Choppers

I swear that 2010 is going to be over before we even notice it. Yes, it's already May, and thus, the first entry of Eat My Brains for the 5th month of the year! There were actually a couple of choices for breakfast joints this morning, one of which I wanted to save for a full Team day, and the other was closed, so I did some quick-thinking and set my sights on a little place that's located literally half a block away from Bon's, on the other side of Broadway, known as Choppers (2559 Nanaimo Street). This week pretty much everyone was busy and/or unavailable, so I was joined only by Vienna.

I've been told me a number of people over the past several months that I have to visit Choppers and that it's an amazing place. On those suggestions alone, I can generally be assured that I'm in for a good breakfast. On the other hand, having a place hyped-up also has the potential for severe disappointment. As we walked in, we were greeted by a server and offered a table immediately. Vienna had to step out around the corner to get some money out of the bank, since we realized that Choppers is cash-only, so I sat down at the table alone, ordered a coffee ($2, with refills) and started looking at the menu. I also took some time to look around and take in my surroundings. The interior of Choppers was simple and straightforward. Plain tables with a few mismatched chairs, a a few random pictures hanging on wood-paneled walls and the like. Overall, very welcoming and quaint, like a grandparents house or something.

Anywho, Vienna came back, sat down and started looking at the menu. It was a small, and fairly limited menu, so it didn't take long to make our decisions. Another server came by and asked if we were ready to order. Vienna ordered a hot chocolate and a traditional Eggs Benny. Meanwhile, I went with the French Toast (served with fresh fruit and hash browns), since I wasn't really in the mood for a standard eggs/toast type breakfast. Only about 30 seconds after the server left with our orders, she was back with some bad news. They were all out of whipped cream to top the hot chocolate and French Toast with! For shame! Ah well, it wasn't the end of the world for us. Vienna was quite giddy over the fact that her hot chocolate was frothy (since they apparently make their hot chocolates like lattes), so she wasn't bothered by the lack of whipped cream.

It was literally only 2 or 3 minutes before our plates came out. In terms of speed, Choppers is up there with cheetahs and how quickly my paycheques disappear. The food also looked quite scrumptious, so we took no time to start digging in. They gave me butter-flavoured syrup!! Anyone that knows me knows that butter-flavoured syrup is one of my favourite condiments of all time. The first thing that Vienna brought up was how tasty the hash browns were, so of course I started eating them first. I must say, they were damn tasty and reminded me of the kind of hash browns that I would make, in terms of seasoning and the like. The French toast was also delicious and done just right for me. The fresh fruit was actually fresh and very flavourful, as well, and for $6.25, I can't complain at all. Vienna, even though she began to get full about 3/4 of the way through, still managed to finish her benny, so I take that as a sign that it was tasty!

So, coming back to the hype that I mentioned originally, I'd have to say that Choppers did fairly well in keeping up with its reputation. The food quality and service gets 3 Bacons, while the portion size gets 2.5 Bacons and affordability gets 3.5 Bacons (While my French toast was quite cheap, Viennas Benny cost about $11, which is a bit of a stretch for a plain benny to me)! Well-done, Choppers.

Stay sharp, kids
Jesse