Dining Out

French Treat

By Kelly Gray

Tucked away on Lilac Street off Corydon Ave sits a little piece of France. The Frenchway is a 35-seat (possibly another 25 seats on the warm weather patio) bakery café on the edge of old Crescentwood. Frenchway's menu is dedicated to classic pastry, world-class baguettes, and breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes inspired by la flair Français.

The menu is focused. The breakfast, brunch and lunch list offers just 25 items. Also, there are daily soup specials and takeaway selections from the display case of incredible classic French pastry treats such as éclairs, tarts and gateaux, as well as macaroons and croissants.

Dishes are ample, and many of the items are vegetarian-friendly. For example, the Pharaoh’s Vacation on the breakfast list offers two poached eggs on hummus with roasted red pepper, zucchini and pickled onion alongside hash browns and baguette. The Brunch menu is all about crêpes with both sweet and savoury items. We thought the crêpe with Amaretto pear, salted caramel cream cheese and toasted almonds looked like a good bet for our next date at the café.

Lunch is a five-choice selection of sandwiches such as ‘The Dillionaire,' an item with chicken breast, dill Havarti, pickles and honey dill chips on a honey dill croissant. Lunch also features a black bean veggie burger with avocado, corn salsa and pickled jalapeño on a sweet potato bun.

We popped in during a busy lunch service and ordered off the breakfast / brunch menu. I had a Turf Benedict (local ham, Swiss cheese and mushrooms). The Hollandaise was inspired, and Frenchway’s use of Nature Farm eggs delivered a full-flavour yolk poached to perfection. My companion had the ‘Yam’ - That’s a Good Breakfast Sandwich. Here, the kitchen created a delicious sweet potato bun that held egg, cheddar, and tomato, with a slathering of Sriracha aioli. The café’s signature French roast coffee was a perfect accompaniment.

The dining room is cozy and light-filled, with large windows looking out to Lilac Street. And despite being packed for lunch, the sound volume was manageable. Overall, brunch was an enjoyable experience, made all the better thanks to our takeaway pastry box (a delightful Mille Feuille and a Salted Carmel Chocolate Tart) that allowed us to continue our France-inspired sojourn well into the afternoon.

Open Tuesday through Sunday till 3:00 PM. Visit www.frenchway.ca for more information.