Great Brunch in London. Caravan, London

Do you feel, some days everyday, like a chicken with its head cut off? Productivity is not an easy thing to master. Especially at the pace life goes at today. With technology, smart phones and social media, it is sooo easy to be constantly pulled in a million different directions. Do you feel like you are always busy, but at the same time, feeling like you're not accomplishing much? I know I did. ALL THE TIME.

I've realized that being productive and feeling good about what you accomplished is not about how much you get done but what you get done. I've made a conscious effort the last few months to do the things that matter most, by focusing on the tasks that go the longest way. Tasks that will help me reach my end goal. When you slowly knock off the tasks that keep you moving forward, you will start to feel good about what you are accomplishing.

Stay Focused.

If you don't stay focused on what matters, you get distracted with busy work. Pick the top 3 things you absolutely need to get accomplished for the day and focus on them until they are done. Everything else should be non-existent until these things are done. I'm not saying to stop feeding your kids and neglect your household chores but DO Focus on One Big Task at a Time and get them done.

Do The Things You Don't Want to Do.

The things you don't want to do are likely the things that are most important. Why? Because they are mentally taxing or because it requires work. It's so easy to get distracted by small tasks that are easy to complete, but don't amount to a whole lot of result. Start with the things you dread. They are usually the most important tasks. 


Just Get It Done.



Deal with it and move on. It can't get any simpler than that :)

Being productive starts with a good breakfast. And with that thought, here is an awesome brunch place I found in London that is now a new favorite. They have amazing food and amazing coffee! If you can't easily get there, enjoy the photos :)

Caravan roasts their own coffee, in small batches, in the basement of the restaurant. Their coffee was exceptional: no after taste, just the right temperature and a great balance of bitter and fruitiness.

They have a great brunch menu that focuses on seasonal ingredients. The ham hock hash with poached eggs was to die for and their orange scented pancakes were perfectly fluffy. Be prepared to wait for a table if going for brunch. It's a really popular spot.

Cappuccino

Ham Hock Hash, Poached Eggs, Peas and Honey Mustard Hollandaise

Caravan Fry Up: Two eggs, Roasted Tomatoes, Streaky Bacon and Thyme Roasted Portobello Mushrooms

Baked Eggs, Tomato and Pepper Ragout, Greek Yogurt and Chorizo

Orange Scented Pancakes, Vanilla Butter and Blueberries

Caravan Restaurant & Bar
11-13 Exmouth Market
London, UK
Telephone: 0207 833 8115

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Sunday Brunch at Canvas Resto-Bar-Etc, Ottawa

I hadn't heard anything about Canvas Resto-Bar-Etc for a longggg time, so we decided to go check it out for Sunday brunch. A good mid-priced place for brunch, Canvas serves food that you would prepare in your own kitchen. The food is not overly greasy and they don't try to overdo it with extra bacon, cheese or sugar. It is just good wholesome food.

In the summertime, the windows are all open in fresco style, which gives the place a nice airy feel.
Instead of bread before your meal, a sharing fruit platter is served.

The huevos rancheros, surprisingly, was a light dish. It was two eggs served on tortilla with bean puree, aged cheddar, queso fresco, chipotle salsa, avocado, cilantro, with a side salad.

Their nicoise salad was served with thick slices of seared sashimi grade albacore tuna, which was a nice change from the canned tuna you normally see.

The special of the day was apple pancakes with cinnamon butter. The apple pancakes were very dense, and the cinnamon butter just slightly sweet.

Huevos Rancheros

Grilled Albacore Tuna Nicoise Salad

Bistro Tenderloin Burger with Caramelized Onion, Ancho Chili BBQ Sauce, Cream Cheese & Aioli

Apple Pancakes with Cinnamon Butter and Home Fries

Fruit Platter

Canvas Resto-Bar-Etc

65 Holland Avenue

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Telephone: 613-729-1991

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Glammed Up Pork Belly, Poutine and Pulled Pork at Odile, Ottawa (Gatineau)

Dutch Baby

This dutch baby, offered on the brunch menu, should be reason enough for you to visit Odile. A fluffy crepe souffle bowl filled with warm baked apples, melt in your mouth pork belly, sharp aged cheddar, drizzled with a thick sweet maple syrup. Drooling yet?

Odile, a follow on restaurant to Marysol Foucalt's Edgar, is just as charming but with a more grown up feel. Although very similar in menu options, Odile feels a bit more sophisticated and refined. Unlike Edgar, Odile is also open for dinner.

While the menu changes weekly, you can expect to see dishes like duck confit poutine with rabbit jus or pulled pork with cornbread cubes and cheese stuffed pepper on their brunch menu.

