1499 Laurier E. Laurier métro. Bus 27. Papineau. Bus 45
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Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Breakfast served until 2 p.m. weekdays, and 'til 4 p.m. weekends. Closed Monday. $25 for two before wine, taxes and service. Table d'hôte: $6.95—$14 (noon), $11—$14 (evening).Tel. 523-9396.
 In the Plateau, weekend brunch is an art form. If your idea of brunch is eggs over-easy with a side of breakfast sausage and a cup of Folger's, you're in for a big surprise.
There are a few places that are as far from our traditional North American ideas of "breakfast" as it gets. How about halva, feta cheese with fresh dill, mint and cilantro and a side of sweet poppy-seed bread accompanied by mint tea and homemade ginger jam? This is the sort of fare you can expect at Byblos, an Iranian-cum-Mediterranean restaurant on Laurier.
Here, one can indulge in such extrinsic exotica as the Oriental omelette, with flour, rose petals and cardamom, if one is in a whimsical mood. But there is also earthier fare like sweet breads (three different kinds, but not the innards kind) with a choice of twenty-five varieties of Byblos's homemade jams and jellies.
It's a high-ceilinged space, bright and airy, with floor-to-ceiling picture windows that let in the warmth of the morning sun—just the thing for that Seasonal Affective Disorder you've been cultivating for the past six months. One wall is a wild Jackson-Pollock riot of color while others are hung with Mediterranean art; exposed ventilation ducts on the ceiling lend an informal, loft-like air to the rooms. The Iranian owner oversees every diner's situation personally, handing out menus and generally fussing over her brunch brood like a mother hen. It's crowded and noisy on a Saturday morning, but not unruly, and the tables are not crammed together like irritable chess pieces. Relax, create your personal bubble and sip from a delicate tumbler of sweet mint tea while you nibble on a miniature triangular pita wrap of feta, cucumber-and-potato salad and dill sprigs—of your own making. Another aspect of a visit to Byblos guaranteed to put Spring in your step is its low prices: you can have a fantastic meal for less than $15 per person.—Reviewed by Nick Robinson
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