The problem with trying to eat at a really good new restaurant is that it’s often so popular it’s hard to get in.
That’s what I discovered about the new all-day breakfast spot OEB Breakfast Co. at the Amazing Brentwood.
Burnaby doesn’t really have many great breakfast spots, with North Burnaby being especially barren except for big chains that I’m not really a fan of.
So I kept driving by on weekend mornings to try out OEB because I don’t usually have time during the week. But each time I drove by, customers were lined up out the door and the wait was about an hour.
Well, I finally managed to drag my lazy butt out of bed recently early enough to beat the big crowds.
And it was so, so, so worth it.
I mean you just take a look at the OEB menu and there’s reason to be excited because of the amazing stuff they offer.
I tried the crepe made with butter-poached lobster and shrimp, with truffle pearls and a brown butter hollandaise sauce. I also added a big portion of organic Sturgeon caviar to it and had it with a delightful glass of organic apple juice. I finished things off with their chocolate milk, which was about the best chocolate milk I’ve ever had.
OEB, which stands for Over Easy Breakfast, features some seriously over-the-top creations, too, including their signature "Soul in a Bowl." They've got potatoes fried in duck fat, breakfast poutine, all the epic pancakes and French toast you can imagine, as well as more traditional straightforward brekkie and lunch fare, too.
The restaurant uses as much local product as possible in creating its array of eye-catching dishes; they have partnered with Arctic Meats in Port Coquitlam to source all-natural, premium sausages and poultry, and Cubic Farms in Langley for fresh microgreens, and you'll spot lots of B.C. brews and bottles on the beer and wine list.
“We care about where the food comes from and what happens to it before it hits the table,” said Mauro Martina, owner and founder of OEB, in a media release.
The 2,200-square-foot Burnaby space, which seats 72 inside and 25 on the patio at full capacity, boasts high windows to bring in maximum natural light, an open kitchen, and "custom live pantries" in the dining room. Designed by Janks Design Group, the new OEB has something for the shutterbugs: A "Fill the Soul" Instagram wall, and lots of key decor touches like the restaurant's signature egg lights, and exclusive to Brentwood, a morning farm-themed 3D paper art installation.
“Breakfast means so much more to me than just the first meal of the day,” added Martina. “It’s about elevating the whole breakfast experience. That’s what OEB is all about.”
So this all explains why there were so many people up early on a Sunday. And it’s good to see because opening a restaurant during a pandemic is a tough thing to do.
OEB Breakfast Co. at Amazing Brentwood is located at 4525 Lougheed Highway in Burnaby
- With files from Lindsay William-Ross
