Brunch: La Sala Rosa
La Sala Rosa, 4848 boul. St-Laurent (514)844-4227

So I've got these two friends, Tracey and Yan Yan. We all met a few ago in a summer session course called the Philosophy of Law at McGill University. The course was amazing and years later when I run into people who took the class with me we reminisce about how stimulating, rewarding, participatory and how non-McGill it was. It was truly a blessed experience. Ahem, let me clarify, Tracey taught the course and Yan Yan and I took the course. But really, it was a great experience which is obviously part of why both Yan Yan and I like to hang out with Tracey to this day.

So, recently there have been some changes for the non-me parts of this threesome. Yan Yan just graduated from McGill and as of this writing (and this was not written on the date posted) she lived in England. Tracey finally handed in her doctoral dissertation and shortly should be awarded her PhD. Yay for them! So, being that this was one of the last opportunities for us all to hang out together, we decided to meet for brunch.

We have met for dinner frequently, but rarely for brunch, so this was a novelty for us. Tracey suggested that we convene at La Sala Rosa, not to be confused with La Sala Rossa, a concert hall located pretty much in the same building. Yeah, very creative name-giving, I know. La Sala Rosa is located on upper St-Laurent, not to far above Mont-Royal and near my beloved brunch haven, Savannah. It is also located near a totally cool store called Preloved. Preloved recycles clothes , both old and new, into other clothes. For example, I have my eye on a strapless dress made out of a typical London Fog beige trenchcoat. The way they make the clothes is such that the elements of the trenchcoat are still there - buckles, London Fog tag, loop holes, flaps and all. You'd have to see it, or, I could have taken a picture. I'm so thoughtless, sorry.

What am I saying, this is about La Sala Rosa, let's get back on track. So, long story short, we caught up and got down to the eating. I started out with some grapefruit juice. Usually, I have a coffee but this time I needed something a little more vitamin-infused since I was feeling "like that." You know what I'm saying - not all there, a little groggy and you need some good-hearted goodness to give you a boost, 'cause, uh, I don't do drugs to pick me up. The juice was very good. Obviously, it was freshly pressed since the seeds were still floating around in it. That's very natural of them to leave the seeds in there, but while I seriously enjoy the pulp in my juice, I'm not much for avoiding the seeds. I'm just saying, the juice was great but they could have helped me out by removing the seeds so that I could enjoy my juice even more rather than discreetly removing them from my mouth. Maybe that's just me though. I think because La Sala Rosa has a rustic feel, which I like, they try to make things appear as homemade as they possibly can.

La Sala Rosa has a nice little spanish-homestyle-themed menu going on. Each of us ordered a different dish.

I ordered the omelette with chorizo sausage.









Tracey ordered the buckwheat crepes.









Yan Yan ordered the latkas.









Although I only comment upon what I order, let me say that Yan Yan's latkas came with two sauces - sour cream and a pear, raspberry and ginger compote. I think that's pretty cool, no? That's all I'll say about that.

My meal was good, but I have to say it was pretty normal, which goes along with the homestyle motif. By normal I mean that I feel that I have the skills to make this dish on my own with no problems whatsoever. Maybe that says more about my skills as a cook than their skills as professionals (I have improved my culinary abilities lately), but even so, I think that it was a pretty regular meal. That's not to say that it wasn't a tasty meal. The eggs weren't overcooked nor were they undercooked. It was a well-made omelette that tasted simply like an omelette - no extra surprise but no disappointment. The bread was wonderful - look at the picture, it was very thick, crusty and substantial. I'd also say that they very appropriately went light on the potatoes. Usually restaurants overload you on the starches - particularly fries or potatoes - leaving you with a too full feeling. Normally, when I have brunch I can't eat anything else for the day - maybe a small snack during the late evening to top me up. After this meal, I was able to carry on normally with my eating schedule.

What can I say, at La Sala Rosa I felt at home, literally. Two and a half stars.

Love and Kisses,
Laurelle