Breakfast Reviews 2019: Part Two

Blog No. 327

When I came up with this idea (to end every month with a breakfast review) I actually had, like, a plan and an order in mind. On the second one, I’m already shuffling it all around. The place I was intending as number two (to create a kind of narrative that started with number one) will have to wait as I didn’t manage to get there all month. I’ll save the details for when I finally get there, but for now, I’ll jump the queue and review a breakfast I did have this month.

Breakfast Spot Two: Anchor Coffee House

I’ve been going to Anchor Coffee House for several years. Maybe four? Maybe more? How long has the Huron Line location been open? Subtract a couple months off of that, and that’s about how long I’ve been going there. My mom told me about it, actually. She worked near by at the time and knew my desire for a good local cafe. I’ve written entire first drafts, edited manuscripts for other people, and generally taken up a seat at the bar for hours on end ‘writing’. I’ve also had a lot of good coffee and a lot of good food.

There have been many mornings where I don’t get up early enough to make breakfast (or are too lazy) when I was already going to Anchor, and decided to just get their breakfast sandwich there. It became a staple in my rotation over years of going, eating, and working. I’ve probably written more words there than any other single place. I’ve eaten a lot of sandwiches, too. Things have changed over the years. Suppliers have gone out of business, Anchor expanded into a place where they could make more of their items from scratch, and the ever evolving menu has found seasonal constants. I don’t like everything on the menu (some of my favourites have gone or changed) but the standards have never dropped and the people are always amazing. The thing I’ve had most is the breakfast bagel sandwich.

Step one, take a bagel (either from a reputable bagel establishment where they are fresh made daily, or make it yourself).
Step two, cut that thing in half.
Step three, cut a hard boiled egg in half, take some cheese and bacon (or ham if they have it) and put it in the middle of the two halves of the bagel.
Step five, now we’re getting somewhere
Step six, add the secret ingredient which is a mustard sauce made of dijon, yellow mustard, and mayo
Step seven, toast it all up on a panini press.
Serve with the best coffee going.

For a while, the sandwich was consistently ham and mustard, now they have switched to bacon. Most people will say I’m crazy, but I prefer the ham. The bacon is a good substitute, though. As for the mustard sauce, they have switched that out for a pesto mayo, which is not my thing. I wish I could say it’s good enough, but I’m not a fan. Thankfully, they do have the mustard from time to time, and when they do, I am likely to go for one of those tasty sandwiches for my breakfast. They do serve frittatas, yogert and granola, and a few other things, but I’m all about that Breakfast Bagel Sandwich. They do a good lunch too, but I’ll save that for a lunch review is these breakfast ones go well.

Overall, I’ll give Anchor’s Breakfast Bagel Sandwich three and a half stars. They get two for the bagel (good when from a local bagel shop, still good when made in house), one for the egg and cheese (hard boiled isn’t my go-to, but it works in this case) and a half because the coffee is so good. One star is taken away because they took away my mustard sauce, and half is because they made me say sandwich so much in this blog post. So really it’s four out of five.