermilk biscuit for $1.50. This was one of the best buttermilk biscuits I’ve ever eaten, rich and flakey, just perfect for soaking up egg yolk. The sausage patties were generously seasoned and had a deep sage flavour. Really, every part of the plate was heavenly from the herbed red-skin potatoes to the perfect eggs. Writing this review is making me drool.

The second half of our meal was a stack of fluffy Fall Flapjacks, spiced pumpkin pancakes with roasted walnuts and toffee served with maple syrup and whipped honey citrus butter. It was as good as it sounds. The pancakes were fluffy, not too dense and moist with a strong pumpkin flavour. There’s no doubt that lots of real pumpkin was used. I loved the slight acidity of the citrus butter that complimented the many sweet components like toffee. Every other bite also had a wonderful walnut crunch. Although “Fall” is in the name of this menu item, I’d order it all year around. Also, I can’t wait to see what Emma’s Country Kitchen comes up with for the upcoming seasons! Peppermint Chocolate? Eggnog?

Somehow, I always have bananas in my freezer. This recipe from Allrecipes.com, with the addition of cinnamon, is a perfect use for them and makes a dozen moist and fluffy pancakes, perfect for soaking up maple syrup. A dozen pancakes is a lot for one or two people. I like to make them on a Sunday morning, eat my fill and store the rest for the week. They keep well and make for an easy breakfast heated up in a toaster.

Banana Pancakes

2014-06-21 15:13:19

Yields 12

Fluffy banana pancakes, great to make ahead and freeze for a week's worth of breakfast.

Write a review

Save Recipe

Print

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

15 min

Total Time

25 min

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

15 min

Total Time

25 min

Ingredients

1. 1 cup all-purpose flour
2. 1 tbsp white sugar
3. 2 tsp baking powder
4. 1/4 tsp salt
5. 1 tsp ground cinnamon
6. 1 egg
7. 1 cup milk (we used lactose free milk for the BF who's lactose sensitive)
8. 2 tbsps vegetable oil
9. 2 bananas
10. 1 tbsp butter to cook with

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
2. In separate bowl or plate, mash the bananas.
3. In another bowl whisk the egg and add in the milk, oil and mashed bananas.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix them all together into a wet batter.
5. Keep your pan at medium heat, adding a small pat of butter between each set of pancakes.
6. Ladle the batter into the pan, ~1/4 of a cup for each scoop and cook until bubbles start forming. Flip the pancake and cook until the pancake rises and both sides are golden.

Adapted from allrecipes.com

Adapted from allrecipes.com

xiaoEats | Toronto Food Blog http://xiaoeats.com/

Step by Step Photos

Assemble your ingredients

Combine the dry ingredients

Mash the bananas and whisk the egg

Add oil to the whisked egg

Add the milk

Add mashed bananas and whisk together

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and whip together into a batter

Heat the pan on medium, add butter and ladle the batter into the pan