Brunch. The most delightful meal ever created. Is there any other meal that you can eat in the late morning or early afternoon, and refill your plate as many times as you can? Is there any other meal that can fill you up for the rest of the day as soundly as a good brunch?
Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.
Yesterday, Tom, Andrew, Ashley and I took a quick road trip to the Banff Springs for their fantastic Sunday brunch. Most of the Fairmont hotels offer brunch, and if you've never been, I highly recommend it. My old team and I used to go to the Palliser hotel for their breakfast buffet every time we had something to celebrate with the staff. The breakfast buffet isn't as big as Sunday brunch, but it has all the delicious options available.
To summarize, the Fairmont offers pretty much anything you can imagine. There are the basics like cereal, toast, eggs, sausage and pancakes. There is fancier fair like eggs benedict (traditional ham, or smoked salmon), Belgian waffles, or personalized omelets from the omelet station. There is also a spread of lunch fair. For example, roasted beef and ham, a cheese table, a nut table, and a row of leafy salads, potato salad and various pasta salads.
Amanda - Round #1
For me, I like to get the heaviest part of the meal over with first. Potatoes, waffle and eggs benedict are my go-to buffet choices. The only thing that could have made this round better was if I had discovered the whipped cream at the dessert table earlier, and put it on my waffle!
Tom -Round #1
You'll notice that Tom and I have different brunch-eating techniques. His round one dish is full of lighter and more exotic options. By exotic, I mean seafood. He took advantage of the seafood spread, but I did not.
Amanda - Round #2
In round two, I generally go back for the things I enjoy the most (i.e. bacon and hash browns), and then I tried the baked brie which I saw on Tom's plate in his round one. I also like to include some lighter foods such as the assorted fruit and tomatoes. The watermelon was surprisingly flavourful and juicy for this early in the year!
Tom - Round #2
Tom's round two was full of the heartier breakfast foods. He went for the smoked salmon version of eggs benedict. He said that was all that was left in the buffet. But I hovered around until they refilled with a fresh batch.
Round #3 - Desserts
I didn't think to take a picture until some of the desserts had already been consumed. You'll have to take my word for it-- the cheesecake was pretty good (a little disappointing, it was not all that cheesy), but the tiramisu was perfect!
Ashley and Andrew hold up their spoils.
Ashley and Andrew raided the children's dessert area for Rice Krispies and Chocolate Chip cookies. It seemed like a wise move to Tom and I, so we copied them.
All in all, it was a really great way to spend our Sunday. Sure, I felt a little ill after, but it was totally worth it.
Tom and I outside the Banff Springs.
And to close off this post, here is a photo of Tom and I. Tom is sad, but I don't remember why exactly. It might be because I forced him to bring a jacket with him, even though it was unnecessary. Or it might be because we had to head home.
Wait, I lied! Here is a photo to close off this post. Tom sleeping in the backseat of the car... Heh, thanks for driving, Andrew! Happy Long Weekend!
I think this is a beautifully written post. I like the journalistic aspect to it, the scientific approach to the evidence and the insight driven from the comprehensive comparison of the brunch-eating habits of the subjects. Gorgeous job my dear!
ReplyDeleteBrunch is indeed a great occasion. I mainly like the opportunity to blatantly have several rounds of breakfast without judgment. That's right, the rest of the world can deal with it - I'm having 4 bowls of cereal!