OEB stands proud as one of Calgarians go to spots

I’m a little late on the bandwagon for OEB. As one of the ‘best’ brunch restaurants in Calgary – according to my brother and friends – I was more than willing to try it out.

Around 1 p.m. on a sunny afternoon, my friends and I visited OEB, located at 825 1 Ave NE Calgary, AB.

Even though there was an hour until closing, a steady stream of customers were coming in and out. Many different people were there, from Instagram ‘foodies’ to large families, OEB was packed with eager and smiling customers.

Once we were seated by the lovely hostess, we took a moment to appreciate the very modern, chic decor.

The walls were lined with windows throughout the entire restaurant, bringing in a lot of natural sunlight. This drew attention to the navy blue and white walls, a contrasting yet very gorgeous combination. There were many intricate details contained within the restaurant, such as egg-shaped mirrors, the ‘yolk coloured’ overhead lights and a gorgeous chandelier lining the back wall. Overall, the entire vibe and atmosphere of the restaurant screamed ‘brunch.’

Once we received the menu(s), I did a quick skim which showcased a very neat and organized layout of all their dishes. After a brief discussion with the waitress about popular choices, we had finally made up our minds.

My group had the Waterfowl Benny, which included smoked peking duck breast, porcini-mushroom truffle ragu, brown butter hollandaise, a fresh bowl of fruit and fingerling potatoes as sides. A perfect sous vide medium egg sat on top of the crispbread. The brown butter hollandaise was very creamy with a smooth texture and included a slightly nutty aroma and taste from the brown butter. The fingerling potatoes are served fresh and well-seasoned, with a nice crisp exterior. The smoked peking duck breast was very tender and juicy with a nice, smoky background

Next, we had the Canadian eh. The succulent Canadian back bacon sat on top of a buttery, flaky croissant with sous vide egg on top. An option of either dark maple syrup or brown butter hollandaise was given. We had the brown butter hollandaise which really tied the whole dish together.

Lastly, we tried The Threesome. The option of waffles, pancakes, crepes or brioche French toast was given. We went with the waffles. There was a choice of any style of free-run eggs, choice of double-smoked bacon, rosemary ham, chicken blueberry bangers, maple pork bangers or Canadian bacon. We went with the double-smoked bacon which was perfectly savoury and had a slight crunch to it. The waffle batter was amazing which resulted in a smooth soft interior and a slight crisp to the exterior.

Throughout the remainder of the meal, the waiting staff was very attentive to all of our dining needs, promptly attending to water refills and questions about the food.

At the end of the meal, we walked away with a very pleasant experience and a very satisfied and full stomach.