Monki Breakfast Club & Bistro

Poutine Before Noon, With Conviction

3.5 of 5

Monki has a motto, Do Brunch Differently, and normally a motto on the wall makes me reach for my coat. This one they mean. The first Monki opened in 2012 in a restored 1911 lumber warehouse with an open, home-style kitchen, and the brand still runs on the idea that building a community matters more than building a restaurant. There are five of them now, from Seton to Crowfoot. The rooms stay small and the kitchens stay in view.

Start with the chorizo poutine, which piles caramelized onions, goat cheese, smoked gouda and mozzarella onto fries, then adds a poached egg and hollandaise as if the first part were not enough. It is not a dish. It is a policy position. The brisket hash comes with soft poached eggs and sausage, the hash browns get their own fan mail, and the reverse French toast is for people who think breakfast should flirt with dessert. Perogies sit on the menu too, a nod to the Ukrainian grandmothers who quietly built half the prairies.

The coffee comes from Rosso and the bread from Calgary Italian Bakery, local people supplying local people, the way it should work. Go on a weekday when the small rooms have elbow space. On weekends, bring patience and an empty stomach. Both get used.

Order this: Chorizo poutine, Brisket hash, Reverse French toast, Monki perogies
The damage: $$
Go: A weekday morning, when the small rooms have elbow space
Find it: 101-1301 10 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T3C 0J4