Mildred’s Temple Kitchen Toronto

So, when you think of Liberty Village, what comes to mind? For me, the words “yuppie” and “bougie” take the forefront. You’ve got pricy home decor shops (fun to browse, I won’t lie), fitness gyms, smoothie bars and brunch restaurants all within a stone’s throw from one another. New residential condo projects surround the insular village and as a visitor, there isn’t much of a draw to the gentrified neighbourhood. One place that does make this place worth coming to is Mildred’s Temple Kitchen.

The restaurant has had its fair share of notoriety, notably when on Valentine’s Day in 2010, the owners encouraged customers to have sex in its bathrooms as part of a weekend promotion. This was, by the way, a hugely successful PR stunt that garnered attention internationally across the globe, featured in press from Portugal to China. The unisex bathrooms at Mildred’s aimed to transform habitually cramped and uncomfortable airplane bathroom sex into a more spacious and pleasant experience, with surprisingly relaxing airplane terminal audio (“Passengers on flight AC5325, please proceed to gate B53”, “Departure from Pearson to Charles de Gaulle, boarding in ten minutes”). The audio system in the bathrooms still play a similar soundtrack.

Fujian White Rose, Cream of Avalon Tea

Expect to wait at least 45 minutes for a table for two during the weekend brunch rush hour. Find a spot on the couch or at the bar if you can – you’re welcome to order a drink while you wait. We did just that, both times and in no time at all, we were seated. The Fujian white rose tea is light and perfumed whereas the Cream of Avalon is sweeter and heavier, with bergamot and caramel notes dominating.

Mimosa and Caesar

Of course if you want get a little boozy, mimosas and caesars are classic choices.

Buttermilk Biscuit and Currant Scone with Pear Blueberry Jam and Whipped Butter

If you’ve arrived for a late brunch and you haven’t eaten anything all day and you need a little sustenance to keep you going before you sit (clearly just talking about myself right now), the buttermilk biscuit and the currant scone might be just the thing. The biscuit is surprisingly tender and flaky and especially great when paired with the blueberry and pear jam. I slathered the currant scone with whipped butter and had to stop myself from picking at it to save room for later.

Mrs. Biederhof’s Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

So, a must have at Mildred’s are the blueberry buttermilk pancakes. If you look around, almost every table has a plate – we witnessed tables of three (or more) each with their respective dishes plus the pancakes to share… that is a lot of food. Not messing around here. Th pancakes are completely perfect, I’ll leave it at that. Salivate over the picture, then try it for yourself.

The Manhandler: Sliced striploin steak on toasted garlic sourdough with arugula & two eggs sunny side up

The Manhandler is the priciest dish on the brunch menu and for the most part, it’s worth it if you can swallow spending over $20 on brunch. Two sunny eggs on top of sliced striploin streak with garlic sourdough and arugula salad makes for a hearty dish that won’t leave you disappointed.

Big Skillet: Pulled Pork, Sunny Eggs, Potatoes

The big skillet is a mess of pulled pork, potaties, beans and sunny eggs. Great if you like that sort of thing.

Huevos Monty: Black Bean Refritos, Sunny Eggs, Avocado Creme Fraiche

For Mildred’s take on huevos rancheros, try the huevos Monty. Black bean refritos mixed in with cheese are sandwiched between two crispy flour tortillas which are then topped with sunny eggs, avocado creme fraiche and a tomato and onion salsa.

Lots of choices at Mildred, all equally delicious. Be prepared to spend more on brunch here (time and money), because you might not be able to help yourself.