Sunday Morning Chowdown

Paul’s Place Omlettery

2211 Granville (at 6th Ave.)

I’ve heard people talk about Paul’s Place. I like omelettes and-apparently-this is the place in town to get them.

The lineup was the first thing to bum me out. It took us 30 minutes to get a seat. Of course, Paul’s can’t really be blamed for being too popular, but this was too much of a hassle to deal with on a Sunday morning and an empty stomach.

An aside here: do breakfast places ever have little bars or some sort of staging area where those waiting for a table can grab a drink and an appetizer, the way that dinner restaurants sometimes do? Even with my limited grasp of restaurant management, I can tell this is a completely impractical idea. Still, a cup of coffee and a piece of toast would have gone a long way to making our wait more bearable.

Once we were finally seated, the service was snappy, given how busy it was. Paul’s doesn’t have much to offer in terms of atmosphere, but it wasn’t too noisy and this accommodated conversations nicely. The menu offered a ton of variety and options, which was nice as well.

I ordered the mushroom and cheese omelette, but for a place that bills itself as an omelettery, I was a bit non-plussed. The eggs were bland and it had too much cheese. I know that this might seem paradoxical, but it’s true: too much cheese can happen, especially when dealing with cream cheese. It overwhelmed the rest of the omelette.

The hash browns and toast were serviceable, but didn’t pick up the slack left by the cheese-drowned omelette.

My friend had the huevos rancheros and French toast (that half hour wait had left him ravenous). His meal looked great, but he said that the eggs were the least exciting part.

Paul’s is an alright place, but as my mom used to say, “it’s no great whoop.” If you need an omelette Monday to Friday and you’re in the neighbourhood, I say go for it, but if you’re looking for something on a weekend, I’d head somewhere a little less popular and a little more tasty. Remember, the myriad of possibilities offered by the Granville Island Public Market is only a 10 minute walk away.

Brunch Served Daily, 7am-3pm
Price:$14 (including coffee and tip)
Lineup:30 minutes
Vegetarian Options:plenty!
Soy milk:no