The Ikanos Brunch

There’s nothing like a good brunch to keep your weekend rolling. Montreal is a city with no shortage of brunches and ranging from simple bacon and eggs to complicated quiche, there’s something for every taste at every hour of the day – at least till three pm.

Ikanos is far from simple but the food served at their recently launched brunch is nothing less than spectacular. We were invited to try a few dishes a couple of weeks ago and taking up our seats on their sidewalk terrasse, we were not shy about wanting to try it all.

As one of Montreal’s most unique Greek restaurants, Ikanos takes ingredients typically found in Greek cuisine and applies them to a modern Montreal palette. They approach their brunch with the same zest and passion that they apply to their dinner and late night menus. Their menu consists of smaller dishes made to share like homemade pastries, trendy panna cotta, tyropita (feta and kefalograviera pastry, honey, prosciutto), baghir (mini semolina pancakes with ricotta, honey, pistachios and confied plums) and much more.

To start our meal we tried the tyropita which was filled with the warm feta, honey and prosciutto. The pastry was crisp and flaky; a real joy to taste. We also tried the French toast which was made from homemade spiced brioche and came served with Mountain tea and Attiki honey yoghurt and candied nuts. The French toast was light, fluffy and flavorful; a wonderful starter for someone with an appetite for more than one dish.

The restaurant also features larger plates such as frittatas, Benedict and omelettes. The Benedict comes on golden, fried crab cakes instead of the customary English muffin and they are topped with orange grilled asparagus, saffron hollandaise and espelette. The omelette is huge so a big appetite is recommended (I also recommend that if you like your omelette cooked traditionally – ask for it that way; it comes runny). It is filled with Jasper grilled, thick cut bacon, leeks, grilled mitake mushrooms, porcini dressing and parmesan cheese. It was wonderfully flavourful and miles away from your typical omelette.

Ikanos remains one of the most beautiful restaurants in the city with a timeless design that’s aged well over the last couple of years. The staff remains steadfast in how they approach and serve their clients which I continue to appreciate. If you’re looking for something a little different or you have friends in from out of town and you want to impress them with one of our city’s best brunches, take them here. They will love you for it.

For more information, visit their website here.

Image credit: David Major-Lapierre