Based on the recommendation of fellow foodie Ed Lau, I decided to give The Red Wagon Cafe a try. It’s located at 2296 East Hastings Street, one block off of Nanaimo.
I’ve always been a big fan of breakfast, regardless of the time of day. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a great steak and eggs at 9 o’clock at night. Seeing how The Red Wagon isn’t even open for dinner (they only open until 4pm each day), it’s clear that they have a focus on breakfast, brunch, and lunch.
Since I didn’t have my trusty Olympus E-PL1 on hand, I resorted to the camera phone functionality of my Palm Pre 2 instead. The Red Wagon Cafe has a retro, greasy spoon appeal, but they’ve kept the menu contemporary and innovative.
There really isn’t much seating, so you’ll usually have to wait for a table. You’ll also notice that they didn’t do anything fancy with the menu itself; on the weekends, it’s a single sheet of thicker paper, maintaining that “retro diner chic” appeal.
Crisp Pork Belly: Confit pork belly and two eggs, served with homefries, griddled tomatoes, salsa verde, hollandaise, and toast. ($10.95)
Here is what Susanne ordered for her breakfast. The idea of combining eggs with some kind of pork (ham, bacon, sausage, etc.) isn’t exactly novel, but they’ve decided to use pork belly instead. Despite its appearance, the pork belly didn’t taste all that fatty at all. It was still very tender, though, and the crispness of the surface was quite good.
House Pulled Pork Egg Benny: Served with homefries and hollandaise. ($10)
Since The Red Wagon only has pulled pork on the weekends, I had to go for something with pulled pork. I opted against the pulled pork pancakes and went with the pulled pork benny instead. This take on an Eggs Benedict was tasty without being too salty. The home fries weren’t quite as crisp as I had hoped, but I didn’t tell them that I wanted them well done either. The use of what I consider “Chinese” plates for a Western breakfast is certainly an interesting choice.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that the Red Wagon is the best breakfast in town. It’s not particularly exceptional, but it is very good and I appreciate the slight hints of originality on the menu. You’re much better off visiting a place like this than eating a Denny’s breakfast (unless the latter happens to be free).
I got hungry just looking at the Eggs Benedict. Not fair when I don’t have time to stop and eat….
I love a good breakfast. 🙂
I love a good hearty breakfast too!
Having a good one will definitely make the rest of my day so much brighter!
It’s still a while to go to my next meal and that Pork Belly has just induced a protest from my stomach and my body seems to be buckling under that threat, lol. And I definitely agree, nothing like a good breakfast. Other than the one or two nights a week that I have an elaborate dinner, breakfast is my daily delicacy of the day. I get up early just so I can prepare my favorite cravings and dig in with gusto.
The last two businesses at the spot were Chinese/Canadian cafes. That is why some of the plates are “Chinese”. Recycling at its best. Personally, my sister and I thought it was quite funny. Love the food there.