Bistro mirepoix — Restaurant in St. Catharines

Honestly, this place is trying to be a lot more than it is. I went with five friends, and we all ordered something different. One of my friends had been here before, and he had raved about it, it had good reviews, so we went.

The service was great, but everything else was just 'meh.' I ordered lobster eggs benedict. The eggs were over cooked. The yokes were cooked completely through. Simple thing to get so wrong for a breakfast restaurant. The lobster was a few shreds placed on top, and with the size of the menu, and how much was on the plate, you just know it is not fresh. There would be no way for a restaurant to economically serve so little of an ingredient and keep it fresh. Plus side is that you could not tell it wasn't fresh because there was so little of it, you couldn't taste it anyway.

That brings us to portion sizes. I'm not a huge eater, but I'm not tiny. At a typical restaurant I will eat a little bit less than a full entré and be too full. Never finish, but never take any home. I'm used to restaurants that think of themselves as a little bit more upscale having smaller portion sizes, so I ordered an extra side. Between my meal and the side, I was still hungry. I went home and ate immediately.

Anywhere you get brunch, you want a good coffee. Sadly that could not be found here either. My first cup of coffee was cold. I had a second cup, and it was okay, but still not 'hot.' I drip-pour my coffee every morning, but I will also drink McDonald's or even the occasional Tim Horton's coffee in a pinch. Not very good, but it has caffeine. This coffee was worse than both. It tasted like the coffee you get from a chain dinner restaurant. Too weak, and full of other tastes. It honestly tasted like they make it in a coffee maker that hasn't been cleaned in 6 months, then filled half the cup with tap water after they poured it. I expect this from a typical "greasy spoon" $6 bacon and eggs restaurant, but I expected something a little better here.

The atmosphere was okay. A little crowded for my taste, but its a small space that is trying to turn a profit from that small space. Totally forgivable.

Price wasn't great. My meal was around $30 for breakfast only to leave disappointed and hungry.

The friend that recommended it said he still liked it, but myself and the four others all agreed we wouldn't go back. Overall the experience felt like someone that is trying to be fancy, but is stumbling on the execution of some very basic things.

EDIT: So the owner has replied seemingly dismissing the entire experience. Instead of taking honest feedback in stride, apologizing for a less-than-par experience, and then learning how to cook an egg, they're totally willing to have 5 people walk away dissatisfied and close the door on the way out. Not a very hospitable attitude. Maybe it is this attitude that made my restaurant experience a negative one in the...

I was looking for an interesting breakfast venue; this establishment looked promising until closer inspection. I should have gone with my gut seeing how cheap the menu was, and that it's in a shack across from a plaza with a giant tiger and payday loan store. Inside was stale and silent, stiff and without soul; it had the atmosphere of a waiting room- no pulse. The menu was on a chalkboard where 1/3 of it was dedicated to rules. I found this to be rather perplexing, as I've never seen something like this before. No “sharzies”? Seating fee? Do I need to also raise my hand to ask a question? I cannot give this a singular star because I've not sampled the menu, but the vibe was off putting enough to leave.

The “fine print” on the chalkboard is abrasive, passive aggressive, and comes off as if they are expecting problems from their clientele like it's a dive bar. It is unwlecoming and prioritizes rules and turnover over hospitality. There is a much better way to go about this, but I don't believe a relaxing environment is the restaurant's intention; hurry up and eat your food and get out. I did notice the language used is trying to be quirky and playful, but it's more so scolding customers in advance. It's surreal; I still cannot fathom the reasoning behind it, as its entire intention appears tailored to drive people away. If that wasn't there I likely would have given it a try.

Reading through the reviews I see the proprietor is rather keen on replying to any criticism from their patrons in a childish and immature manner. Extremely hard to take serious when they have the attitude of a McDonald's manager on a bad day; not professional for a business.

Decided to just drive to Toronto and get breakfast at a nice place that isn't the cheap imitation.

Best wishes ;)  and best of luck to those unfazed by chalk dust hauteur.

This post was typed on a keyboard ;)

Response to the response from owner: If I wanted to just eat food I would pick up an order from A&W- or a chocolate bar at a gas station. When I go to restaurants I want somewhere welcoming with an nice atmosphere to enjoy a meal with friends. Had I went against my keen judgment and stayed anyway, you absolutely would have lost that wager. The quality of your coffee and eggs wouldn't magically make the place a worth enduring; it would have ended up a single star. If i have the choice between mediocre food with comfy seating, good music, and relaxing ambience, I will always take that over "good" food at a place that feels like a cafeteria stuffed into a waiting room. Since I am smart and went elsewhere, I had both excellent food and a great atmosphere- and you missed out on four whole...

A brightly painted yellow door welcomes you to this unassuming St Catharines restaurant but offers plenty of wonderful food to those visiting. Once inside toy soldiers, flamingos, and other ephemera are displayed throughout and their Menu boards are located on both left and right walls of the bistro with the open kitchen straight ahead from the entrance. The restaurant is very noisy with sound bouncing off all the hard surfaces and we witnessed one couple abandoning their table possibly as a result of the incredible din and there were plenty of tables available during our visit. Upholstered seating or hanging fabric dividers between tables could aid in suppressing noise levels. I tried the omelette with white cheddar and asparagus with salad while my wife tried the Salmon Benedict with sourdough and micro-greens. Both were delicious. You'll want to break the egg to soften the sourdough crust to enjoy with the delicate salmon. My omelette was nice and light with very fresh slowly cooked asparagus alongside a very fresh salad with spring greens, radish and micro-greens. My $9.00 orange juice was perfect. My wife's coffee was very good and there's lots of still water available from the carafes on each table. There's plenty of options to suit varying diets and next time I think I might order their cherries and creme with pain perdu (French toast). Pork Belly seems to be a favourite item on the menu but neither of our dishes came with this bacon substitute. Not your average brunch place and I'm glad we discovered Mirepoix while on a recent visit to Niagara. Diners are asked to limit their meal duration to 1 hour to keep up with the high number of customers. Merchandise is on sale. The menu board's last line cautions you not to park at The Giant Tiger plaza across Court Avenue due to the risk of your vehicle being towed. No charge, limited on street parking is available in front. Another recommendation for the owners is to consider adding an opaque window film because the real show is the unfortunate people who inhabit the parking lot opposite the Bistro. There was no patio dining available when we visited. $40-50 per...