Who likes breakfast? I'm sure most people do. I love breakfast. But I also love my sleep. So really, the big problem in my life is that as much as I really love breakfast foods, I love sleep more, and love to sleep in til the very last minute I can, then dash around to get ready in the mornings and I'm out the door without any food in my stomach. Oops. So when The Common announced their Breakfast For Dinner pop up event for November, it was the perfect way to catch up on breakfast foods that I miss!

The Common - 9910 109 Street - Edmonton AB

So the pop up dinner at The Common was a little bit different, as it was featuring the culinary genius of their own Chef, Jesse Morrison-Gauthier. While I have had some dishes from him before, it was never the entire meal planned out and executed by him.. I was definitely excited to see what was in store, as it would be a pretty good indication of the quality and standards of food normally served at The Common.

The night started off with an amuse bouche: Fondant potato, hollandaise & smoked salmon. This dish was an excellent start, as the potato had a crisp interior, breaking away to reveal a tender interior. The hollandaise was thick with a tangy zing, and the smoked salmon tied it all together. I could sit and eat a couple of these by myself.

The next course was what I deem the best dish of the night: Muesli with black sesame yogurt, elderberries, honeycomb and prunes. This to me was a yogurt parfait taken to the next level. I had imagined the yogurt would be a black sesame yogurt, but instead it was served as a very tart plain yogurt with a clump of black sesame on the side. I enjoyed it this way, as it gave me a chance to try to balance the tart yogurt with each component separately.. and everything worked so well. The black sesame wasn't too strong, prunes and elderberries gave a nice sweetness, strawberries very sweet and the honeycomb sweet and chewy. Add in the crisp Muesli with everything, and I would like to have this every morning for breakfast. I promise I would wake up a little earlier!

The third dish was packed with protein: Oeufs en cocotte: eggs, truffle, asparagus, Gruyere, prosciutto. To be totally honest, I'm not a big truffle fan. I find that the taste can be very overwhelming, but the amounts in this dish were perfect. The truffle was present without being too prominent, sitting amongst two eggs, asparagus pieces, and Gruyere cheese melted within. I loved the crisp proscuitto topped with herbed breadcrumb - crumbled and mixed in with the eggs gave the dish the flavour it needed.

So dish number four had me quite excited. If you've read for long enough, chicken and waffles served in front of me is something I've wanted to have for SO long. And this dish did not disappoint: confit chicken, amaranth bacon waffle, maple, watermelon, persimmon marmalade. The chicken was literally the size of my hand and I didn't know how I would eat it all, but I definitely had the desire and drive to finish it. The chicken was tender, and the coating was golden and crisp. The waffles were a little soft, but studded with bacon, and this dish was what I would have hoped for as my first real chicken and waffles. The fresh fruits were a nice addition to eat inbetween to cleanse the palate, and really helped the dish along. Luckily this is a permanent dish on the menu for The Common too - definitely try it out!

Last but not least was the dessert: espresso panna cotta, mini doughnuts, nutella. The panna cotta was firm but smooth, with a prominent espresso flavour throughout. The warm fresh donuts were light and soft, not too dense and delicious dipped in the nutella. Such a great end to the meal.

All in all, I have to say that this popup dinner has been the best to date for me. The portions were perfect and you were getting such a good deal! I love that it really featured what Chef Jesse Morrison-Gauthier is able to do, and gave me an indication of what the food at The Common normally is like. If anything, I can't wait to go in on a regular day to try things out.