Thursday Food (TF) was lucky enough to snag a table at Broken Plate’s recent pop-up brunch. These brunches, as the name suggests, aren’t a part of the regular restaurant offerings which explains why at 12:30 pm almost every seat was occupied. Glancing at the restaurant’s co-principals Damion Stewart and Kwasi Henry, TF could determine from their expressions that something memorable was in store.

Each of the five items on the brunch menu was under $1,900; for a surcharge of $3,000 patrons could partake of unlimited cocktails. On offer — ahi tuna toast, oxtail-stuffed peppers, chicken and waffles, French toast, and fish en papillote. The bottomless brunch cocktails comprised sparkling mojito and sangria, both of which were a kiss on the lips. In the name of journalistic duties, Thursday Food ordered the whole shebang. And we were glad we did.

The first dish out the kitchen was the fish en papillote — seared fish, topped with a poached egg, nestled on a bed of roasted fingerling potatoes. Opening the parchment pouch resulted in a pleasing waft of toasted curry. The flavours were well-balanced, the fish perfectly cooked and the potatoes remained crisp even after being enrobed in deliciously runny yolk. The dish was exceptional and, dare we say, perfect. Kudos!

This was a tough act to follow. But the ahi tuna toast with its oh so fresh (it was delivered earlier that morning) perfectly rare sesame-crusted tuna, creamy guacamole, crunchy tobacco onion ribbons, garlic chips, perfectly poached egg, and toasted boule slice was seriously good. The chicken and waffles, a brunch menu mainstay the world over, was jazzed up with the addition of carrots and ginger to the waffle batter. The Korean-style fried chicken was lacquered in a sauce that was beautifully piquant, sweet and deep with flavour.

The oxtail-stuffed pepper was tasty but was the least successful of the dishes. The combination of oxtail ragu, mashed potatoes, and baked bell pepper was well-seasoned but lacked varying textures. It was just too soft. The passion fruit-dressed garden salad with its mandarin segments, slivers of raw red onion, and chunks of cucumber was a joy to eat. Why? Besides the bright flavour, it had a variety of textures.

Brunch ended with the French toast, which was more the density of a light pumpkin cake, but who’s complaining? It was served with a mixed berry coulis and alongside a proper French omelette that was executed flawlessly. Let’s segue for a bit into the makings of a proper French omelette. First, there should be nary a speck of brown on the outside, just pale buttery yellow. The inside should be soft, a tad runny and the cheese should not be oozing out. Tick, tick, tick. Broken plate checked all the boxes.

After over two hours of dining, the restaurant was still buzzing; some tables really ‘benefited’ from the bottomless cocktails. The only downside to the pop-up brunch at Broken Plate is a difficulty in returning to regular meals! Mark your calendars: the next pop-up brunch tales place on Saturday, February 15. The menu will be different, and reservations are strongly encouraged.