Brunch @ The County General

The County General has been on my radar ever since it opened. Opened by the folks behind Splendido, the tiny space at Queen St and just east of Ossington offers comfort food in a casual setting. Upon arrival, I was surprised at how tiny the space is. I had difficulty slipping into my seat!

I came with my mom for a Saturday brunch. Luckily, we managed to snatch the last two spots at the bar. This also seemed like a nice place to have a late night drink.  

As usual, I ordered for my mom and me, and we split everything (I am such a bossypant when it comes to food). My first choice was the popular fried chicken thigh sandwich: buttermilk chicken, milk bun, avocado chutney, coriander, and green onion. I've read many reviews commenting on the small size of the sandwich, and here it is dwarfed by the side salad. Of course, my mom and I have tiny appetites, so we weren't really concerned about the small portion. The side salad was very simple- mixed greens dressed with some olive oil and vinegar. It was a good counterbalance to a fried chicken sandwich.

I like the sandwich. But then again, I also like McChicken a lot, so maybe that's not saying much. The fried chicken thigh was nice and moist (I hate dry chicken) and avocado just makes everything better. Other than that, however, there was nothing remarkable about it (except perhaps it was the cutest fried chicken sandwich I've ever eaten).

My second order was a Croque Madame with country ham, grilled bread, béchamel, fried egg and herb salad. I loved the rusticity of the sandwich! The grilled bread had the perfect crunch and was so delicious with all the components. In particular, the country ham was super flavourful; I've never quite had ham like this before. Naturally, I love anything topped with sunny side up egg, and this was no exception. The croque madame definitely trumped the fried chicken sandwich.   

Our bill came in a cute flower pot, which was another charming touch. All in all, we had a pretty good brunch, but I wasn't blown away by any means. This restaurant is a nice spot in the neighbourhood, but I wouldn't go out of my way to come here for brunch.

While I was in the Queen West area, I couldn't resist getting some treats from Dufflet. First up, mini toasted almond meringue: plump, ripe, fresh berries and pure whipped cream simply sandwiched between rounds of crunchy, almond meringue. The meringue was very light and not so much crunchy.

I also couldn't resist buying a mini caramel dacquoise: discs of hazelnut meringue layered with rich caramel buttercream; finished with a white chocolate glaze and a caramel swirl. Although this was tasty I liked the cappuccino dacquoise that I had as my birthday cake this year better.