Egg & Co.: Pleasantly Surprised

What is it about brunch places these days? Everyone and their dog have been opening up brunch spots around Vancouver lately. I’m not talking about breakfast joints… no, brunch is an entirely different kind of beast. Previously only reserved for Sundays and special holidays, brunch has somehow managed to worm into our everyday culture to the point where restaurants now offer up brunch all day, seven-days-a-week.

I dropped by for a visit to Egg & Co. in early December with a bit of trepidation… I’ve been burned one too many times at so-called brunch specialty spots that over-charge for their stylish ‘gram-worthy interiors but fail to deliver on food quality. Having arrived just after 8am on a weekday, I noticed that I was the only one here. The server mentioned that it gets busier on the weekends but I didn’t mind the lack a 45-min lineup (something that you can expect at the more popular brunch spots).

I know this place is called “Egg & Co.” but I decided to try their Chicken & French Toast ($15) along with an order of Hot Chocolate ($4). Their fusion-twist is they use chicken karaage along with bacon, shredded nori, sriracha mayo and maple syrup so it’s kind of an east-meets-west in terms of flavours.

The French toast was quite soft which contrasted nicely with the crisp pieces of boneless chicken and each bite had a noticeable spicy kick from that mayo. Not to be outdone, the two pieces of bacon were also nice and crispy. But seriously, the crackling of the chicken skin is what sells this dish. Personally, I felt the strips of nori weren’t needed and actually distracted from a fairly solid dish and the French toast could have used more egg.

As I was pleasantly surprised by my first visit here, I decided for a return visit and dropped by in the new year… this time on a weekend morning. Sure enough, it was busier here but there was no wait at 9:30am. I grabbed another Hot Chocolate ($4) with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle and ordered the Crab and Lemon Hollandaise Benedict ($19).

The good part of this dish is definitely the egg.. I asked for soft poached and it came out with a perfectly runny yolk. The Benedict itself was a bit basic (aside from having real crab). You get a big helping of potatoes but they could have used more crisping up on the exterior as well as more seasoning. There’s definitely potential here but dish just seemed a bit “plain” and needed something to elevate it from being “basic” to “really good”.

Overall, the service is pretty friendly here and I like the fact that I didn’t have to wait 45 minutes to get in (we’ll see if that lasts). The food is pretty good but could use a bit of refining.

4245 Fraser St
Vancouver, BC

eggandco.ca

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