San Diego GTB Brunch Recap: ROYALE

@ ROYALE

Ocean Beach, CA

It twas' another weekend, which meant it was time for another San Diego Brunch Adventure! It was a beautiful Saturday morning, as we all headed down to Ocean Beach, CA to try out one of the newest additions to the growing Ocean Beach community, ROYALE .

I'll be honest to say, that personally my expectations we're modest... When you've been as ostentatiously exploring the brunch scene as much as we have, the bar is set quite high. And just like with any brunch place we choose to visit there's a bit of research to be had, who are they, where did they come from and WHAT IS ON THE MENU? and from the outside looking in, they were a local family, used buzz words like sourcing locally (music to our ears) and they had a bit of everything "standard" that one might look for in options, something sweet, savory, & veggie friendly. We proceeded in making plans to head in! (and sooo glad we did) 

Super long story short, upon arrival I realized "we had been here before" and were quite relieved to see that Royale happened to have taken over this location. 

The look and feel of it, is reminiscent to a "diner" vibe with some bright pops and odes to current culture. The fun bright lit neon signs add a great and modern look + some fun photo ops! 

As the gals excitedly arrived and got settled in, we started passing around name tags, because hey with 30 of us,  we'll need the occasional reminder and I actually made some custom name tags (example included - shoot me an email if you'd like to order some ;)), with some fun getting to know you questions to help break the ice in case you hit a moment of silence lol :) although that's rarely a problem ;). We had a awesome group 75% that had come before and 25% whom were BRAND NEW to the "GTB Experience".

I got to sit next to a couple of gals that had come before and then a couple of gals whom it was their first time! I sat next to the lovely Glenn, whom had just moved here and happened to live in OB as well and was a ARCHEOLOGIST - how freakin' cool is that! and then the Lovely Lisa, who had just moved here from Ireland (super cool) several months ago (which I had just gotten back from 2 weeks prior) and works from home and ALSO lives in OB and so it was if a match had been made :) + they both had on cute floral additions to their "brunch outfits". I also sat next to Karina whom I met at a previous brunch and is a local +super fun San Diegan and then I also got to sit by Hannah who had come once before earlier in the month (recent transplant from LA) but we didn't get to sit by one another before so it was super lovely to get to know her more as well! A few of the table hot topics, were … cue the Midwest it had almost seem that many of the gals at our table were attached to the Midwest somehow, someway, we chatted about connection, brunch outfits, bloody marys vs mimosas, Gyms in the area, significant others, joining local sports teams - like Vavi, hiking groups, moving experiences, places we'd like to travel to next, some of our favorite places to travel to and how much we were enjoying the Royale experience. We also all exchanged numbers, Instagram handles and some business cards :). 

Cori, our awesome server came by for drinks and recommended their mimosa Royale special, which was a bottle of champagne + fresh squeezed orange juice from their LOCAL FARM! Most of the gals dived in for the coffee first but a couple of the brave ones went in for the kill and we are soooo glad they did! Royale's take on the mimosa was delicious and the fresh squeezed orange juice truly took it over the TOP even with just a splash, it was the loveliest and one of my favorites this year! 

We all made our final menu decisions, and I went back and forth but finally opted in with the recommendation from Cori to try out the Fried Chicken Biscuit Sandwich... She proclaimed it was EXPLICIT worthy - LOL. 

The food arrived and the room went silent.... 

But only for a matter of seconds it quickly turned into ooo's and aaa's of everyones food selection...

The True Showstopper though.... 

was the "Fried Chicken Biscuit Sandwich" 

Fried Chicken Biscuit Sandwhich

The Showstopper ;)

I would be lying to you if I didn't tell you that this dish alone may have inspired todays blog... You see having lived in the south, I have a very distinct flavor profile I look for in indulging in such dishes or else is it really worth the calories? haha! 

Royale's version of the Chicken Fried Biscuit PASSED with flying colors and could have easily been split into 4 MEALS! The chicken and breading were a perfect texture, crisp and flavoring, the biscuit was fluffy and golden brown with just a slight BITE to it, with a splendidly fried egg slice of American cheese and swimming in a beautifully made sausage gravy, with a slight peppery, tangy, slightly sweet and savory bite! Paired with a side of greens and a nice vinaigrette that paired perfectly with a heavier dish. I tried to make a dent in it but finally had to succumb and take left overs and enjoyed it for breakfast the next day and it was STILL just as good. It was reminiscent of one of my favorite brunch places in Denver Co... The Denver Biscuit Co! San Diego is in need of a great biscuit place and thankfully Royale's hits it right on the MARK and more! Come Hungry and or its the perfect cure for any "hangover" breakfast you might be looking for. 

The gals that were sitting by me happened to have all ordered the Vegetarian Friendly side of the menu and they all raved! Lisa mentioned the bread was amazing and found out it was made in-house and also mentioned it was one of her favorite breakfast dishes since having moved to San Diego and Glenne + Hannah had all commented on what a fresh assortment and perfectly portioned Veggie Breakfast Bowl was. 

The Veggie Breakfast Bowl

As I looked around the tables, I was getting thumbs up and nods of approval which is always a good sign and RARE when that many gals are made happy. HUGE + to ROYALE, you have been deemed with the official Gals That Brunch Worthy approval. it seemed as though everyone was enjoying their morning and enthralled with the company all around them. These moments I always just revel a bit in seeing all the beautiful connections being made, and the synergy that is created when a group of gals come together around the brunch table and feels as if all is right in the world. Its always super beautiful.

Thanks so much to Mariah in helping set this up, and another shoutout to the whole service team at ROYALE we so appreciate you all and thanks for setting the tone of the morning. 

Go check out ROYALE when you have a chance, locally owned, brand new to the community and a commitment to source locally when possible! They also mentioned doing bar take-overs with some of their friends in the bar industry, and love hosting Happy Hour as well. 

ROYALE 4204 Voltaire St. San Diego 92107