Brockton General

So sad they closed! I only had a chance to go once. The menu was really small but you could just picked whatever on it and be amazed!
Room a bit cold in winter…

Brunch at Brockton General was very good… but not great. Perhaps I’m spoiled by the likes of Saving Grace and School and Rose & Sons; but I now have VERY high standards for brunch in Toronto. There are just so many amazing brunchy offerings out there!
Anyhow, we both opted for the $ 20 prix fixe at Brockton, which includes a beverage of choice, a starter or dessert, and a main course.
We both opted for caesars (very well made) and among the choices of starters/​desserts we both chose mushroom soup (which was quite a nice dairy-​free purée of mushroom).
The Pot O’ Gold (baked beans, mushrooms, aged cheddar, baked egg, all baked together and served with toast) was good but didn’t blow me away.
The Vegetable Hash (a hash mostly consisting of crispy potatoes and corn, served with a fried egg and toast) was also good but didn’t blow him away. The crispy taters were definitely the best part of the dish.
I might come back to Brockton for supper (the dinner menu, posted on the wall, looked awesome) but I wouldn’t run back for brunch. However, they get bonus points for friendly service, very good prix-​fixe value and a lack of brunch lineups,

Ate here with three other people the other night. We each tried one of their speciality cocktails, I had the Red Headed Stepdaughter and loved it. The others at my table also enjoyed their drinks.
The menu featured just a few starters and mains, but the options sounded so good I had a bit of trouble deciding which to have. I had the trout rillette and chicken ballotine, both were very good. Everyone was very satisfied with their meals.

Came here a few times when it first opened and thought it was ok. From other people I know who’ve been here, and probably from reviews, it seemed like a few things were off the mark to make us want to come regularly.
However — we’ve been here twice in the last month. First on a Friday for the sort of 5 à 7 ‘burger and a beer’ and then last week where we were pleased to see there was a prix fixe being offered.
The quality is not a question to me, everything has been very good, and the last two times what has tipped it to being somewhere I think my wife and I will go to regularly was that it is now very good value. Add in a non-​pretentious atmosphere, somewhere that’s a good spot with a couple friends and very cool owners, this is why I’m giving it a high rating — and because we’ll be coming back for sure.

I love this little spot. It’s homey. The food is always amazing. The staff is great. There are lovely cocktails. I hosted my birthday dinner here last year, it’s a perfect date night spot, and I go for brunch on Sundays. It’s just a sunny happy neighborhood place, it makes me comfortable and I can stay here for hours and hours. Always such an enjoyable experience!

The pleasant décor of an upscale waiting room in «North of 60», savvy staff, and food that’s always groanily good. Casual enough to just drop into, sweet enough for a romantic date. Big fan.
This review is about my most recent experience, which was brunch, and I’m sorry because I used to hate everyone who ate when I served brunch.
But sometimes you’re hungry on a weekend morning and a friend invites you out.
The $ 18 pre-​fixe brunch we had was:
1. A gentle, hangover friendly, deep-​stocked beany soup (grandma style)
2. A v. well-​balanced beef brisket eggs benny (sauce=so good)
3. A happy apple turnover
And a mimosa.
You can always taste the gentle prep and the clean ingredients here, and I love that. Nothing is ever too salty — a bonus on dehydrated sunday mornings.
Emotion aftermath:

A+, painting of a heart, smiling dog, etc.

I came to Brockton General with some friends to celebrate a birthday. It is a tiny, intimate space. The menu is short, so between the four of us, we sampled almost everything– my favourite kind of meal!
Appetizers: the pork belly was way luxurious and rich, with poached peaches– lovely.
Oysters Rockefeller: also very well executed, flavourful and perfect.
The mains: black cod– was light and perfectly cooked, the burger (I had envy) smelled and tasted divine, served with thin, herbed crispy fries and the mushroom gnocchi– out of this world flavourful.
For dessert I really enjoyed by berry crumble– not too big and not too sweet.
The service was casual and warm. We had a great time. I would recommend this little spot to anyone.
Great for dates!

