Every beginning involves even the slightest bit of bold romancing—think opening shots, well-written preambles, breakfast spreads that make bread and pasta the first temptation of the day. At the Gardens, expect that the latter will be duly delivered. Baked Egg Chorizo, Blue Cheese Omelette, and Rum-Glazed Pancakes all do their share to coax you to linger at the table a little longer.
“Breakfast sets your mood,” says founder and director Bridget Co. “There are no walls here, just glass; it makes you feel like you’re dining in the gardens—with air conditioning.” Opening at 7:30 a.m., the restaurant welcomes joggers dropping by for cold-pressed juice, regular diners ordering their coffee as they camp in a corner with their laptops, and some doctors, lawyers, and businessmen who can’t seem to leave the breakfast table and have taken their meetings indoors.
The Gardens has likely made it a mission to turn breakfast into a ritual. It’s almost irreverent to clumsily crack the seven-minute egg on top of the impeccably prepared Gardens Brunch Pasta. Instead, you spoon the golden yolk out of the shell until it sluices down the welcoming heap of bacon and vegetables—devoured, its creamy cushion renders that pure, light, and riveting taste from a dreamed-up Garden of Eden, the taste punctuated by the earthy flavor of greens and tomatoes.
Adding another layer of lightness is the Gardens Fruit Tea, which tastes more like sweetened fruit juice triggering that early morning jouissance. Paired with the Chicken and Chorizo Paella, the drink offsets the bold, salty taste of the hefty meat. With the organic egg, arugula leaves, and raw veggies, it’s almost as though the sinful chorizo has ascended to the pantheon of healthy meals.
After eating, you can drink locally roasted coffee from Brazil, East Timor, and India—yet even more curious is the turmeric shot served on the side. “It helps your digestive system. You take it like a tequila shot,” says Co. The green liquid looks off-putting at first, but if there’s anything that this restaurant proves, it’s that something green can be as enticing as a cloud of cake or pastry.
After a full meal, and after the rest of the day plays out, there is nothing quite like the pleasure of remembering the pasta, pancakes, and even paella you had for breakfast, and almost nothing quite like the thrill of having them again the morning after.
This story was originally published in Northern Living, May 2016.