Wildebeest: St Patrick's Day Brunch

We celebrated St Patrick's Day Saturday night. Great evening, everyone abided by the green dress code (or otherwise face the punishment of a west coast slam) and participated in an intense beer pong tournament, all hosted by our lovely host Miwo. Being the great group of friends we are, we just can't get enough of each other and so the next gathering was already being planned.

Brunch was decided to be our next place of meeting the next morning. The fact that we all managed to wake up on time to catch it was quite impressive (although some of us were albeit late). Somewhere along the night, bets on breakfast were made between Sam and Benny. What a smart call she had made to wager breakfast, because that way she was able to reap her (delicious) post drinking winnings the next day!

Brandon made an excellent executive decision for us to have brunch at Wildebeest. I've never been before and actually did not know they serve a Brunch. I felt like I had stumbled into a hidden gem for the first meal of the day. It was Sunday morning and the place was not packed, which was surprising because it was an excellent brunch.

The restaurant had a whole rustic theme to it. Brick walls, wooden counters and an interesting system of pully lights. Walking in you first see the well stocked bar, walking past the bar made me feel a bit nautious. Team Sack (Sam + Vick) did not fair well in the beer pong tournament. Further back in the restaurant is an open kitchen, our table was situated right in front of the kitchen so we got to sneak peaks at everyone's food that was to be served up. Every dish looked pretty darn good.

We were first served up with what I recall to be the butternut bread. It was actually really nice! Not sure if it was baked in house or not, but if I were to grab a pastry in a coffee shop I wouldn't hesitate getting this.

One of the things that stood out most to me was the coffee they served. I can't remember where it was from but it was an excellent cup of coffee. One of those types where you actually stop for a moment to take it all in and enjoy. Cream and sugar are served up in those cute containers and plating, though when we got a fresh pot, I thought it was more enjoyable just black on its own. Good service as well, our cups were constantly refilled and never left empty.

 

I settled on the Croque Madam. Which is basically sourdough bread with ham in the middle and all fried up with gruyere cheese topped with an egg and a side of arugula salad. The first bite was heavenly, the hearty combination really settled my stomach, and it decided to start forgiving me for putting it through the events from the previous night. However after the first couple of bites, the cheese becomes a bit over powering and it all starts to feel rather heavy. 

 Brandon was the only one wearing green for St Patrick's day. The rest of us had just about enough of green by then.

Brandon ordered the special of the day which was an eggs benedict on top of biscuits with salmon and hollandaise sauce. I snuck a bite and the sauce was very good, however I was expecting fresh smoked salmon but it was candied salmon, which I'm not too fond of, and I felt it took away from the entire fresh factor. Never less, it was good and the eggs were poached perfectly. 

All the meals came with a side of thrice baked potatoes. They were good, but they definitely skimped on the portions here. That small plate of potatoes were shared between the 6 of us.

Free breakfast is the best breakfast

Miwo's Eggs and Sausage

Steak and Eggs

I didn't get a chance to taste the steak and eggs but they certainly looked delicious. According to Sam & Dan, the steak was super tender. They never ask how you want it cooked but is served up medium rare, which is the way it should be. 

I remembered to bring my camera out!

The portions were good and I found myself struggling to finish my breakfast. I probably could have finished it, however near the end of my meal I found a hair at the bottom of my plate. That kind of finished off the rest of my appetite. Not to sound prissy but its just one of my pet peeves, its pretty disgusting finding someone else's hair in your food. I had already finished most of my food by then so I just left the remainder. I'm sure its just a one-off as nobody else's food had extra toppings.

Overall, we had an excellent brunch at Wildebeest. The price is a little higher than what I would usually expect for breakfast, however the quality of food and ambiance makes it worth it. So if you are looking for a solid breakfast and not need to line up on a Sunday morning, Wildebeest is worth a shot!