What a cute little restaurant! The kind of place I’d like to own when I grow up. Small, homey, decorated with great character, comforting dishes, and a great staff. The dynamic menu on the butcher paper roll is genius and fun, and Pam, our server, what a sweetheart (Ninja Turtle nails, you go girl!!)! Favorite dish of the nite was a wheat berry salad with a soft egg on top. Such a comforting overall experience that made me feel like I was over at a friend’s house who happened to have a well designed restaurant and could really cook a great meal. A lovely vacation gem indeed!

My friend made resos for our girl night dinner last night. One of my friends walked past it three times, so pay attention when you’re walking down Dundas or you’ll probably miss it. The atmosphere is nice, it’s a cozy little place that I think had 10 tables. Not too noisy but just noisy enough.
We enjoyed the prix fix menu, and each ordered a glass of wine to go with. Nice wine selection of white and red and a list of their own cocktails, which I thought was cool.
On last nights menu:
Appetizer options: chilled fennel soup or grilled sardines with crostini and peas and mint or an arugula salad with braised peaches/​walnuts and gorgonzola.
I ordered the salad. It was great, a nice size and not too much of any one ingredient. Nice start to the rest of the meal.
Dinner options: Grilled sardines with potato/​radish salad, parpadelle pasta with peas and zuchini, a cobb salad with a soft boiled egg on top, and the last option was fried chicken.
I had the sardines and they were awesome. Very large, cooked perfectly, and laid crossed on top of the mini potatoes with these beautifully sliced pink and green radishes with a smear of the mashed peas and mint across the plate. Every bite was perfect and I inhaled it.
The pasta looked tasty, I didn’t try it but it looked really nice and not too heavy. The cobb salad also looked good, it was on top of rye, which I thought was pretty cool.
Dessert: rubarb sorbet or steamed lemon tart (I don’t think it was a tart, but can’t think of what they called it).
I tried both. the lemon thing was the winner.
All in all, great experience, and for $ 28 you can’t go wrong for a three course meal. It was different, fresh, tasty and I would absolutely go back as I love the changing menu. The server was so polite and attentive and all the dishes came a the right time. I also love how limited the menu is so it was SUPER easy for me to choose my three dishes. Cheers to that, I want to spend more time eating and less time deciding :)

When the ice cream came it was completely melted. Even though we had been waiting 20 minutes, the server didn’t «hear the bell.»
Did I just happen to go on a bad day? I don’t undertand why Toronto LIfe gave such rave reviews, or why it’s always packed when I walk by. Yes, the food was good. But the service was SLOW. Painfully slow. Both my fiancée and I left hungry and vowed we’d never go back.

I loved the atmosphere of this place. I love the changing menu, the friendly staff, the wine…
I really wanted to love the food. And I did. But I didn’t love that I left hungry. There were four of us in my group. We shared some beets, some starters, and each bought a main. But this wasn’t really enough food. If I went again, I would make sure I had a starter, main, and dessert all for myself! But that can get a bit expensive, especially considering the small portion size.
I would come here again — and order more food — but only for a special evening out!

I really enjoyed my meal here with my family. I ordered the roasted chicken and the flavours really jumped out at you. I tried a little bit of what was ordered and everything had quite distinguished tastes. Good stuff if you are looking for some interesting flavours.
The place is small as well as the menu. I guess it rotates on the regular so they keep things fresh and mix it up. If you are one of those peeps who orders the same thing on the menu every time you probably won’t become a regular here.
Service was very good and the wait staff pretty knowledgeable about what they were serving. A nice little spot on the west end worth visiting.

