Dining Out: Mother's Day Brunch at Pears Restaurant

Sometime in late February, Pears Restaurant announced that they would be collaborating with sister restaurant, Glass Kitchen, to create a "new brunch experience." I'm actually not really sure how they've collaborated since they're both restaurants by Chef Keith Pears and they both feature Asian fusion cuisine, but the marketing e-mail says it brings together "the refined elegance of Pears with the vibrant creativity of Glass Kitchen." Suffice it to say, I was curious. But I wanted to wait a bit — for the hype to die down, of course, but also so the chefs could get more comfortable with the menu and tweak dishes as necessary. So I finally took the opportunity to try Pears' "First Light" Brunch with my mom for Mother's Day.

Char siu short rib eggs Benedict with kimchi pancakes, pickled cucumbers, poached eggs, and hollandaise
The char siu short rib eggs Benedict was excellent. The meat was flavourful and melt-in-your-mouth tender; the spicy-sour flavour of the kimchi pancakes and tartness of the pickled cucumbers was offset beautifully by creamy poached eggs and rich hollandaise sauce. The home fries also deserve a huge shout-out — these are extra crunchy like they're double-fried (maybe even triple-fried), and perfectly seasoned. I usually think home fries are boring and bland, but these were incredible. Totally worth ordering as a side on their own (which they offer for $7).

Shakshouka with gochujang tomato eggplant stew, lamb merguez sausage, and crispy mantou bao
The shakshouka was good — the flavours were bright and flavourful, kind of like a spicy tomato-based pasta sauce. Mixed with the poached eggs, it became a richer, creamier, more decadent stew. (My mom thought it was good, but "nothing special." So take that as you will.) The mantou buns were great for dipping; I'm glad they went with fried mantou instead of the regular steamed ones just for some texture contrast. Surprisingly, I actually wasn't a huge fan of the lamb sausage. I was expecting some gaminess, which I typically like, but this sausage was so gamey it almost veered on metallic, as if I was eating blood sausage. I ate it, anyway, but those who can't stand that iron/metallic aftertaste of blood will probably not be able to stomach the sausage.

Wagyu beef siu mai with black garlic nori sauce
The wagyu beef siu mai were… disappointing. Both my mom and I liked the texture of them, but hated the flavour. There's a kind of earthy pungent aftertaste that we didn't like — whether it was from the beef or the black garlic nori sauce or both. Weirdly enough, my mom and I usually have differing opinions on food, but we both agreed on this one. Also, you can't tell whether it's wagyu beef or some much cheaper cut of beef, anyway, because it's ground. So while these dumplings look amazing and the presentation is lovely, I just can't recommend them.

Thai tea French toast stuffed with coconut custard and topped with Thai tea anglaise and strawberries

The French toast is insane. In the best way possible. It is a giant brick toast, stuffed with coconut custard, and then deep-fried, and topped with some sort of Thai tea glaze and then torched. And then served on a sizzling hot plate. With a side of Thai tea to make it even sweeter. (We added a dash of the Thai tea, but it really wasn't necessary.) To be quite honest, this French toast didn't really taste like Thai tea to me. It actually tasted exactly like crème brûlée, and it was… absolutely dreamy. It's crunchy on the outside and soft and plush and creamy on the inside, and it was almost a transcendent experience. It's the kind of dessert I will think about for years to come. Save stomach space, because the French toast is an absolute must-order here. 

The food did take quite a long time to get to our table — just over 35 minutes for the first dish to arrive — though all of our dishes arrived within a span of five minutes after the first. It wasn't a dealbreaker to us, but it is worth noting, especially if you're on a schedule or are extremely hungry. (If you weren't hungry going in, you definitely will be by the time the food arrives.) I am also really glad to report that service has vastly improved from the first and only time I came here (which was during their soft opening last February). Actually, the server from that initial visit was the sole reason I didn't want to go back again. But our server this time was lovely. Pleasant, welcoming, attentive but not cloying, and most importantly, didn't try to push us to order anything we didn't want. Overall, a delightful experience that both my mom and I enjoyed. There are a bunch of other dishes I want to try from the brunch menu (mini lobster crab rolls, smoked salmon donut sliders, rice cake Bolognese?!), but frankly, I would come back just for that French toast if nothing else.

Pears Restaurant

170 Enterprise Blvd., Unit J105

Markham, ON L6A 0A2

(365) 608-0939