Miss Browns - Contemporary Brunch

Going postcall for brunch is a catharsis that helps relive myself of the usually crazy night of call and allows me to regroup, gather my bearings and look forward towards a postcall day (of mostly sleeping). It is postcall that I often get my inspirations for new restaurants to try and so when Miss Browns recently opened up shop in Winnipeg and promised hot pressed sandwiches, I had to try them sooner or later. Thus one postcall day I rounded up a fellow resident and we made the short drive to Miss Browns.

Miss Browns resides on William Avenue in the heart of downtown Winnipeg. The handsome restaurant is a retrofitted mess hall that straddles the fine line between olden, aged and novel and chic. In fact the initial impression of the restaurant was one of comfort, of a establishment that strove to maintain the stories of its aged walls but also yearning to weave its own new journeys.

Miss Browns offers both a breakfast/brunch menu as well as a more formal lunch service. Given we were postcall, the breakfast menu was our only avenue. Nevertheless the offerings included a few interesting dishes like a brisket hash or a egg benini roll. Obviously the chef is taking risks by incorporating new ideas into previous olden favourites.

The Brisket Hash with Fried Egg intrigued me enough to order it. The dish came as advertised with a large amount of tender brisket thoughtfully organized amongst a bevy of roast potatoes and topped with an organic medium done egg. Although beautifully presented, the dish was missing a unifying factor, something to tie all the elements together. In truth, I was overwhelmed by the extreme saltiness of the brisket and thought the potatoes did an amicable but not extensive job of overcoming the sodium. Adding a fried egg on top seems to harken to brunch/diner days but in reality it added nothing to the dish. Perhaps leaving it sunny side up to allow for the runny yolk to lather all the other ingredients would have a better treatment.

Thankfully, the Egg Benini Roll was much better. A breakfast sandwich meets eggs benedict is the only reasonable description of the dish. In actuality, the combination of Canadian thick cut ham with perfectly poached eggs and a creamy thick hollandaise was well done and reminiscent of an upscale eggs benedict. The toasted sweet bun buttressing the interiors added sweetness and was an important starch element to balance the entire dish. Very well done!

Having a side of Hash Browns to lap up the starch element felt a reasonable choice. The perfect morsels of potato were nicely tender with a golden exterior hue and a creamy smooth core. Intentionally underseasoned, these hash browns become a core element to lap up any leftover sauces from ones meal (i.e. hollandaise).

Overall Miss Browns delivers reasonable successful contemporary brunch offerings. By taking the standard assortment of brunch items and adding their own specific spin, Miss Browns shows a willingness to innovate and experiment. While not always perfected, the base food is tasty enough to warrant a visit ... and who knows you might get something outrageously tasty and unique.