I came by for my birthday dinner last night after seeing the great reviews. Unilocal did not steer me wrong as this is the type of restaurant I love. Regular changed menu for what is fresh and available? YES PLEASE.
They had a set price menu for $ 28, starter, main and dessert. There were 3 starts to choose from, 3 mains and a desert so there was choice for someone to mix and match. I opted out of this as I didn’t feel like having a dessert last night.
I ordered a bean dip and bread, pickled beets and pappardelle with maple smoked trout.
The bean dip and bread was very good. The dip came warm with some oil on top and had a great texture and consistency. The flavour was very subtle but very nice. The pickled beets were awesome. I don’t like beets but I’ve been slowly growing on them so decided to try these. They are not like pickled beets you would get at a shawarma joint, rather large slices of beets (like sliced apples) that were pickled but they weren’t sour and a bit sweet. I really like them and need to figure out how to make these on my own.
The main was what knocked a star off. The pasta was really good, the things I did not like about this dish was that I couldn’t really taste any maple on the trout until the last 2 bites. This might have been caused by something that was extremely bitter in the dish. I couldn’t make out what it was but the flavours in the dish could have been very interesting. I mean maple and trout, licorice/​fennel/​anise but whatever was extremely bitter (not just slightly) might have thrown the flavour off from the rest of the dish.
Will I try this place again? Most definitely but I’m going to try to avoid food with those flavours in the future.

My first brunch at Brockton General! I’ve been there for dinner and drinks a few times prior and always enjoyed myself… so on a rainy Sunday we thought we’d check out what Chef Alexandra Feswick had in store for our empty tummies:
First off — Prix Fixe for $ 17 includes Starter, Main and alcoholic bevy of your choosing!
Cappuccino — best I’ve had in a long time.
Starters: Beet & Goat Cheese Salad and Oats with Maple Syrup. Perfect texture of oats, could eat a pot full if they tasted like this… wish I could replicate at home!
Mains — Eggs Benedict with Bok Choy and Peameal bacon. Best part of this was that it was served on toasted baguette, and the extra ingredient of bok choy added a delightful fresh taste to the dish. Needless to say demolished my main and left the restaurant stuffed and happy.
Will return soon, very soon!

Here’s what you need to know about Brockton General. It’s a small space, subtly illuminated with only about 10 or so tables. Though I’ve heard it can get rammed, on my first visit it was very easy to find a table. The menu du jour is hand-​written on a paper scroll against their east-​most wall. I would like to ascribe this choice to feng shui, but that might be presumptuous.
The menu changes daily and is very limited. Perfect for those who hate too many options, but this could be limiting for some. Since I was given the option I obviously ordered the pork terrine served with sour cherries. What can I say, I’m a sucker for terrine. It was soft and savoury and the sour cherries added a nice tartness to it. Their bourbonnade is like a bourbon sour but a little sweeter, and not a bad way to wash down this appetizer.
For my main I went with the papardelle with bacon and an egg york on top. This was a winner. I pretty much devoured it in seconds. This is an excellent spot for a date or quiet dinner with friends. I recommend.
Obligatory Title Pun: For those about to BROCK, we salute you.
Menu Readability: The menu is featured in spectacular penmanship on a brown paper scroll on the wall of the restaurant.
Need to mention: There’s a nice little patio out front too.
What this place teaches me about myself: I like my meat FORCED.

I think Brockton General is Toronto’s best kept secret. The entire evening was great from start to finish.
I hadn’t heard too much about BG prior to my recent visit, but certainly had no idea they served up such a killer meal. Their new chef, Alexandra Feswick (formerly of Earth up in Rosedale), delivers perfections with each dish that leaves the kitchen.
The place is small but brimming with charm. All of the courses are served on mismatched china plates and the beer is served out of ice cold mason jars. There is a warmth in this space that makes it feel like home.
For dinner I started with the roasted asparagus wrapped in bacon and served with a fried egg sunny-​side-​up. Wow, the asparagus and egg yolk was superb in texture and taste; adding bacon is a no brainer — it tastes great with everything. For my main I ordered the flank steak. Grilled to perfection, it was incredibly succulent and flavourful. It was served with roasted red peppers, potato salad made with crème fraîche, and a deviled egg. Does anything say summer more than potato salad?! I think not.
The BG would be a great place to go for a good meal with a few friends, or on date night with your lover.
Honourable Mentions:
— Bourbonade! The perfect mix of Maker’s and lemonade to sip during the summer months
— daily menu displayed on a large roll of butcher paper
— cute front patio to enjoy a summer cocktail or a whole meal of food…

