Breakfast in Bed

There are few things more lazily gratifying in the morning than being served breakfast in bed.  You don’t even need to get out of bed, and you’re already being fed – how great is that (especially in the winter, when you dread that first step out of bed onto the chilled floor)?  It’s also a great way to surprise someone, but doesn’t require too much work, skill, or money (only a lot of preparation).

I not-so-recently made breakfast in bed, and I have to say that the time I put into pre-morning preparation was probably the key to finishing on time.  You’ll, of course, need a breakfast tray, some matching plates and cutlery, and some food.  The breakfast tray can be bought anywhere where they sell kitchen things – I bought a wooden one with legs to stand the tray up in bed.  You can tailor the breakfast to the person, depending on what they do or do not like.  If you don’t know, try to extract it (in a subtle way) from them.  Some common components are:

• eggs – scrambled, sunny side up, boiled, poached (from easiest to hardest)
• bread
• cold cuts and sliced cheese
• cereal or muesli
• coffee or tea
• orange juice
• pancakes
• meat – sausages, bacon, meatballs

One note about the orange juice – please please please make an effort to squeeze it yourself!  The difference between store-bought and freshly squeezed orange juice is HUGE, and this is one thing you could definitely do on the (late) night before and chill in the fridge.

For my breakfast, I cooked:

• soft-boiled egg (wasn’t so soft-boiled by the time I served it…)
• croissant and roll (from the bakery downstairs)
• sliced cheese and salami
• freshly squeezed orange juice
• crêpes with berries and fresh whipped cream
• Nürnburgers (small sausages)

It took me about a half hour to finally prepare everything before service, but I woke up periodically during the early morning to squeeze orange juice and premake the crêpes and Nürnburgers (I reheated them afterward).

The cold items are easy enough, as is the bread (I assume you will be buying fresh bread and cold cuts from the deli, not making them yourself), but the hot items are a bit tricky.  If you know what time the person is getting up, you just need to get up about a half hour (or however long you think you need) before that to prepare everything.  If you don’t know, then…try to guess.  You can also cook everything beforehand and leave it in a warm oven until it’s ready to be served (not ideal, but will still work).  Of course, this also depends on what you’re cooking.  Use your judgement.

Some final tips about preparation:

• Buy everything beforehand (the night before, at least) and try to store it where they can’t see it or won’t be suspicious.
• Prepare what you can ahead of time.  Measure out ingredients for pancakes, set aside enough eggs and sausages to simply throw into the pan and cook as quickly as possible in the morning.
• Use linens and nice cutlery.  Add a flower if possible.  Small details make a huge difference.
• Cook with love!  Yes, waking up early is not really that pleasant, but I guarantee it will be worth seeing the smile on their face.

Have fun!

 

Travel PhooD: Breakfast at Medina’s

City: Vancouver, Canada
Location: 556 Beatty Street, Crosstown
Eaten: Soft-boiled egg, bacon, and Belgian waffle with white chocolate pistachio rosewater sauce
Damage: $12CAD + tax

David N. (who treated me to breakfast – thanks, honey!) and I like to joke that Medina represents everything that is simultaneously great and absolutely wrong about Vancouver.  Located in Crosstown, a bit of a developing (read: gentrifying) neighbourhood sandwiched between the affluent Downtown core and homeless/prostitution/drug-riddled Downtown Eastside, and next door to our old first-year dinner hangout, Chambar, Medina looks like a typical Vancouver café from the first step inside.  The glass windows run from about three feet off the ground up to the vaulted ceiling, and single light bulbs hang from the ceiling.  The bar sits on the right side, the espresso machine waiting, with a few stools lined up at the counter.  Along the opposite wall (brick, of course) runs a padded bench behind lacquered wood tables.  The restaurant itself is narrow, but long – typical, because Vancouver retail lots seem to be becoming increasingly disproportionately rectangular (window space must be a premium!).

Bacon and eggs, Medina-style

The food at Medina’s is quite good – in addition to the typical eggs-bacon-fruit fare (which, as I will explain later, is not all so typical after all), there are brunch specials like Les Boulettes (2 poached eggs, spicy Moroccan meatballs, cilantro, hummus cucumber tomato salad and a piece of grilled focaccia) and the Fricasse (2 fried eggs on braised short ribs, roasted potatoes, carmelized onions, arugula and smoked applewood cheddar with grilled focaccia, both descriptions from Medina’s website!), which I can both heartily recommend, as we tried them the last time I was in Vancouver.  Their waffles are slightly crispy with a soft inside, with additional sauces on the side (ranging from classic mixed berry compote and fig orange marmalade to the more adventurous milk chocolate lavender and white chocolate pistachio rosewater).

Ever wonder what $1.25/slice bacon looks like? You're looking at it.

I said I’d say something about the bacon, so here it is.  If there’s one dish that really just embodies why exactly I would call Medina’s just plain wrong sometimes, it’s this one.  First of all, four strips of bacon shouldn’t cost $5CAD.  Ever.  Granted, it was really good bacon, but that’s not the point.  Secondly, this ain’t no Average Joe rasher, no sir – this is thick-cut, farmers-style bacon.  And lastly, it’s served on a square white plate with – get this – a drizzle of balsamic on the side.  Too much, perhaps?

Overall, Medina’s is a good place to sit down once in a while and have a chat with some friends over breakfast or brunch.  The food is good, but it definitely won’t be cheap (if you are looking for cheap breakfast food, Denny’s is both cheap and filling – Grand Slam, anyone?).  The service is attentive, but the place really isn’t all that big, anyway.  I’d come here again, but only once every few weeks as a nice treat!