OEB Breakfast Co.
OEB Blend Coffee by Caffe Umbria
Boxd Confit de Canard – Poached Eggs, Sous Vide Duck Confit, Lingonberry Jam, Asiago, Brown Butter Hollandaise
French Toast Trifle – Meyer Lemon Curd, Seasonal Berries, Sicilian Pistachio, Fresh Whipped Cream
Located just down the way from Diner Deluxe, a veritable “restaurant row” for breakfast in Northeast Calgary. OEB Breakfast Co. shrinks its competition’s footprint into a cheerful rectangle decorated in Chickens, orange and yellow, a team of teenage blonds serving a throng of patrons plates from the kitchen in back; delicious plates featuring the sort of ingredients typically reserved for dinner in more refined environs.
Awarded best Brunch nods by numerous publications, their Instagram-ready BOXD items including everything from Lobster to Black Truffles, it was at the center of a communal high-top that seating was offered on a cold Wednesday morning just minutes after opening, a house-blend from Caffe Umbria warming the bones and exceedingly smooth even without Cream or Sugar due to a very low amount of acid.
Using the word ‘foodies’ in their advertising, but better described as Chef-driven and Farm-focused, OEB takes a slightly different approach from the local-seasonal ideas common throughout Western Canada, instead making coast-to-coast connections that allow for the very best organic greens and the sort of diversity inclusive of Chorizo Meatballs or Rabbit Mortadella.
Without a doubt an experience best taken by way of group sharing, but unfortunately limited to just myself with a full-day of driving and eating to follow, it was with a dine-in Bowl of Duck Confit that the morning got underway, the Cheese Curds of other BOXD selections eschewed in favor of housemade Jam and Creamy Hollandaise that meld with soft-poached Egg Yolks and the funky Leg Meat over crunchy, fried Fingerlings.
Left to a difficult decision for my sweet selection, the Banana Cream Pie and Cheesecake items from a section titled “My Mom Can’t Make This……” both tempting, it was on the suggestion of a server who impressively kept Coffee brimming that the French Toast Trifle won out, the thick-cut slabs of Golden Brioche stacked beneath housemade Lemon Curd and Whipped Cream plus Berries and Pistachios – the sort of French Toast that doesn’t even need Maple Syrup, though the addition of it most certainly did not hurt.
