Tilikum Place Cafe

Flashback to Easter Sunday - we were hungry and desperate to find a good spot for brunch because a lot of locations were closed for the Easter holiday. I considered grabbing a McMuffin meal from the closest McDonald's, but decided that I would regret not venturing out for breakfast/brunch while being in Seattle. After consulting Yelp, I came across Tilikum Place Cafe. The reviews were good and it wasn't too far of a car ride from our hotel. I called them in advance to make sure they were open. The nice gentleman on the phone said that they were only open for brunch and lunch (until 3 pm) that day, but not for dinner. He also mentioned that they only had one more reservation available for brunch (at 2:30 pm), but were accepting walk-ins for seats at the bar counter (the wait list at that point was about 45 min to an hour) and would be able to accommodate us if we were only a party of two. Not wanting to wait more when we got there, I asked nicely for us to be put down on the wait list and he kindly obliged.

I had given the restaurant my cell phone number so that they could contact me when a spot became available. After half an hour later, I realized that they wouldn't be able to call me because I had my phone on "airplane" mode to avoid roaming charges. By the time we got to the restaurant, it was about 45 min after I had called in. I was worried that we had missed our turn on the wait list. Luckily, they had just tried to call me and our seats at the bar were still available.

(HANGRY CYNTHIA WAS INCREDIBLY HAPPY)

We were seated at the bar. This was the view in front of me.

My view of the restaurant when I turned around.

The view to my left ... and also my favourite view! Sneak peek at the Eggs Benny special.

I thoroughly enjoyed our seats at the bar counter. I was actually so glad that we go to sit where we sat, instead of at one of the tables. I got to watch the chefs make and prepare the food while we waited for our meal to come. Although it definitely made me even hungrier, it added immensely to my overall experience. The inside of the restaurant had a very cozy feel and gave off a European vibe - the type of vibe that gives you a sense of comfort and warmth even though it's cold and rainy outside.

We decided to order the two daily specials that were not on the regular menu - 1) Eggs Benedict and 2) Corned Beef Hash. We also got a pot of french pressed coffee to share.

The Eggs Benny special consisted of two poached eggs served over a thick slice of corn bread that was topped with a dungeness crab and fresh red peppers mixture. It was served with a side of roasted potatoes and came with some home-made hollandaise sauce that was infused with sriracha.

We had high expectations for the Eggs Benny, mainly because the description was very appealing and there was a lot of anticipation from watching the dish being prepared. Unfortunately, we were both pretty disappointed. The eggs were cooked well and the hollandaise sauce was great (even though I couldn't really make out the sriracha at all). The potatoes, however, did not taste as good as they looked. I think the seasoning was a bit off. The dungeness crab went well with the poached eggs, but there wasn't enough of it to make a good impression. You could tell from the texture that the cornbread was fresh, but it wasn't a good pairing for the crab mixture. The sweetness of the cornbread mixed with the fleshy taste of the crab left an odd after-taste in my mouth.

The Corned Beef Hash, on the other hand, was awesome! It was unlike any other corned beef hash I've ever had.

It had a very unique spin - the corned beef was cubed, instead of mashed (like it usually is). The beef was tossed together with some (slightly) roasted brussels sprout leaves, yellow and purple potatoes, carrots and served over a spread of horse radish cream sauce. I would never have thought to add brussels sprouts in any form to a breakfast/brunch dish, but I'm glad someone else thought of it. The horse radish cream sauce was phenomenal and complimented the brussels sprout leaves and corned beef really well. The juices from the corned beef also added a lot to the plate. The potatoes themselves were not very seasoned, but they absorbed the juices from the corned beef and actually helped to balance out the overall saltiness. The yolk from the poached egg was like the cherry on top.

Since the Corned Beef Hash was a daily special, I'm not sure how frequently or when they have it available to order for brunch. If you're in the area and you somehow catch wind that it's being served, I would jump on it!