When I say “mile-end”, what do you think of? Bagels? Smoked meat? Italian cafes? Cocktail bars and brewpubs? Money hungry landlords awaiting commercial gentrification? Yes to all that, but what if I told you now you can associate the neighbourhood with a viable and legitimate destination for Vietnamese food? I recently stopped by the newish Vietnamese hot spot Le Bay Cà Phê for what I thought was going to be a low key lunch which turned into an impressive experience that caught me by surprise.
If I were to say, “Indian brunch”, what’s the first thing that pops into your head? Runny eggs wrapped dosa served with dahl and chutney? Fruit chaat with yogurt and saffron? Puri? What if I were to say, “Indian cuisine inspired brunch“? What now? Runny eggs served with garam masala spiced potatoes with a side of whole wheat naan? Some sort of red curry shakshuka? If I want a meal of a certain cuisine, I’d choose what that cuisine serves for that meal; Chinese breakfast: congee and youtiao (cruller), Vietnamese breakfast: pho, American breakfast: cheeseburger and a texmex-burrito. I’m often skeptical of when restaurants do fusion – let alone for fusion breakfast. However my opinion changed when I had to the opportunity to discover what an Indian fusion brunch is all about when I visited India Rosa.
Yes, you read that correctly! Icehouse! The Plateau’s beacon for the Montreal’s best Tex-Mex just added best brunch to their menu. The go to spot for buckets (literally) of some of the city’s best fried chicken and sticky ribs now serves that elusive meal that inspires people to get out on a Sunday morning early for the gram. I know what you’re thinking, “Wait, Icehouse has had brunches before, Old man Jason is off his damn rocker.” Yes and no. Yes, They’ve had seasonal brunch pop-ups in the past, and no, I’m not that old. So what is Icehouse serving you ask? Great question, you’ll need to sit for this.