Although it’s my first time reviewing Cafe Belong at Evergreen Brickworks, I just had my second meal there.
If the weather is nice you must sit outside on their sun filled patio, it’s a great spot to enjoy yourself and much quieter than if you are sitting inside the very noisy restaurant with blaring loud music (note: they need to get a less irritating music selection!). The space inside is super cool, with an open kitchen and exposed cookware lining the rustic wood shelves. The menus are even really cool as they are simple paper on clipboards with Cafe Belong carved right into them – no plastic involved at all! And it even says that it’s all about local and organic foods, which is amazing!! The custom napkins are also worth mentioning (see picture), my whole family appreciated the message and we were excited to eat!
This is taken right off of Cafe Belong’s website and is why I knew it was going to be good: “Every thing we do is local, sustainable and organic. But it’s more than just food choice and ingredients. Cafe Belong is about creating a connection between the natural food from our land, the farmers that nourish and harvest it, and ultimately, the people who enjoy it.”
I ordered the Beef Hangar and Eggs, which is not the type of thing I normally eat, but when I’m out, if it’s organic and local, I like to take the plunge and try it. It was beautifully plated, with french fries (really salty, but crispy and great) and a colourful salad of tomatoes (given to my mother since I only like tomatoes when it’s in the form of bruschetta, pico de gallo, tomato sauce, some sandwiches, ketchup – you get the idea….) and sprouts, with 2 fried eggs, with the steak cut into thin slices. Although I am able to eat a lot (and I mean a LOT), I could not eat that much meat, and I would suggest that this dish is shared, and get some extra vegetables, maybe their salad, which sounded great.
My sister loved her French Toast with an apple cinnamon puree, but wished it wasn’t made with white flour, even though it was organic and all.
I have to mention an important disappointment; for a restaurant that claims to be local and organic with such a strong commitment to health and real food, I was shocked to find out that they served me Heinz Ketchup!! When I asked the waitress what kind of Ketchup she served me, she didn’t even know, but went to check. Upon hearing that it was Heinz, I requested a different type of ketchup that was made from real food and she brought us a tiny dish of their housemade smoky ketchup which was really great. I do wonder now what else is in the kitchen that isn’t up to what they claim they serve. I did notice conventional Sealtest milk right out in the open at their takeout counter too.
In all, I wish all restaurants served real food like Brad Long is doing, it’s amazing. Not that I don’t love eating at home where we know what we are eating, but it’s fun to eat out every once and a while where people know the farmers and how they grow their food!
Extra bonus: go for a long walk on the trails at Evergreen Brickworks when you go to this restaurant and if you are with little kids, visit the Chimney Court too (today we saw “Move”, an excellent exhibit about transportation, past, present and future that I highly recommend you go to before it closes on November 18th).
