Ruff Brunchin’ (A White Dog Cafe Review)

June 7th, 2023

Authored by Nina Wilson and Dynisha Murray

A couple weeks ago, we checked out White Dog Cafe. It is a quaint british styled restaurant that is nestled in between other residences, and is located across the street from Carey School of Law, located in University City. The restaurant initially opened up, in January 1987, under the proprietorship of Judy Wicks (White Dog). Wicks is an author, entrepreneur and environmental activist (Center for Environmental Rights). She is responsible for being on the forefront of bringing sustainability to the table.

On January 19th, 2009, Wicks sold the restaurant to the present owners who are father daughter duo Marty and Sydney Grims (Bizjournals). The Grims family owns the fearless restaurant group, which has several notable Philadelphia restaurants under its umbrella. Such as Louie Louie, Moshulu, Autograph Brasserie, amongst others (Fearless Resturants). Under the leadership of Marty and Sydney Grimes, White Dog Cafe opened several other locations in Wayne, Haverford, Glen Mills, and Chester Springs. Opening other locations of a restaurant is a serious feat, and one that cannot be done if the food is not good. So although our expectations were not high, as they never are, they were slightly elevated.

We visited White Dog on a Saturday, around 1 pm. We always make reservations in advance for brunch, and would recommend you do the same, as table availability varies depending upon the weekend. Upon entering the restaurant, you are greeted with heavy dog theming. From sculptures of dog heads on the walls to various doggy paintings. There were a lot of dark woods and flooring incorporated into the space, which also gave a British pub vibe, but the theming made it feel whimsical and fun. Once we were settled in our seats, we decided we were in an adventurous mood. Both of us had never had bloody marys, and decided that we would get our first one here, which the restaurant calls a “Baysil Bloody” ($13) So we ordered that and eventually a Peach Mango Tea ($15) for our drinks. For an appetizer we ordered the Goat Cheese and Whipped Ricotta platter ($18). Lastly we ordered a Pork Belly Benedict ($18), Breakfast ‘Pot’ Pie ($16), as well as Rocky Road Churro Waffles ($15).

Drinks

Baysil Bloody

As we stated before, this was our first time trying bloody marys. We don’t have a point of reference for how they are normally meant to taste and our opinions are based on our personal tastes. The presentation of the drinks were simple and fun. The drinks were made with Revivalist Dragon Dance spicy Gin, Bloody Mary Mix, Philadelphia Distilling Bay Vodka, and Basil. In a way it tasted like a boozy cocktail sauce that had a slight saccharine flavor. It is definitely an acquired taste that we do not have, so we gave this sanguinary drink 1.98 stars out of 5.

Peach Mango Tea

We ended up ordering this drink towards the end of our brunch, because we were having trouble stomaching our bloody marys. This drink contains vodka, white peach, mango and lemonade, and also appears to be part of an inhouse cocktail line. One can is the equivalent of two servings, which is not bad for a drink. This was exactly what it read on the label, a boozy iced tea. It was lightly sweetened, and the flavors of the peach and mango were present. It was also very refreshing. We really liked this drink, and if we were to come back, we would get it again. Based on that our score is 4.35 out of 5.

Appetizer

Goat cheese Whipped Ricotta

We were still in the midst of an adventurous mood when we decided to order this appetizer. The presentation was nice, but made us apprehensive of what we had ordered. Just because it had a just foraged kind of appearance, which can go 50/50 in either direction. The dish contained peas, mint, speck, aged balsamic vinegar, and was accompanied with toasted sourdough.

The goat cheese mixed with the ricotta was sweet, light and airy. Dynisha is not a huge fan of goat cheese, but enjoyed it mixed with the ricotta. The speck was not tender, and almost like a jerky on top. And the peas were mixed into a bland paste on the edge of the dish. Overall, it lacked flavor and cohesion. It didn’t taste like one complete dish. Potentially, if the speck was a bit saltier to cut through the rich sweetness of the ricotta goat cheese mix or even a bit more incorporation of an acidic component that could have made this dish shine. All in all though, this was another miss for us. We rated it 2.3 stars out of 5.

Entrees

Pork Belly Benedict

It’s not very often eggs benedict comes with pork belly. Which makes this one, a unique one indeed. It is described as containing, house smoked ironstone creamery pork belly, poached eggs, toasted brioche, pickled onions, rosemary maple cream sauce, and home fries.

The presentation was nice. It ensured that each element of the dish got a chance to shine without the other compromising its integrity. The pork was nicely seasoned, and had a crisp exterior while being soft and tender on the inside. The eggs were well executed and nice and yoky. There were a couple of downsides, mainly that the rosemary maple sauce was a tad bit sweet and you have to construct the eggs benedict a bit because of the way everything was plated. The potatoes were bland, and could have used some more time to cook. But overall, this wasn’t a bad dish. We rated this 3.2 stars out of 5.

Breakfast Pot Pie

We’re gonna keep this one brief. We were intrigued by this dish, because of the concept of a breakfast pot pie. Who wouldn’t like the idea of country sausage, gravy, carrots, pearl onions, peas, egg all wrapped up in a buttermilk biscuit?

The problem was that this dish did not look appetizing and was not good. It was not a pot pie. It was more of a pot- sandwich. The gravy leaned on the sweet side, which at this point is a theme with all of the dishes we’ve ordered up to this point. The biscuit was well executed. However, you could barely taste the sausage, there was way too much pearl onion, and the egg was just there. It didn’t add anything to the dish. And it was all bland on top of that too. So we wouldn’t order this again, or give it to our worst enemy. Thus why we rated this 1.13 out of 5 stars.

Rocky Road Churro Waffles

At this point, we were hoping to get some relief from the barrage of bad dishes through something sweet. And that is where these waffles come into play. They contained marshmallow creme, nutella milk chocolate, strawberry, hazelnuts, and Pennsylvania maple.

The presentation of this dish was nice and simple,much like a lot of the dishes we had previously ordered. This tasted exactly like what a churro would taste like as a waffle. It was crispy and crunchy. Sweet without being excessively sweet. The strawberries were nice and tart. The nutella sauce pulled everything together. It accomplished what it sought out to do. And for that, we can’t be mad at it. So we rated these a 3.0 out of 5 stars.

In Conclusion..

We don’t know if there was something in the water, but everything we had at this restaurant had a tad bit too much sugar in it. In some cases it made sense. But in most of the dishes we ordered it made zero sense. Sometimes when chefs are trying to cater to as many palates as possible, they can end up making dishes too sweet or too salty. And there are some people who prefer their dishes lean towards just being a tad sweet or a tad salty with no other flavor profile.

However for us personally, this wasn’t it. We wouldn’t go back to White Dog Cafe. If your tastes differ from ours, maybe this place may be a hit for you. But that lackluster dishes is why we gave White Dog Cafe a final rating of 2.66 stars out of 5.

What do you think? Would you check out White Dog Cafe? Let us know down below.

Until next time,

Xoxo

The Brunch Besties