Duck Confit Poutine with Rabbit Jus, Gouda, Poached Eggs and Fingerling Potatoes

Cornbread, Pulled Pork, Avocatdo, Cheese Stuffed Pepper and Poached Eggs

Odile
47 Avenue Montclair
Gatineau, Quebec Canada
Telephone: 819-205-4425

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Brother Juniper's Restaurant Serves Up One of the Best Breakfasts in Memphis

One of the best places for breakfast in Memphis is Brother Juniper's Restaurant. You are guaranteed to be satisfied here. Here are 5 easy reasons why:

1. It's got a great casual vibe.
2. The food comes in large portions.
3. The ingredients are always fresh.
4. The service is extremely friendly.
5. The restaurant entrance houses original paintings by local artist George Hunt, an extremely talented mixed media artist who has managed to stay somewhat under the radar despite the popularity of his art (one of his paintings was displayed in the White House and private collectors of his art include Eddie Murphy and Anthony Quinn).

One thing you have to be careful in Memphis is that their soy milk is always a sweetened vanilla soy milk...even at Starbucks. Opt for regular milk if you prefer an unsweetened soy milk. Love the retro mug!

Latte

Whether or not you are a Rachel Ray fan, the breakfast labelled her favorite is really good! The San Diegan open face omelete sits on a bed of sour cream topped with portobellos, tomatoes, bacon, green onions, feta and cheddar cheese. You have a choice of cheese grits, homefries, toast or biscuit as your sides. Sprinkle some of their secret blend hot sauce on this omelet and you'll be laughin.

San Diegan Open Face Omelet

If you want something satisfyingly filling, try their potato dishes. They are huge bowls of home fries tossed with lots of cheese and various toppings.  A favorite is P2 served with gyro meat, mushrooms, tomatoes, mozzarella, & feta cheese. For sides, you have a choice between biscuit or toast.

Potato Dish with Gyro Meat

Brother Juniper's Restaurant

3519 Walker Avenue

Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Telephone: 901-324-0144

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Edgar, Ottawa (Gatineau)

Edgar is truly a gem. The moment you walk in, you'll feel a great vibe. Although the staff and menus are in French, you won't be judged if you prefer to speak English. The staff at Edgar are incredibly friendly and extremely attentive to their customers.

Here is how it all started. A few years ago, Marysol Foucalt, now owner of Edgar, was known as a food blogger at her blog She Eats Bears. Then in 2010, she decided to open up a restaurant. With her years of experience in the food industry combined with a lot of dedication and hard work, Edgar instantly became a success. So much so, she has opened a second restaurant, Odile, just a few minutes from the original restaurant.

Brunch is a must here. Their menu is small (just like the place) and changes weekly. The dutch baby crepe souffle with pork belly and apple compote is a great choice if you want salty and sweet. If you don't feel like brunch, their soups, sandwiches and pastries are always available. Try the beignet du citron, you won't regret it. Oh, and their coffee is good. Really really good.

Forestier - poached eggs, Toulouse sausage, mushrooms, bacon, potatoes and brussel sprouts.

Huevos rancheros - tortilla, eggs, salsa, guacamole, black beens, cheese, potatoes and side salad

Beignet du Citron

Edgar

60 rue Bégin

Gatineau, Quebec, Canada

Telephone: 819-205-1110



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Griffintown Cafe, Montreal

Wow, so I haven't been excited about a place like this in a long time! I have to admit, I'm pretty uninspired with what is out there. Don't get me wrong, there is lots of good food out there, but I think that is exactly what the problem is. It is so hard to set yourself apart these days because EVERYONE does it well.

What I love about Griffintown Cafe is that this place has got soul and character! Not only is the food great, but they've really created this atmosphere that isn't easy to replicate. This place has got this old funky saloon type feel that makes it a lot of fun. They are open for lunch, weekend brunch, and dinner, and have live music three nights a week.

Fresh cold water was served in Bulleit Bourbon bottles. I loved the idea and want to do that at my house. Like I said, they make it fun!

I ordered the huevos divorciados with corn tortillas, poached eggs, cheddar cheese, black beans, avocado, Mexican crema, and salsa verde y roja. For an extra $2, you can add pulled pork which is well worth your money. I was absolutely in heaven with this dish. It was substantial, flavorful, fresh, and absolutely DELICIOUS!

Huevos Divorciados

The eggs were cooked rare, and it was a perfect dish to mix up and eat all mushed together. I was so satisfied with my dish that I didn't even look at anyone else's, which is rare for me. I always have food envy and want to try every dish on the table, but not this time. I was faithful to my dish.

Huevos Divorciados

S and P had the eggs benedict served on home baked biscuits with hollandaise, potatoes and mixed green salad. S had hers with homemade bacon.

Eggs Benedict with Homemade Bacon

 And P had her eggs benny with house cured organic salmon.

Eggs Benedict with Salmon

J opted for something sweet and had the brioche french toast with bourbon, vanilla bean, cinnamon fresh berries, sweet cream and maple syrup.

Brioche French Toast

Griffintown Cafe

1378 Notre Dame Ouest

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Telephone: 514-931-5299

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Margot Cafe and Bar, Nashville

Margot Cafe and Bar

Hope everyone had a great Canada Day! And if you're in the US, Happy 4th of July! I just got back from an awesome but tiring trip to Europe, so CK and I just laid low and took it easy.

