There are many Cora or Chez Cora restaurants located throughout the Toronto and greater Toronto area. A friend and I decided to stop into one and give it a try as we were literally in between breakfast and lunch during a weekday. Naturally during that time of the day, it was reasonably quiet as most people had gone to work. We went in and saw that only 2 or 3 tables had been occupied throughout the restaurant. Their menu consisted of only a single page laminated paper filled with various breakfast offers and fruit dishes.We were pretty famished so we decided to try a couple of their more filling dishes in their menu.
The first thing we ordered was the Jo Construction in which the number 3 was the key to this dish. There were 3 strips of bacon, 3 pieces of sausages, 3 sunny side up eggs, 3 pieces of fruit and a load of sliced up roasted potatoes. It also came with a couple of slices of toasted buttered bread. Taste wise, the food tasted exactly what was advertised. I think my only issue was the overall appearance and the variety of foods present. Although there was plenty of food quantity wise, the whole presentation and appearance seemed rather boring. Perhaps more pieces of fruit could have enlightened the dish as it certainly would have provided more balance to the plate. It just looked it was very hastily put together and if you ever go on their website and see what their version of the Jo construction would look like, you will see that what was served that morning was vastly different that was presented on their menu.
 |
| Jo Construction |
If one was hungry still, then the Bluebery Field Pancake may have been a better choice to fill the empty stomach. This triple layer pancake with blueberries sprinkled on top had a good dousing of English cream to make it look very grand. It was sweet tasting like good old fashion pancakes would but it seemed to lack maple syrup or taste "throughout" the pancakes. The top pancake had all the cream, the blueberries and the syrup but once you got to the second and third pancak at the bottom, there was really nothing left other than the pancake itself . It might have been possibly better if "each" layer got its own layer of English cream and blueberries. Now that would have a Blueberry Fields Pancake to die for. The pancakes were good but it just wasn't consistent from top to bottom.
 |
| Blueberry Fields Pancake |
Overall, it was a fair brunch meal to have although I have always wondered whether these all day breakfast places can really take it up a notch and really make it mouth savory and present it in a method so that one would really, really want to come back again. I have truthfully yet to step into any restaurant, let alone this one whether it be in Toronto or North America for that matter. The breakfast was simple with no uniqueness or creativity to them and for that matter lacked the old saying "I really want to come back for that again." If I am to pay $10 per plate for each meal, I would expect it to be a little bit more extravangent or dressed up to make me want more. Don't get me wrong, Chez Cora will fill the stomach, however it doesn't give you a lasting impression that would make you want to come back again. Overall I give it a 3 out of 5.
Chez Cora
16 Vogell Road
Richmond Hill, Ontario
905-508-1755
