Restaurant Review: Starbelly

Nothing gets me up on the weekends faster than the idea of brunch. Now with Christmas and New Years just around the corner, meaning more get togethers with friends and family a great alternative to the dinner ritual is a brunch get together. Plus, with time off from work it allows me the leisure to visit some locations beyond my typical spots. Earlier this month Starbelly recently launched their new brunch menu and we were luckily enough to be invited down for a taste!

Atmosphere: Open concept kitchen and dining area with contemporary décor. They also feature a beautiful private room for special events.

Price Range: Mid $10s - $20s

Food & Drinks: With all the delicious choices on both their brunch and lunch menu, it was hard to decide what we wanted to eat. So we started off with some drinks, the mimosa and sangria were on special that day and they tied us over while we looked over the menu.

Finally we both opted for delectable sounding brunch dishes. Considering I’m not a huge sugar fiend, for some reason I always tend to go the sweet route when it comes to brunch and the French Toast was calling my name that day. Made with soft brioche bread, topped with cream cheese icing and berry compote it was hard to pass by, especially since it also came with a side of bacon! Be still my heart, both savoury and sweet, how could I resist? Brioche is the quintessential choice for french toast (with sourdough coming a close second), the buttery bread is the perfect vessel for soaking up all that gooey eggy custard. I found the berry compote and the cinnamon cream cheese to be a really nice addition, I thought I would need syrup, but didn’t miss it at all.

The hubby decided to go with savoury and ordered the Pastrami Hash with smoked pastrami, aged cheddar, potato hash, sunnyside up eggs, pickled peppers and smoked tomato. At first glance he thought that there wasn’t enough pastrami but as he kept eating it was surprised at how well balance the dish was and actually commented that anymore pastrami would have thrown the flavours off. That’s a first folks! Everything just worked in this dish and nothing overwhelmed the other making for a memorable hash.

I had a massive craving for their Russet Fries. It must be the use of fresh cut whole potatoes because they’re addictive. Each fry is perfectly crispy and nicely salted. I could probably eat a whole plate full of them. Luckily for me I just ordered the small!

My Picks: Pastrami Hash, Russet Fries

Overall: Although it’s quite a trek for us to visit Starbelly, we were both glad that we did. It was some of the best brunch we’ve had in the city and considering we’ve been brunching all summer, that’s definitely saying something. Sometimes more isn’t better, balance of flavours is key and it takes a deft hand to be able to hold back. At Starbelly, they’re on to something great and I hope they continue to come out with more fantastic dishes!

Starbelly
220 19489 Seton Crescent SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 570-0133
Website: starbelly.ca

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