Wellhouse – An addition to the Westmount scene

The 411

Westmount is nice little spot in Montreal with lots of parks, nice homes, and, unfortunately, a lack of brunch options. I can count on one hand how many spots in Westmount offer brunch. When Wellhouse began offering brunch I was curious to see what it offered to the brunch scene. So we got a bunch of people together and headed out.

At 1st glance

A terrace in the warmer months greets you when you walk up to Wellhouse. Once inside, you notice a rather larger bar on the right with tables around and banquette seating on the left hand side. What is also a nice sight is a kitchen at the back that,although is not a full open concept, you can see some action going on. The interior has this nice stone on the inside and the bar is really noticeable. It is a little dark but it works with the room.

Food

We were a big group so we got to order a bunch of items on the menu. The menu has a couple brunch items as their main dishes and 3 sides/appetizers. Prices for a main start at $12 and can go up to $16. The sides are priced in the $6-$18 range. I do not remember if coffee is included with a main dish but there are free refills and it’s only $1.50, which is not bad. For those who want other options, there is a lunch menu available with 7 items which include: soups, salads, burgers and fish. The price range is anywhere from $7-$24. The menu breakdown is as follows:

Starters/sides

Main dishes

My friend had the egg dish ($12) which came with a choice of bacon, ham or chicken sausage which he chose. The dish came with 3 sausages, eggs, a side of potatoes and a watermelon slice. The potatoes were not squares but rather a mix of big cuts were very tasty. The chicken sausage was a nice touch and not something you see often with 3 pieces. The eggs were as good as any. I did feel that only having watermelon slice for the fruit accompaniment was not much and charging $12 for a 2-eggs dish is a little much; I don’t care how good the potatoes and sausage are.

The blueberry pancakes ($12) came served with 3 large pancakes and a topping of ricotta. The ricotta was not too overpowering and was nicely whipped making for a good fit. The pancakes were yummy and quite large with the taste of the blueberry coming out nicely. I did feel that this dish was worth the $12 which normally I would say is a touch much but considering how good it is, I would say it’s worth it.

Next, we had the French toast ($14) which was comprised of two very thick slices, cream and adorned with strawberry slices. The first French toast slice was tasty ad quite filling and it was nice to see a thick slice being served with an impressive taste. However, the second slide had a less than pleasant surprise with liquid coming out of it from not being properly cooked. That was a big no-no in my books and regardless of how much you are paying, you should get something that is cooked. Even if we ignore this incident I feel that $14 is a bit high for French toast. To put in perspective, I have had fancy French toast at fancy restaurants for less than this so I feel the price is not deserved.

Lastly, I decided to start with the fresh fruit fondue and granola ($16) and followed it with an eggs benedict and maple pulled ham ($16). I was really curious about the fondue and found out it was really just yogourt and fruit topped with granola. The size of the glass was not what I was expecting – it was average and the yogourt was nothing spectacular. I was really hoping for something large and made with some kind of homemade yogourt. The most troubling part was that I paid $16 for this which is way, way too expensive. Thank God for the eggs Benedict with maple pulled pork because it saved the meal. It came with a very generous amount of maple pulled ham and the pieces were quite substantial. This dish was filling and tasty and coupled with the tasty potatoes made the price of $16 seem worth it. This dish is a stand out and I would suggest this be the item of choice if you end up coming to eat here.

Service

Our service was mediocre as our waiter seemed kind of “in the moon”. There were some small things I was not a fan of but not enough to get me wound up. I recall one of us asked for a glass of water and cutlery but only the water came and the cutlery had to be asked for twice. There was also the fact that my yogourt which was ordered first ended up coming when I was almost done my main course.

Vegetarian

There are a few vegetarian options although with a short menu there isn’t a lot of choice. The pancakes and French toast are your safest bet although neither of these are vegan friendly.

Wrap up

I felt that the price was a couple dollars too much and some of the dishes missed the mark. I did like eggs Benedict with the maple ham as well as the pancakes; although the incident with the French toast left a bad taste in my mouth. It is one of a handful of places that does brunch in Westmount so at least there is somewhere else to go. As advice, the menu needs tweaking and the prices need to drop.

View Wellhouse Restaurant and Bar in a larger map

Price	$$$	$12-$15
Overall		3/5
Wheelchair Access		2/3
Parking	Parking Meter & Street	Difficult
BUS	24,104,138,35663	Get Directions
Metro	Atwater	9 minutes

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