Review: Morning Glory, San Diego CA
On a last minute roadtrip down the coast from LA, I finally had the chance dine at Morning Glory in San Diego. This popular breakfast eatery is well known, and there is a normal wait time of 30 minutes to an hour, starting as early as 8:30am on a weekday. My husband and I visited on a weekday and can only imagine the wait time on a Saturday or Sunday. So be prepared, if you want to indulge.
Morning Glory in San Diego
The dining room is incredibly artistic. Massive luminous flower-like sculptures are suspended above the bar. The cheery color scheme throughout the restaurant included hues of peach, orange and gold. Bowls of fruit and stylish bottles are purposely placed out of the way on counters, offering lots of interesting design elements which add to the artistry of the space.
The Dim Sum Cart
Rich and I wanted to partake in the Breakfast Dim Sum Cart available on selected days (so be sure to check the website). It offers an assortment of tempting bites such as smoked fish, deviled eggs, finger sandwiches, as well as petite pastries. After ordering a Bloody Mary and a coffee, we spotted the Dim Sum cart and hoped that the table currently selecting from the cart would leave some for us. Needless to say, it finally came around.
We chose a nice selection of fried dumplings, smoked salmon (lox) on a savory tart with cream cheese and cucumber as well as several macarons for later. These delicate baby pancakes served with a dollop of creme fraiche and adorned with black caviar were my absolute favorite – yum! Yes we went back for more of those. While we were enjoying these tasty treats, my Bloody Mary arrived at the table. In addition to vodka, it offered a kick with lip smacking umami juice and a delicious celery foam on top. It came with a separate glass of pickled veggies!
The enormous menu offers a whimsical look at the food from the management’s point of view. However, Consortium Holdings is not like your typical buttoned up restaurant group. Just take a look at their website – it reads “This is a badly done website for a breakfast restaurant by Consortium Holdings. As you’ve probably noticed, we suck at websites. But that’s okay. We don’t make websites. We make breakfast.” I for one can say Morning Glory offers a refreshing take on breakfast.
The Main Attraction
For our main course, we selected the Morning Glory Fried Rice (Pork Belly, Peas, Bok Choy, Sesame Seed, Broccolini, Scallions, Sunny Egg) which was super delish. The pork belly was full of flavor, and the broccolini added a crunch. Of course the yolk drizzle engaged with the rice, scallions and vegetables creating a zesty culinary experience.
In addition to our savory entree, we ordered the Soufflé Pancake, thinking it would make for a perfect ending. We asked if we could eat the rice first and have the soufflé delivered later for desert. Unfortunately, the waitress told us the pancakes are so popular they have to make them in batches. So, she could not predict when it would come out. It could be out in five minutes or 50 minutes, so she was unable to accommodate our request.
Unfortunately, the Soufflé Pancake arrived before the rice which disrupted my plan. Next time, I will order the rice or other entree first then, as soon as it arrives I will order the soufflé. I understood this was a popular specialty dish, but we were there quite early. The chances of it running out were actually quite slim.
All in all, it was a fantastic meal and definitely worth the wait. So if you are visiting San Diego’s Little Italy area, make it a point to dine at Morning Glory. Even if you don’t normally eat this early, believe me your taste buds will wake up for it.
If you stay in the Little Italy area of San Diego, leave enough time to check out some of the local restaurants. CLICK HERE to read my San Diego’s Little Italy Happy Hours article.
ETG Tip: IF you arrive early, and you want a savory meal before a sweet dish, stagger your orders. Then once you start eating the savory item, order your dessert dish. However if you arrive too late, the popular items do run out. In that case order it all at once.
