The Lakeview Restaurant

I love diners.  I love everything about them.  Not sure if it’s my vivid childhood memory of my family and I travelling by bus from Toronto to Hamilton to visit relatives and stopping off at a local diner, but I have a bizarre fascination with diners. 

Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why I’m not really into ultra fancy, gourmet cuisine —it truly does not impress me at all. Gimme a strong cup of coffee, a fluffy pancake with sausages, or a condiment laden hamburger (BTW, my mouth would never touch the cronut!), and I am in my happy place. #happygrrl

I’m sure you can gather from the above statements that I am a HUGE fan of the food network TV show- Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.  A show dedicated to exposing greasy gastronomical pleasures. 

I’ve waited several seasons for Guy Fieri- the host of the show, to venture to Toronto and check out some of our diners, and early on this year he made it a reality.  

He visited a number of diners in that episode, but for some reason I only remember The Lakeview. Not sure if it was that cornflake chicken club that he ate or the apple pie milkshake.  I just know that after that episode aired, I picked up my phone, opened the Notes app, and typed in, “Must go to the Lakeview Restaurant.”

I finally made it to the restaurant in late June and I have gone 2 more times in less than a month.  Yep, the food was that tantalizing.



top- Chick 'n' Waffles, bottom- Cornflake chicken sandwich

 

What I ate

I am a breakfast junkie so I ordered from the brunch menu.  I had the Chick’n’waffle - a waffle topped with cornflake chicken (psst... a perfectly fried chicken breast) and 2 fried eggs (it's normally served with 2 poached eggs, but I’m not a fan of poached eggs) smothered in sausage gravy. The meal also came with a mixed green salad and some fries.  I’m actually ashamed to admit it, but on my first visit I ate ALL of that. It was sooooo worth it.

The waffle was soft and had a distinct vanilla flavour.  The chicken was nicely fried and not oily at all.  The gravy.......damn that gravy!  It was sooo good that I made sure to sop it up with everything on my plate.  That gravy made me a believer!!

I ordered this meal the first time I dined at the restaurant and it was fantastic, and the second time I ordered the dish it was outstanding. I have no idea how they made something that was already perfect, more perfect.

I still have love for the chicken and waffles served at Harlem Underground (nothing can touch Carl’s fried chicken), but this dish was just yummy.

The atmosphere

Very chill and hip.  I spotted an indie Canadian film director having lunch and he looked just as happy as me.

Prices

Very affordable.  Plus you can’t go wrong with a place that serves $3 mimosas!

Um, can you tell I enjoyed this place? Lol.  I think you will too. Check it out at:

The Lakeview Restaurant

Address: 1132/1134 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON, M6J 1X2

Phone: 416-850-8886

URL: http://thelakeviewrestaurant.ca/

Michelle