CurrentBrunch

Our waitress was decked out in black, but delighted us all with an extremely kitschy colourful tie that she chose “to break the boredom” (of her uniform). The colourfulness of her tie was matched only by the carpet which appeared to be depicting an enormous tray of Liquorish All-Sorts (like you can get at the movies), covered by long purple stripes.

Before making a pass at the loaded buffet tables, we were given the option of having made-to-order Eggs Benedict: either Florentine (with spinach) or traditional (with back bacon). Just about everybody in our group of 12 partook of this tempting offer. There were the usual round of complaints that the yolks were ’too runny’ but it’s not the restaurant’s fault; some people just forgot to order it well-done. I personally enjoy a good yolk.

Though the buffet at The Current is smaller than the Fort Garry’s, we were not left wanting for choice. The first stop is always the bacon/sausage pan, both of which were tasty but the sausage was remarkably standard. The cured meat tray sported salamis and other thinly-sliced meats, sat next to vegetable medley tray which had roasted peppers, onions, asparagus and tomatoes, curiously served refrigerator-cold. One highlight were the herbed tomatoes paired with thick mozzarella chunks. I went back for more of those in my second round. I was intrigued by the “Winter Strata” which I cannot begin to describe what it included, but it was framed by a cake-like substance and was delicious. The odour of feta cheese drew me to it..

There was plenty of seafood (but considering it’s Winnipeg at the end of January, I steered clear), poached prawns, smoked salmon and plenty of shrimp was available. The seafood sat next to a large platter listed as “Pâté & Galantine”.

The omelette station (my favourite) offered many ingredients to choose from: tomato, green onion, peppers, mushrooms, bacon and ham, topped off with mozzarella or blue cheese. I had a veggie omelette with blue cheese to die for. After cooking up my omelette, the chef sliced me off some lamb and sirloin steak. Both meats cooled quickly and thus became inedible, but had I been quicker on the draw I’m sure they were tasty.

The drink selection was plentiful and quite unique: super-sweet (some said too much so) hot chocolate sat beside the smoothie station. Yes, smoothie station. Two types available, strawberry/banana and coconut/lime. Both thick, filling and delicious. The coffee was delicious and richly flavoured. Most of us had several cups in front of us.

The bread selection was decent, but I only sampled the fresh croissants.

The service was great and our coffees were refilled many times. The staff were friendly and patient.

Overall, this is a good, pricey brunch. Less ostentatious than the Fort Garry so we didn’t feel out of place at all.

It’s almost unfair to rate a fancy buffet like this one up against a greasy-spoon Breakfast Special, but what are you going to do? The food was really good but not great. Everything was quite pleasing but there are competing buffets that are worth checking out. If you’re staying in the hotel for sure check it out.

January 27 2008

The Current Brunch

75 Forks Market Rd.

In the Inn at the Forks

January 27 2008

Brunch Buffet

$30.19 after tax

(tip not included)

Is it called ‘The Current’ because it’s new and trendy, or is it somehow related to the tart, scarlet berry? It turns out that ‘The Current’ is fluvial, not florid. When I considered its twin-river location, I felt silly not having grasped that before.

While the lobby of the hotel is quite fancy with mass amounts of tile, we were seated in an unassuming corner, far from the view of the hotel patrons. The room seemed to be an inverted river, where the ceiling was the water and the walls the banks. The generous amount of paint used in this was aesthetically pleasing, but the overall effect was almost a bit silly in comparison to the rest of the place. The best part about the room was the huge windows facing a heavy-traffic intersection of The Forks. We chuckled at adorable children being pulled in sleds and marveled at the people dressed as Voyageurs, particularly the one toting two heavy-looking fry pans.

The Current recently changed their Sunday menu from a buffet to à la carte, so we had to come back and try the new fare. Check out our old review below, if you care.

The Current was a nice, clean restaurant that borders on fancy. If you turn down the lights at night you’d have to wear a tie, but for breakfast your jeans are just fine. Don’t be scared, yes those are fractions on the menu, not decimals.

The décor hasn’t changed since we were last there, the “current” theme is still rampant. The walls are painted like a flowing river and the ceiling has a 3-D “flowy” thing going on that sorta works.

The new breakfast special (I always refer to it as “the special” even if the restaurant doesn’t) offers many ways to do eggs and a few choices of toast. I went with pumpernickel, and learned that “pumpernickel,” loosely translated means “devil’s fart” in German. The servers didn’t tell me this, they probably would want to tone down the fart associations. All in all, the food was great! Fantastic bison sausage, vita eggs, tasty potatoes rosti, all with a nan-like flatbread. The coffee was tasty but not all that strong.

The Current serves up a mean breakfast. If you don’t want to pay $17, go for the “any style” eggs, but you won’t regret trying the big one at least once.

Click on each menu to enlarge

Sophie loves the sausages

Bison Sausages!

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