We watched movies and vegged out on the couch with a bag of my new favorite chips: PC Loads of Ketchup Chips. You've gotta try them! Absolutely mind blowing how much seasoning is on those ketchup chips. The other flavors don't live up to expectations, but the ketchup is awesome!

My post this week features a great brunch spot in Nashville called Margot Cafe and Bar. Situated in a renovated 1930's building, Margot's is a lively ecclectic restaurant where people flock to every Sunday morning for brunch.

The menu changes often, offering fresh dishes that are rustic French and Italian influenced.

Margot Cafe and Bar

While waiting for a seat, we all started with some bubbly. Between the 6 of us, I think we pretty much ordered every bubbly offered on the menu. My favorites were elderflower, scarlett (blood orange), rhubarb, and the bellini. As you can imagine, we were all very 'happy' by the time we were seated.

I was craving Italian cold meats badly that day, and made sure every one of my dishes had it. To start, I ordered the sopressata with radish, celery, & pecorino salad. The salad was just simply delicious.

Sopressata with Radish & Celery

My main meal was poached eggs on tuscan toast with asparagus and no hollondaise. To satisfy my taste buds, I also added prosciutto to the dish. The prosciutto was fatty, tender, and slightly thicker than what I was used to, but really good. When I asked the waitress about it, she informed us that it was brought over from Italy.

Poached Eggs with Asparagus and Prosciutto

Just as I was about to cut into my food, the waitress brought over a jar of a green secret sauce that she recommended me eating with my eggs. The secret sauce was a jalapeno sauce with sea salt. It was a refreshing mild sauce that went really well with my brunch.

Jalapeno Sauce

For starters, CK ordered the pastry plate: cinnamon pecan sticky bun, coffee cake, and a housemade biscuit

Cinnamon Pecan Sticky Bun, Coffee Cake, Home Made Biscuit

For his main meal, he continued with his sugar theme and ordered the cornmeal pancakes with strawberries & warm maple syrup. These were fantastic: warm, fragrant, and comforting.

Cornmeal Pancakes with Strawberries

Our cousin, K ordered the sugar snap peas & ricotta crepes with mint gremolata.

Sugar Snap Peas & Ricotta Crepes

One thing I loved about Margot's was their beautiful China. Eating and drinking out of beautiful dishes puts a smile on my face...it really is the little things in life.

Tea

For dessert, our table shared the home made strawberry ice cream served with a pizelle. After taking a small bite, I totally regretted not ordering my own.

Home Made Strawberry Ice Cream

Margot Cafe and Bar
1017 Woodland Street
Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Telephone: 615-227-4668

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L'Avenue, Montreal

I have a slight problem in my relationship...I LOVE brunch, but my husband does not! Whenever we plan to go for brunch, we always end up arguing because of his lack of interest for the meal. How can one not get excited about brunch??? To me, it just doesn't make any sense.

This is how our conversation went:

Me: "So, what do you feel like for brunch?"
CK: "I don't care."
Me: "You don't care? You've got to be in the mood for something!"
CK: "I hate brunch, you know that."
Me: "How can you hate brunch? Who hates brunch!?"
CK: "I don't like eggs, bacon or sausages so that doesn't leave me with much. The menu is always the same...."

I'm not sure why I can't accept the fact that he doesn't like brunch, but I can't. It's insane to me. After going back and forth for a while, we FINALLY decided on L'Avenue, a hip little joint in the Plateau area. Luckily, we love dining out together, so in the end, that's what really mattered.

When you first walk into the place, it almost has a funky club like feel. There is loud music playing in the background, and the front of the resto has a graffiti'd wall with a motorcycle hanging off the ceiling.

They have an extensive menu with both breakfast and lunch choices. Make sure you brush up on your French because they do not have English menus. The wait staff are all very nice and are willing to translate if needed.

The menus also had a funky feel to them. To me, it resembled a record album.

Menu at L'Avenue

After waiting outside in line for 30 minutes, we were finally able to order.

To start, I ordered a cafe au lait. I was pleasantly surprised at the size of my coffee. The cup was massive. What can be better than to start a Sunday morning with a caffeine overload.

Cafe au Lait

I debated between a few options, and ended up with the chorizo II eggs benedict. This was served with hollondaise sauce and pieces of sauteed chorizo, onions, red peppers, and potatoes. On the side were garlic & herb potatoes and a fruit kebab. What I loved was that the eggs were poached perfectly! Soft and super runny...just the way I like it. I highly recommend this dish. A perfect salty/spicy combination.

Chorizo II

The fruit kebab came with cantoloupe, honey dew, grapefruit, banana, pineapple, and watermelon.

Fruit Kebab

CK ordered the french toast with strawberries, bananas, and blueberries. It was fresh, light, and delicious! This dish was massive. CK got a little embarrassed when it arrived because everyone was staring at how huge it was.

French Toast with Strawberries, Bananas, and Blueberries

We were both insanely stuffed - and satisfied - by the end of our meal.

L'Avenue
922 Avenue du Mont-Royal Est
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Telephone: 514-523-8780

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