If it wasn't for Hugo's and their delicious brunches, my weekend would have been a total washout. Hugo's was my saviour!
An exaggeration maybe, but I'd spent the entire weekend lolling about on the sofa feeling sorry for myself. I had flu you see, and most of my friends were avoiding me like the, erm, plague.
But a trip to Hugo's, a boho-style café/restaurant in leafy, affluent Queen's Park turned out to be the perfect venue for laid-back Sunday dining. This place gets absolutely packed on weekends, and I'm glad we went at the tail end of their busy lunch service. It is also a magnet for glossy-haired, well-manicured mums (all so glamorous - I even mistook one for Elle Macpherson. Maybe it was the flu-drugs making me hallucinate) with their equally glossy-haired kids in tow, so if you can't stand screaming toddlers and cooing parents then I'd avoid Hugo's on weekend mornings/lunchtimes.
I think it's well worth overcoming your aversion to kids though. The setting is a mix of country-kitchen wooden tables and chairs, with blocks of red walls, imposing candles and wire mesh-covered lighting giving it a more urban, cosy feel. The food is as advertised - fresh and organic, with classic brunch fare featuring heavily on the menu. Think English breakfasts, croissants, pancakes, eggs in every which way possible. The service was on the right side of friendliness, if a little slow (though to me, the unhurried staff added to the homely, relaxed atmosphere). We ordered coffees, which were a disappointingly average, and one vegetarian breakfast, which more than made up for the flat-tasting cappuccinos. The veggie brekkie consisted of beans, cherry tomatoes, wonderfully fluffy discs of sautéed potatoes, eggs, toast and garlicky mushrooms - all very light, not too greasy and with a scattering of parsley. Not only was it delicious and flavour-filled, they even split the one breakfast we ordered into two plates for us, because I'd said I couldn't eat too much. What came were two very decent-sized plates for the price of one - the full-size breakfasts must be huge!
I've heard good things about the dinner menu, and apparently there's live jazz on a Sunday evening. Whilst I wouldn't travel miles for Hugo's, as a local, I will definitely be visiting again. Hopefully, I won't be flu-ed up next time... read more