1104 Irvine, Ave.
Newport Beach, CA 92660
I enjoy it when breakfast restaurants break out of the same old egg dishes, pancakes, and french toast options. When they bring something new and different to the table, literally and figuratively. Breaking the mold to make themselves stand out. So when I started following OEB Breakfast Company on Instagram, I knew I would move it up on my restaurant wishlist.
OEB, which stands for over easy breakfast, opened in The Counter's former spot in the corner pocket of the Westcliff Plaza, situated at the corner of Irvine and Westcliff Drive. Opened in May, OEB Breakfast Company comes to us from the great white north, otherwise known as Canada. There are several locations spread across Canada, and the only other one in the US is situated in Scottsdale, Arizona.
This chef-driven concept is helmed by Mauro Martina, a classically trained chef who has built this restaurant from a small 1,000-square-foot space in Calgary. He grew up in Italy and moved to Canada in 1992 to pursue his dream of becoming an executive chef, which he accomplished at age 21. The natural progression for him was restaurant ownership, which he achieved in 2009, sharing his vision for a farm-to-table breakfast experience.
That experience has created a unique and playful menu with many whimsical names for his dishes. The menu is divided into blue plate specials, breakfast bowls, benny's, scram-blettes, sandwiches, sweet items, and more. As with most new breakfast/brunch restaurants, there's a full bar, which goes well beyond the usual bloody mary and mimosa offerings.
We arrived at EOB at half past 11 on a recent Sunday and had a twenty-minute wait for a table. We passed the time by getting a chocolate croissant for later at Pandor and people-watching. When we were texted that our table was ready, we hurried back to the hostess stand. The dining room seats 100, which seemed like a lot for the size of it, but the flow of people was nice and orderly. The predominant color is bright white, with booths, stand-alone tables, and a communal table filling the space. We were seated on the 25-seat patio in front of the restaurant. Now that we were sitting, let's see what OEB had to offer foodwise.
First was Katie's selection, the Gotta Chick This Out ($18.50). This giant egg concoction was filled with some pulled chicken, spinach, semi-dried tomatoes, and mozzarella. Katie liked this well enough but thinks there's a reason why chicken isn't in more omelets. It's kind of bland. That, and the fact that there wasn't a lot of cheese present in this kind of made it fall flat. She'd get something else on her next visit. The scramblettes all come with duck-fat fried potatoes, fruit, and a choice of toast. Online reviews for the potatoes are glowing, but we found them underseasoned and not as crisp as we expected. On the other hand, the fruit was fresh, and the toast was fine.
This was the first time I had seen pierogies on a breakfast menu, so I was intrigued enough to try the Pierogies and Duck ($22). The pierogies were filled with a potato mixture and placed on the plate with thick hardwood smoked bacon, pulled duck confit, a drizzle of raspberry vinaigrette, and two sunny-side-up eggs at the top of the pile. This was a vibrant dish. The pierogies were lightly fried but not rubbery like a lot of them tend to be. The bacon was very smokey, and the duck was done perfectly. The egg yolk, when pierced, tied everything together nicely. I did not get much from the raspberry vinaigrette, as it got lost here. A very filling breakfast plate.
Ever since the pandemic started, I have been crazy about anything with bananas. I've made countless banana chocolate chip bread loaves, had too many slices of banana cream pie to count, and even made a delicious dessert called Banana Lasanga. So I was naturally drawn to this Banana Cream Pie French Toast ($18). With brioche as its base, this is layered with banana cream, sliced bananas, whipped cream, and toasted almonds. Unfortunately, this was a miss from me. It was not anywhere close to sweet, and after a few bites, it became pretty dull. I expected some sweetness from the banana or whipped cream but was let down. I'd skip these in favor of maybe the Nutella french toast or the buttermilk griddle cakes next time.
OEB made a good first impression, even with the french toast misstep and Katie's choice of an egg dish. The plates in front of us were unique, made with great technique, and visually stunning. My plate was as delicious as it looked. I'd describe OEB as a breakfast restaurant that we'd hit only on special occasions. It was pretty expensive, as we spent $72 plus tip for the two of us, which is a lot for the day's first meal. However, most people around this area don't seem deterred by the prices here, as they have a four-and-a-half-star Yelp rating after only two months. Part of that might be due to the friendly service we observed on this visit, but the kitchen still had a few kinks to work out with promptly getting meals to the tables. Still, OEB is a breakfast restaurant worth checking out if you are tired of the same old breakfast.
Out of five lassos (because this restaurant chain started in Calgary, Canada, which is also home to the largest rodeo in the world, the Calgary Stampede), five being best to zero being worst, OEB Breakfast Co. gets 3 lassos.
For more information about OEB Breakfast Co., head to their website by clicking here: https://us.eatoeb.com/
