Byblos (Revisited) Montreal

Posted By Jennifer Ho May 06 2012 · 0 comments · Dining Out

Iranian Tea

Yes, the consensus is that brunch is one of the most hated courses among the majority of chefs. The thing is though, places that serve continental or Western style breakfasts have got it all wrong. Out with the boiled eggs, hash browns and sausages and in with grilled vegetables, feta eggs and healthy meat and veggie dips. Places like Byblos have managed to revitalize the way the meal is served and turned into one of my favorite spots to get some amazing late morning grub.

Eggplant, Spinach and Beet Borani

Starting the morning off right with a cup of Iranian tea sweetened with a little with a pebble of rock sugar, we eagerly dug into the trio of boranis – eggplant, spinach and beets. The beet has got to be my favorite one – I order it in some form every time I come here. It’s got this light, creamy consistency with small chunks of beets inside, pairing perfectly with a triangle of pita or sweet halva. Similarly, the trio of purees – chickpea, meat and chicken – were great with the breads. Heavier and more filling, these were fragrant and spiced well, a perfect order for those on the hungrier side. The eggplants were fresh, stuffed with tomatoes and onions and sprinkled with paprika. They had a great texture – this one was a real home run. Simple but delicious. The fish and spinach rolls were not bad – the crust was nice and flaky but the insides erred on the blander side of the spectrum.

Grilled Eggplant with Paprika, Tomatoes and Green Onions

Finally, the most anticipated dishes came to our table. The feta eggs and the date omelettes. And they were awesome. The feta eggs are whipped up super fine and served in a uniform texture that lays across the oval shaped dish. The feta is incorporated seamlessly in so that every bite has a distinct taste of the cheese. I’ve made my own versions at home before modeled on this one. And of course, Byblos wins. The date eggs are equally appetizing though are recommended for those who have a penchant for sweeter rather than saltier breakfast items. Dates are one of my favorite fruits, so this one I couldn’t resist.

Date Omelette

On the sweeter tip, we ordered a couple of homemade jams to eat with the bread: pineapple-ginger, nectarine-lime and rose. These were all feats of amazing deliciousness. Take a spoonful and drizzle it all over your bread and take a bite. Make sure to try to get some of the chunky pieces in there for a good kick of flavor. Be forewarned though, they can get quite sweet very quickly.

Homemade Jams: Rose, Pineapple-Ginger and Nectarine-Lime

For dessert, some of the most interesting items to me were the saffron-pistachio and mint-cucumber sorbets. Just hearing the server mention them got me excited and I had to try some even though it wasn’t even noon yet. They did not disappoint. The saffron gave the sorbet a rich yellow color and the pistachio was chopped up into sizeable chunks. The most memorable was the mint-cucumber sorbet – it had a very granular texture and reminded me very much of a granita. There were thinly sliced bits of cucumber that you could actually chew on, which was kind of cool.