sedimental value

Ottawa has some decent breakfast joints. Most of them are greasy-spoon hangover cures, but some of them have a solid selection from healthy and cozy to gargantuan and heavy (I’m looking at you Dunn’s). Since I lost my personal favourite, The Mayflower, back in October it’s a daily struggle as I can no longer get a morning pick-me-up within a block of my apartment anymore and I’m being a big ol’ baby about it. Moving right along, amongst the quiet local diners we had Ada’s. Ada’s was a husband and wife (Wilf and Ada Laham) family breakfast-brunch dig with a charming atmosphere and shitty sausages. I went a handful of times with good friends and every time it was pretty okay. Unfortunately, I was so hungover I could barely see and you could probably feed me just about anything with animal fat and egg yolks and I would crack a nauseated smile. Regardless, they were absolutely adorable, people loved it, and it was a staple in this kitschy little neighbourhood, so when Ada and her husband decided to retire and shut down there was a disgruntled haze over the staunch supporters of the local diner. Where would we get our hangover breakfasts? Who would be our morning food mom and dad? WHERE WOULD WE GET OUR SHITTY SAUSAGES? Dear god, someone hear our cries…

FLASH FORWARD, in swoops Ion Aimers. This man is a bit of an Ottawa restaurant legend, creator of famous The Works Gourmet Burger Bistro (and likely the source of many a young heart attack), owner/partner of the cozy and delectable Fraser Cafe, and the deviser/owner of newly appreciated ZaZaZa Pizza. He’s got the comfort food scene on lockdown, from down to earth to critically acclaimed fine dining. Mr. Aimers buys Ada’s Diner, and in ode to the lovable little family he decides with his team to name the new diner Wilf and Ada’s, after the retired couple that made the breakfast diner what it was. This wink and nod to Ada’s was adorable, and I believe you are hard-pressed to find a cuter restaurant story.

Ion Aimers’ partners consist of Jessie Duffy and Dominic Paul, both from fine dining backgrounds. Duffy is known for her work at Supply and Demand (a personal favourite, and winner of 4th best restaurant in the country according to En Route Magazine) and Fraser Cafe; Paul is also known for his work at Fraser Cafe, as well as Town on Elgin. I’ll tell you exactly what happens when three hard-working and dedicated industry folk come together to start a breakfast-brunch diner: impeccable quality dedicated to breakfast; a meal that quality often overlooks.

So, it’s 8am, I can barely form a sentence let alone keep my eyes open. I already promised myself I’d visit Wilf & Ada’s as soon as it opened, so when the alarm sounded at 7am on January 6th I literally fell out of bed mumbling “no…no I promised…no sleep…Wilf & Ada’s today…”, and proceeding to blindly ice skate down the street to the new “Scratch Diner” (I soon found out that this is not because they hired Canadian DJ Skratch Bastid to wake everyone up but because they make everything from scratch in-house). I was warmly welcomed by staff as soon as I entered and offered any seat I liked. It was warm, smelled like baking bread and fresh Sumatran coffee, and I swear every single available sunbeam that morning was glowing directly into Wilf & Ada’s. The inside is subtle and rustic, brick walls and a chalkboard menu (similar to Town), cozy with about 30 seats. I order a black coffee, and because I drink my coffee black with absolutely nothing in it, I can tell instantly whether a coffee is toilet water or actual coffee. Not only was I provided with actual coffee, but a Sumatran blend from a company (unfortunately the name escapes me but trust me I’ll find it) in lovely British Columbia, the perfect combination of strong and smooth. Their menu has all the classic breakfast dishes as well as some with a twist, such as the “Eggs in Purgatory” where they simmer the eggs in spicy tomato sauce with parmesan and arugula. They also offer a good soup-and-sandwich type brunch menu which I am most certainly coming back for. I order the basics: eggs (soft poached), bacon, baked beans, taters, and toast. They offered both regular white bread and gluten-free brown bread, all made from scratch, so I take the opportunity to order something more on the healthy side and get gluten-free brown. The staff are incredibly attentive, there wasn’t a second where my coffee mug was looking lonely or where my water glass was void. I was sufficiently full of liquids at all times. Hastily, my breakfast came out piping hot. I stared at my plate for a moment, finding it rather small for 8$. However, I consider that everything is scratch made and locally-sourced and therefore ignore my gut notion that this new diner is overpriced.

First thing I need to address: the poached eggs were flawless. I am obsessed with breakfast food, and I have never once in my whole existence received a flawless soft-poached egg in a breakfast diner. It was not made in a egg-poaching-contraption (it’s just an egg poacher I know but I really hate those things) and it was NOT served in a little bowl swimming in its own vinegar-water brine. Those are both the worst. These two bad boys were perfectly round and sitting on the edge of my plate next to each other like best friends, free of nasty brine and the yolk melted like lava when poked with my fork. I wanted to hug my server, and it’s a wonder that I didn’t. They also already had a good house-made hot sauce already at the table and brought homemade jam with my plate. They even make their own melt-in-your-mouth pork and baked beans and it is highly unlikely that I will have better baked beans anytime in the near future. I shouldn’t even mention any in-house business anymore because I already told you everything is scratch, scratch, scratch. The toast was crispy and hot on the outside, soft like a big hug on the inside (the second you walk into Wilf & Ada’s all you want to do is hug) and the jam just made it happen. You do not even need ketchup with the crunch of fresh potatoes on the side, they are seasoned to perfection. The brittle yet supple bacon is a welcoming replacement to previous meats. I was in breakfast heaven.

Once finished, and once I was done sobbing that my plate was empty, I felt that they had actually given me the exact perfect amount of food in order to satisfy my appetite. Forget the “wow this plate is small for 8$”; I was immaculately full.

I shook my servers hand, we exchanged pleasantries, and I promised him that I’d be frequenting this joint because this is officially the best breakfast that I’ve had in this city, and those are strong words coming from me. I feel that this is exactly the kind of diner that would make the retired Wilf and Ada Laham proud of their legacy, and how important this diner was and will continue to be within this community. Wilf & Ada’s, amen.

Photo: Courtesy of Wilf & Ada’s Facebook Page

— Aryn Aver Pepper