Tips:
- There is free parking behind the eatery, but spots…read moreare limited. Otherwise, it's Green P parking along Kingston Road. You can also try parking for free along Walter Street.
- Book a reservation, especially when it's Mother's or Father's Day.
I met up with three friends for brunch on Sunday. I've known one since we were in grade 1. I became friends with the other two when we were in grade 7. All four of us were in the Extended French program in grade 7. Three of us dropped out by the time we got into high school together.
One friend lives in Hong Kong and was in town for two weeks. She asked me if I was free on Sunday. It was Father's Day, but I had seen my dad already in the morning and was going to return for dinner at night. I said yes. I'm glad that I did.
We had a reservation at The Kingston House for noon. It was my first time here. It used to be the Grover Exchange for many years.
It was fitting that we came here for bunch. It's a few blocks away from where we all attended high school.
I took backroads to get here. There was parking behind the eatery. I backed into a spot at around 11:45 am. Spaces are limited. There were five left.
I walked in and saw the Father's Day buffet spread. It looked good.
I stood waited to be seated. My friend who lives in Hong Kong was at the back of the restaurant and waved frantically at me.
One friend came in ten minutes after I had. She could only stay briefly. I was happy that she came for coffee and a good chat. I hadn't seen her since we graduated from high school.
My friend from grade 1 came in last. The TTC was on a Sunday schedule and she was late thanks to a bunch of detours. I hadn't seen her since we were undergraduates.
What is special about the Kingston House is that brunch goes until 4 pm. We stayed for almost four hours and staff did not kick us out.
We needed four hours to catch up. We picked up from where we all left off. It was nice.
The Father's Day buffet was $45 per person. It had pastries, salad, a roast beef carvery, two types of eggs benedict, mussels, french toast with berries, a chocolate fountain with fruit, and a whole lot more. It was impressive.
I will admit that I didn't gorge as much as I should have. I felt like my friends and I were in the same boat. Our conversation was so good that we almost had to nudge ourselves to eat!
I got a mimosa. It was $8 for the first one. If you wanted more, it was $5 each. Such a steal! I loved mine. It was refreshing, a bit bubbly, and yummy.
We got a lot of water refills. Staff were super patient, friendly, and attentive. I loved chatting with our female server, who went to Notre Dame High School down the street and was bummed out that she didn't have woodworking class there. Her brothers did at Neil McNeil.
Crazy how you come back to the Beaches, you talk to locals, and you feel like you still live there.
My first plate at the buffet consisted of mussels, peameal bacon benedict, bacon, and sausage. Everything was delicious.
My second place was full-on carbs. I wanted the french toast with berries, which was fantastic! Next to the french toast were bread pudding and apple crumble, which are two of my favourite desserts. I loved it all.
I got a huge scoop of potato salad. It was so good. I am a dill fan and this salad had a ton of dill that made me so happy.
I also felt the need to balance everything with a plate of fruit. I had pineapple, cantaloupe, and honeydew melon chunks. They were sweet and so good to finish off my meal.
I used the washroom twice, which was downstairs. It's an older building, so it's not great on the accessibility scale. The women's washroom was clean and spacious.
Downstairs had live jazz music happening. It was a nice touch. I got to check out two different acts performing while I was briefly down there.
There was also a full bar. I saw a pool table, but it was covered.
This downstairs area is used for various events. It's cozy and cool.
I briefly saw the patio. It was popular with all the dads and their families. We stayed inside, which I liked.
I paid with a credit card. I tapped and tipped. All was great.
I'd love to return and focus on the food! I felt that my food took a backseat. That's okay. It's not every day that you get to hang out with friends whom you haven't seen in eons in the neighbourhood in which you all grew up.
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