Start the day with bountiful breakfasts – Fort Garry Hotel, Cafe Kohler, Nick’s Inn, Eye Opener Diner

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/08/2006 (6982 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BREAKFAST, nutritionists say, is the most important meal of the day, but many of us sin by omission — myself included. I wake up hungry but, given the amount of food I have to consume for this column, one of the few times I can limit my intake is first thing in the morning. Hence my self-imposed regimen of just coffee and toast. Well, yes, jam too. But every now and then duty and inclination coincide, and I can indulge in the foods I love, at a time when I love them. The following are a few of my favourites.

Not many people know about it, but one of the city’s finest breakfasts (Sunday brunch, too, but that’s another matter) can be found at the Fort Garry Hotel. For guests it is included in most room rates; for others it’s $15.95 for a fine buffet, served from 6 a.m. until 11 a.m., Monday to Saturday, and until 9 a.m. on Sunday. The setting is lovely — a spacious, multi-windowed, art deco room, with white tablecloths and heavy cutlery on well-spaced tables.

At one station there are cereals, both cold and hot (the oatmeal is kept hot under one of those massive stainless-steel domes), yogurt, and fruits. At another, there’s an array of house-baked goods — don’t overlook them; they are delicious (also available à la carte). The third is a stylish open kitchen backed by a magnificent black slate wall, where chefs cook hot dishes to order: eggs and omelettes any style (perfect eggs Benedict among them); house-made pork and veal sausages; carved-to-order smoked pork loin; pancakes; waffles; you name it. Toast, juices and coffee and endless refills are served at table by a perfectly trained staff.

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Café Köhler must be the tiniest cafe in town — a mere four tables, with a few more outside on the sidewalk. It isn’t air conditioned, and I wouldn’t attempt it on a really hot day, but, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, it serves terrific breakfasts, accompanied by the wonderful house-baked breads. For instance, $10.45 buys omelettes filled either with asparagus, spinach, goat cheese and tomato, or with sausage, ham, slices of potatoes and onion in a green peppercorn demi-glaze, both with thick slices of toast and jam. There’s also a croissant filled with scrambled eggs, shrimp and brie, and such daily specials as eggs Benedict.

The smorg platter is available all week, comprising four kinds of cold cuts, smoked salmon, several cheeses (including balls of herbed goat cheese), a heap of black olives, and crusty rolls. And oh yes, a boiled egg. It costs $12.95 but will feed two. Easily.

There are also such lighter, à la carte items as toast and jam ($1.95), raisin toast and honey ($3.25), soft-boiled egg and toast ($3.85) or a baguette with cheese ($4.85). Also a selection of pastries such as croissants — plain or filled with chocolate — cinnamon buns, fruit kuchen, and such (from $1.15 to $3.50).

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At Nick’s it used to be a trade-off — delicious all-day breakfasts, but in a spartan setting. Not any more — this Headingley institution has been completely remodelled to a pleasant sleekness, with some charming Greek prints on the walls. And the omelettes are still puffy, the pancakes fluffy, the sausages savoury, the bacon crisp, the home fries fresh and the coffee (with plenty of refills) hot and strong. Egg dishes range from $3.95 for two eggs, to $6.35 for a western omelet with cheese, both with hash browns and toast.

My ever-hungry companion opted for steak and eggs, even after I suggested that a $13.95 steak might be a tad disappointing. But I was wrong — it was tender, tasty and precisely as rare as ordered.

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At the city’s northern extreme, just before the Perimeter Highway, is the Eye Opener, a classic diner with a counter along one side and booths along the other. It is easy to miss — even knowing where it is I have often driven right by it; you need an eagle eye to see the eye symbol on the overly modest sign.

However, once you find it you’ll have a choice of some excellent breakfasts (served all day), from $3.75 for two eggs with hash browns and toast to $8.95 for such specialty omelettes as asparagus and tomato with feta, or the one filled with kielbasa, green onions and cheddar. The country ham is impressive, and so is the house-made blueberry jam.

Dining Out

Fort Garry Hotel, 222 Broadway, 942-8251

Cafe Köhler, 612 Academy Rd., 487-1997

Nick’s Inn, 3392 Portage Ave., 889-4548

Eye Opener Diner, 3132 Main St., 339-6023