Banter

Banter is another (Australian) cutesy brunch place with a 30-minute wait and an underwhelming menu. Let me just say that most of the negative things I have to say about Banter stem from my brunch expectations, not anything that was “wrong” about Banter. When I go out for brunch, I’m usually after a hearty, pancake-house-esque type meal. Corned beef hash, shrimp and grits, hash browns, and French toast are things that I’m expecting to see on a brunch menu. It’s just really hard for me to get excited about spending $18 on two eggs, bacon, avocado, cheese, and toast (see Banter’s Big Breakfast).

I went to Banter with a couple friends around 11:30 AM on a Sunday, and waited for about 30 minutes. I ordered the fried chicken sandwich, Amita and Nicki ordered the Golden Folded Eggs. The fried chicken sandwich was just OK, but the sweet potato fries were great. It was more of a super thin chicken katsu and less of a thick Chick-fil-A type sandwich. Amita and Nicki both thought the Golden Folded Eggs were good, but felt like it wasn’t really worth it. Which I thought was very fair, given that the only thing they actually cooked were two eggs and some peas. Amita and Nicki were also stoked about drinks they got. “Yeah, to be honest, that was the only thing I was stoked about. After I ate the meal I was still hungry” – Amita.

In short— service was good, portions small, overpriced, and food just OK. If a cutesy SOHO brunch is what you’re after, this place is great. Honestly, this place was fine, and my relationship with the place can be summed up with an “it’s not you, it’s me” line.