Tom’s Little Havana
5428 Doyle St, Halifax

Brunch: Saturday & Sunday – 11:30am-3pm
$13, or $15 with a Caesar! 

Let me start by saying I am so over winter. I promised a brunch post for each month of 2015, but thanks to the weather I am only getting to my second brunch now.

And due to the condition of the sidewalks, I didn’t want to venture far from home – so I curled up at Tom’s Little Havana for brunch with my friend Megan.

Tom’s is the coolest. Plus, they are known for their Caesars, which are little no-nonsense affairs with fresh lime and horseradish. I could drink a dozen of these. They are only an additional $2 with brunch, so why wouldn’t you drink one?

There are only 4 options on Tom’s brunch menu, at $13 each. These come with your choice of side salad or home fries.

Eggs benny is served either classic-style with ham or Florentine-style with spinach. Megan went with a classic benny and salad, which she very much enjoyed.

Classic Eggs Benny

The table next to us were eating breakfast burritos, which made my decision easier. These are filled with scrambled eggs, black beans, cheddar cheese, sausage and sauteed peppers and onions. Fresh salsa and sour cream accompanied the burrito, which was tightly wrapped and grilled. I would have enjoyed a bit more spice, but otherwise no complaints.

Breakfast Burrito

I drank an extra Caesar and walked away happily from this meal… except for one thing: the “most popular” brunch item, the Havana Röesti, had been sold out. I didn’t feel comfortable reviewing a brunch without trying the most well-received dish.

So I returned the next day, this time with DoomGuts, who ordered the Spanish Fritata.

For our intents and purposes, the fritata at Tom’s is a flat omelette with the cheese melted on top. You can choose your cheese (cheddar, mozza, or feta), your meat (bacon, sausage, or ham) and a veggie.

I’m not sure what makes this a “Spanish” fritata – a bit of Googling and I discovered a pretty cool dish called Spanish Tortilla, but it involves potatoes and this isn’t it.

(Yeah, I get it. Havana/Cuban/Spanish menu items abound, all of which have nothing to do with Cuba. S’all good.)

Either way, DoomGuts enjoyed her fritata, which had sausage, peppers and cheddar cheese.

I eagerly ordered the Havana Röesti, which was totally worth coming back for! Poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce on rösti potatoes served with a spicy chorizo sausage – Hey! That’s actually Spanish! I ordered the salad this time, which was fresh and crispy with a wasabi vinaigrette.

I positioned my knife and fork at the peak of of my poached egg and slowly pressed down in excited anticipation. I think there is nothing more pleasing than piercing a soft poached egg, and nothing more disappointing than finding a hard yolk. I was very much satisfied and relieved when the yolk gushed out and down the sides of the röesti. My eggs were cooked perfectly.

The Hollandaise sauce was good. Too good. I inquired and my suspicions were confirmed: powdered Hollandaise. However, it is spiked with cayenne and paprika and you probably like it better than real Hollandaise sauce anyway.

This is probably my perfect brunch. It’s got everything I need.

Havana Röesti