I am fascinated by the group buying websites. So many possibilities to find a great deal, but so many chances that it won't turn out to be as good as you had hoped. Restaurants in particular are difficult to gauge because I always fear that by using the coupons I might somehow receive a lesser product or run into difficulty redeeming them. I took the plunge last week with two offers, one through Teambuy.ca, the other through Groupon.com.

The Teambuy offer was for 10$ for 20$ at Vino, Vin et Terrace, a restaurant in the Monkland Village that currently is only open on weekends for brunch. Until I saw the Teambuy offer, I had never really noticed the place; it is in the basement of a building that houses a few other business, so it is kind of hidden. And with the name, and the signage (a grapevine with a wineglass) I would have thought they were a wine store, not a restaurant, let alone a place that serves brunch.

In any case, I invited my girlfriend, her husband and two kids to brunch on Sunday. We had been trying to do a dinner since January but our schedules were totally out of sync and difficult to predict. Thus brunch was the best option.

We arrived a little before our reservation but that was fine since the restaurant was empty. This had me a little concerned, but I used the time to talk with the owner (I assume) and waitress about the restaurant itself and their experience with Teambuy. They were happy we learned about the restaurant from Teambuy and were confident that once we tried their brunch, we would be back.

Once my friends arrived we were given a thorough explanation of some of the less usual items on the menu, like the shakshouka & their gluten-free crepes. Meanwhile, we all sipped on some very delicious coffee, served as a bottomless cuppa!

We were all hungry, but the kids were particularly eager to eat, so the waitress made sure that their orders were taken immediately (pain au chocolat) while we decided what to eat.

I ordered the Shakshouka, which is three poached eggs, house roasted tomato reduction, scallions, white truffle oil and grilled pitas. The rest of the table ordered Lemon-Ricotta pancakes with caramelized bacon, a Vino breakfast sandwich with homemade english muffin, poached egg, Italian sausage and aged cheddar served with home fries, and a grilled reuben sandwich.

Each of us were surprised and delighted when our plates arrived. Each plate was beautifully presented and offered a generous portion of food. Better yet, it was all delicious.

The Shakshouka was the one dish that stood out the most. The aroma of the white truffle oil was intense and if there had been even a smidge more it might have been too much. But as it were, it was perfect!

So I guess they were right, we tasted once, and we'll be back again.

The total for 4 adults and 2 children (including free cookies) was 70$ (taxes in, but before our coupon)

Currently the restaurant is only open for brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, but they do have plans to open for lunch and dinner in the coming months.

Vino Vin et Terrasse
5674 Monkland
(514) 481-8466