Sherman's Food Adventures: Novella Coffee Bar

Novella Coffee Bar

To say Published on Main is on a serious heater would be an understatement.  From all their awards and accolades (including a Michelin Star), they have expanded their empire to include Bar Susu, Novella and Vignette.  I've been to Bar Susu recently and naturally, I had my sights set on their elevated coffee shop Novella.  At night from Wednesdays to Sundays, it is transformed into Vignette.  For now, I'm going to focus on Novella as I headed there for brunch recently.

Upon entering the place, my eyes were drawn to the beautiful dried flower arrangement above the main dining area.  Very pretty.   We started with a couple of drinks in the form of a Hot Latte and Mocha.  Would've preferred a different cup but these were pretty good regardless.  Some pastries that caught our eye included the Canelé and Earl Grey Cruffin.  The firm caramelized crust of the Canelé was smoky and sweet while giving way to a soft custardy centre.  This was not bad.  As for the cruffin, it was flaky and also sweet (due to the sugar on the outside) while the ample amount of earl grey curd was creamy and not too strong.

Onto the hot stuff, we started with the Farmer's Sausage Hash with spicy kewpie mayo and tobiko.  We really didn't enjoy this as the ample amount of shredded iceberg lettuce made this feel "cheap".  It almost felt like we were eating a taco salad, especially with the spicy mayo.  As for the cubes of fried sausage and potatoes, those were not pretty good, but that lettuce really ruined the whole thing.  Was it possibly they ran out of some another greens?

It got better with the French Omelette as it was prepared properly.  Tender, delicate and soft, the omelette had a creamy centre.  Fresh herbs and some gruyère added the necessary aromatics and flavour.  On the side, there was some excellent grilled sourdough that had an appealing chewiness while sporting a crunchy crust.  There was ample butter that added nuttiness and moisture.

Our last item was the Turbo Breakfast Sandwich with breakfast sausage, hash brown, fried egg.  I thought this was quite good with a thick slice of meaty and juicy sausage and melted cheese.  I thought the hash brown could've been crispier though.  The toasted bun kept everything together while being soft and airy.  Overall, the food and drinks at Novella were good, but that hash was not.  Prices were reasonable in my opinion and I can't wait to try their dinner service as Vignette.

The Good:
- Nice space
- The pastries we had were good
- Reasonably-priced in my opinion

The Bad:
- That hash cannot have shredded lettuce

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