I had heard mixed reviews about Brockton General and although I often go out for dinner around the neighborhood (and by often I mean every night, as I don’t know how to cook) I had yet to visit Brockton. I had tried a couple of times closer to their actual opening but it was so rammed I couldn’t even get a table.
Well this past Sunday I finally made my way. I went with a girlfriend who is equally a food critic and we both raved about every aspect.
First of all, the inside (we sat on the patio) smelled like delicious maple syrup for some reason. Heavenly and also hunger-​inducing.
We both started with bourbonades which I had heard so much about. They were delicious and strong enough to get the buzz going.
Pam, our waitress and one of the owners was adorable, friendly and so helpful. We shoved the bar menu away (which is great and affordable if you just want some snacks while drinking their awesome cocktails) and went straight for the daily specials. I ordered the pork belly over a bed of chopped eggplant and fennel on the side, topped with some delicious type of mustard. It was delicious. Perfect starter. I then had the daily pasta which was also delectable. The menu was packed with goodness. I was tempted to try it all.
We definitely had a great time and I’m pissed at myself for taking so long to try it. I will most definitely be back. Perfect for you & your friends or a first date. Not to expensive and pretty low key.
Side note: love the mismatched dishes and the unique décor.

Brockton keeps it simple with a super limited and unique menu using featured ingredients.
Dandelions. That was the ingredient of the day.
At least I know that if there is a zombie apocalypse and I need to live off the land… I can harvest dandelions, toss them with chunks of blue cheese, and charge like 10 bucks for it (I’m not quite sure where I’d find post-​apocalyptic blue cheese).
They had a mysterious item… the potted animal. We had to order it!
It sounds cool, you wonder what kind of fun animal ended up in a jar. Our jar had …
(wait for it…)
…
pork pâté.
Not…that exciting… but deliciously rich and creamy.
We ordered something else… I can’t ever remember what it was.
It was another form of spreadable meat. It was okay… whatever it was!
The wine list isn’t huge, but it’s nice to see some less common Niagara region wines offered.
This place is tiny and it was pretty quiet when we were there.
I’m not sure if I would return, but I can see the appeal. The food items are creative, but I just wasn’t wowed by my experience.
I was hungry when we got here… and a bit hungry when we left.

Very cute place – my dining partner and I agreed that it felt like someone’s kitchen, what with the charmingly mismatched plates and impromptu menu (written up each day on butcher paper and pinned to the wall).
The limited menu has a great local influence (the waitstaff are very good at explaining the provenance of the ingredients), but because it’s so small, there’s not much selection (the night we went, they served one pork dish, one fish sandwich, and one vegetarian pasta).
I’ll probably go back to see how the menu changes as the seasons progress, but the dining room’s a bit claustrophobic and I admit, I like going out to eat to be a bit of an event, which this doesn’t feel like.

Really nice little spot, perfect for a romantic date. Seating is limited (only 6 – 7 tables for two and another 2 tables big enough for four people). Room is dark and candlelit. Simply rustic looking décor.
The menu tries to be locavore and there is a vegetarian slant but they did have one (very delicious) meat option.
The menu is very limited with only a selection of 3 – 4 main dishes each night, a few appetizers, a dessert and a good selection of wine and cheeses available. The cook switches up the menu on a daily basis. Call me a whinger but I wish there were a few more selections on the menu, I felt as if there wasn’t much to pick from. (–1 star)
We tried an appetizer with fresh toasted bread served with a white bean spread. It was very garlicy, oily and really quite delicious. Bargain for only $ 4.
The mains were priced around $ 12-​$ 16. Portions were not huge but very adequate/​reasonable.
I tried pork belly and pulled pork served over sauerkraut. Super awesome. The pork was cooked to perfection and completely drool-​worthy.
My companion tried the fresh pasta dish with some kind of pumpkin (the name of the dish complete escapes me right now) but it looked and tasted quite nice.
The food comes served on these old 1970s plates (maybe stolen from some granny’s kitchen) which made me laugh. Kind of cheapens the look of the nicely presented food, but it was fun all the same.
We had a good server who was knowledgable about the menu.
This place would be a regular spot for me if it was near my house. Sadly, it is not in my hood.