Are you looking for a different alternative to weekend brunch than the usual bacon, eggs, and pancake platters? Then look no further than The Village Creperie, nestled in the heart of Belmont Village. Chef Jean graduated from the École Maitre Crêperie in Mauree de Bretagne in Brittany, the home of French crêpe-making. She and her husband Bob have been serving delicious dinner and dessert crepes from their wonderful little restaurant for a few years now. I only recently discovered that on weekends, they use their crepe making skills to deliver a fantastic brunch experience as well.

The restaurant is a bright, light filled bistro with a European feel, and committed to using local organic flours, fish, dairy and meats to create healthy fare. This commitment really comes through in the taste of the finished products. Their dinner crepes are filled with a variety of delicious combinations, from the light, perfectly cooked wild Pacific salmon with buttermilk dill, mustard, and garlic dressing; to the hearty smoky Texas chili crepe, filled with organic ground beef that’s been slow cooked with peppers, tomatoes and beans and topped with cheeses and sour cream. Each meal is served with a small salad of fresh greens dressed with light flavourful dressing, a perfect accompaniment to the meal.

But what of brunch? My husband and I and some friends of ours ventured out this weekend, to treat ourselves to a nice meal before retreating to hibernate on a rainy, dreary Sunday afternoon. Brunch is served from 10-2, and when we arrived at 10:45 the place was already busy with just enough room left to seat our party of 4 (they don’t take reservations for the weekend brunches, so it is a good idea to come a little early or later in service to avoid the rush).

Three out of four of us immediately decided on one of the blackboard specials (all three specials sounded great). Crepes stuffed with spicy sausage, spinach and egg, and topped with cheese, hollandaise and Valentina’s hot sauce. How can you say no? We also ordered sides of bacon and home fries for $3.00 each. This was probably unnecessary in retrospect due to the size of the crepe, but the home fries were perfectly cooked with crispy outsides and tender middles, and the bacon (3 strips) was outstanding. The crepe was out of this world! The sausage was delicious with just enough spicy bite, scattered in little rounds over the egg and baby spinach filling. The hollandaise is house-made, and if I didn’t think people would judge me, I would drink it out of a glass.

Our odd-girl-out who passed on the special ordered her personal house favourite, the eggs rancheros crepe. It comes filled with aged white cheddar and mozzarella, eggs, spicy sausage and house-made chili tomato ranchero sauce that is to die for. The eggs are perfectly cooked with still runny yolks and when you fold the crepe over itself the yolks burst and mix in with the cheese and sauce in an explosion of awesomeness. No wonder she orders this every time!

Next time you are looking for a twist on weekend brunch, head over to The Village Creperie, a local gem for sure.

Village Creperie is located at 703 Belmont Ave W, Kitchener ON (519-576-5796). Visit their website at www.villagecreperie.ca

Michelle Sullivan lives in Kitchener and is passionate about all things food related and about sustainable, healthy living.