Agrius (Brunch Menu)

"What???  You don't have Agrius on your list of eats for Victoria???", Mijune scolded in disbelief.  Fine, she had me there.  How on earth did I not have En Route's 4th rated restaurant in the country?   I guess I was so focused on family friendly joints that I totally forgot that my kids do enjoy fine or near-fine dining (it's just that my pocket book takes a big hit!).  So not only did I planned to eat there for brunch once we got off the ferry (well, after we drove there of course), we also made resos for dinner later in the week (post will be up in a few days).  Maybe now Mijune would get off my back now...  

So we decided to get some of the more interesting dishes including the Baked Eggs with Swiss chard, tomato jam, braised lamb, nostrala, potatoes and French country bread.  At first, Viv was concerned that it would be too gamy (I personally enjoy that btw), but it turned out to be quite mild and balanced.  The eggs were perfectly silky and runny while the lamb was tender.  I enjoyed the tang as well as the cheesiness of the dish where all was sopped up with the hearty toasted bread.  For the other dish we shared, Viv was not too keen on ordering the Sauerkraut Pancakes because she doesn't really care for fermented cabbage.  However, we were pleasantly surprised that the house-made sauerkraut was not overpowering.  In fact, it was actually quite mild where it added the flavour of sauerkraut without overpowering the dish.  The pancakes themselves were fluffy and light with minor crunch from the cabbage.  On top, the sweet dijon was quite powerful adding a noticeable mustard finish.

For my son, he went for something more conventional with the Classic Benny with thick back bacon, poached eggs and Hollandaise atop French country bread.  As rich as the Hollandaise appeared, it was silky and completely brightened up by the ample amount of acidity.  The perfectly poached eggs were delicate and runny.  He found the bacon to be fantastically buttery and flavourful, but with the unappealing fattiness, it was pretty heavy.  Crunchy and firm, the French bread held up well to the wet ingredients.  My daughter decided on the Fried Egg Sandwich with cheddar, back bacon, tomato jam, lettuce and aioli on a brioche bun.  Soft and completely encasing the ingredients, the bun was airy and light.  Inside, the thinly sliced back bacon provided the necessary punch to go with the runny egg and tangy house-made tomato jam.  In general, the brunch was pleasant with a few surprises.  We enjoyed it, however, we were more looking forward to dinner in a few days.

The Good:
- Some unique dishes
- Impactful flavours
- Good service

The Bad:
- Bacon could've been rendered a bit more