ROB & PETER
Launched March 3rd, Belleville’s Premium Watering Hole and Diner inherited the former Swiftsure space in the inner harbor Days Inn. Co-owners Petr Prusa (of Floyd’s fame) and Rob Chyzowski took over operations back in September and slowly introduced their take on the classic diner — including the reduction of toast.
It’s still on the menu, but don’t expect to see slices accompanying many breakfast orders. Belleville’s has a different approach. “The Swiftsure was — for lack of a better word — based on quick food. We want to serve good food at a great price,” says Prusa. “At Floyd’s, there’s always potatoes and toast leftover. Here, you get a big plate of food and there’s no filler.”
“When you define a diner, what really makes it? To us, a diner is a casual, fun atmosphere. The food has fantastic flavour and it’s never pretentious.”
Breakfast includes favourites like eggs benedict — if you could call it such — that swaps English muffins for handmade samosas or spanakopita. With sauces like pineapple chutney, basil salsa verde, and lemon hollandaise, the poached egg is the only familiar component. Other menu items are named after iconic films or figures, such as the Homer Simpson (eggs and bacon with polenta and maple beans) and Once Upon a Time in Mexico (a thick slice of frittata served over Spanish rice and guacamole in a tortilla bowl).
