Abigails Party: Fizzy and Fruity Mimosas with Cheesy Sarnies

Abigail’s Party

1685 Yew Street, Kitsilano, Vancouver

I’ve been dying to try Abigail’s Party so we finally went last weekend. Like many other Vancouver restaurants serving weekend brunch, they don’t take reservations so we tried to arrive early. We got there before noon but still had to wait around 40 minutes for a table. This place is popular!

When we finally sat down, we ordered a couple of Mimosas straight away. I have a weakness for Mimosas, it’s the right amount of fizz and fruity sweetness for lazy Sunday mornings. And the signature Abigail’s Mimosa is served with a syrupy sweet peach liqueur, it was like a mimosa-bellini hybrid drink minus the slush: two of my fave cocktails combined! Thanks to the peach liqueur, the Abigail’s Mimosa was a lot sweeter than the Classic Mimosa, and being a true victim to girly cocktails, I, of course preferred Aibgail’s Mimosa.

No one loves brunch more than I do – I love everything about it, that it’s a combo of two meals, that it’s a great social occasion and the menu is limitless since the line is blurred between classic breakfast dishes and lunch items. Being a sucker for sweet breakfast foods, I always order French toast at brunch and the cinnamon bun French toast at Abigail’s Party was perfect for my French toast craving.

When the cinnamon bun French toast came to the table though, I was a little disappointed to see two traditionally sliced pieces of bread topped with fruit and mascarpone cream. I guess I had pictured it differently, like maybe two hunks of cinnamon buns instead.

But upon closer inspection, I did notice the slices of bread were actually slices of a giant cinnamon bun, with the signature cinnamon bun swirls evident on each slice. And the toast did taste deliciously cinnamon spicy and sweet. The fresh apples also added a refreshing and juicy fruity sweetness. I wish the dollop of mascarpone cream was bigger though, it was thick, dense and delectable, adding a richness and decadence to the dish.

Of course, I also got a side of crispy bacon. The salty meat enhanced the sweetness in the French toast. I love that they fried it just right, not too crispy and brittle but nice and moist in the middle.

You know sometimes, when you wish you got what the other guy ordered? Well, this sort of happened to me when I finally got a bite of my friend’s Abigail’s sarnie. When I googled it later, I found out that ‘sarnie’ is just UK slang for a sandwich. I have no idea why it made me think of sardines when I saw it on the menu though and I couldn’t get the image out of my head so I didn’t order it, even though the list of ingredients is everything I love: fried egg, aged cheddar and a choice of back bacon, double smoked bacon or chorizo served between a grilled English muffin with aioli and a side of hash browns.

That gooey, salty and sharp cheddar really made the sandwich, tying together all the flavours of the salty and smoky bacon, the soft and delicate egg and the fluffy English muffin. I really should have ordered this!

The potatoes were also the perfect crispiness on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside.

The Belgian waffles were delicious, sweet, dense and chewy in the middle. Each slice soaked up the wonderfully nutty and slightly smoky bourbon maple syrup perfectly. Belgian waffles are my favourite type of waffle, I love the chewiness and that subtle crunch of pearl sugar forming a thin crust on the outside of the waffle.

We decided to order Canadian back bacon to go with the waffles. The meat was moist and tender. The saltiness went wonderfully with the sweet waffles and fruit.

The service was also great at Abigail’s Party. I can’t wait to go back to try the other menu items!