Edmonton vs. Calgary. Good old battle of Alberta. While I will always stand behind my hometown, I will admit that Calgary beats us in one thing. And yes, that would be their brunch scene.
With so many good brunch places in Calgary, it was hard to narrow down a restaurant while we were in town for the long weekend. Wanting something different from the typical eggs and bacon (and also wanting to avoid hour long waits at the more popular spots), we decided to go to Redheads Japa Cafe.
Redheads is a cozy family-run cafe, offering homestyle Japanese food with a twist. You'll find comforting classics like Japanese curry alongside western fusion dishes like japaghetti, katsu sandwiches, and rice burgers.
When we arrived in Calgary, we got to the restaurant about 20 minutes before they opened. There wasn't much to do in the neighbourhood so we waited in the car around the corner until 11:00. Surprisingly we weren't the first diners! A few of their tables were already reserved, so I'd suggest making a reservation or coming early as the place is quite small.
During dinner, they offer "japas" (Japanese + tapas), and during the weekends, a special brunch buffet. The brunch buffet consists of a selection of table buffet items (miso soup, salad, sushi) and a made-to-order menu of Japanese curry, sliders, eggs Benedict, french toast, rice burgers etc. For only $19.99 a person (which also includes a drink), it's a fantastic value considering that other brunch restaurants would often charge that much for a single dish. The only downside is that a lot of the dishes are quite filling since a lot of it is rice.
We already had our eyes set on items from their regular menu, so we opted to just order them à la carte as it was cheaper to do so and we walked out just as full.
Ever since having CoCo's in Japan last year, my sister has been craving Japanese curry a lot. She orders it whenever and wherever it's available, so it's no surprise she got the JAPA hamburg curry ($11.54) with an added soft egg (+$1.05). Because what's brunch without a picture of a broken egg yolk? (A sad breakfast basically.)
According to my sister, it was hearty and delicious! The curry already comes with beef brisket, potatoes, and carrots, so you can even order plain curry and have your protein all set. She loved it so much that she finished the entire thing. She said she would have licked the plate too, but couldn't, because, well, table manners.
My mom had a hard time deciding on what to order, but we steered her towards their bento boxes since it was a safe option that we knew she would like. Out of a choice of four mains, she got the miso katsu ($12.59), fried breaded pork with miso sauce. The bento also comes with rice, green salad with carrot dressing, and a small side that changes daily. Her box came with edamame and a couple pieces of tamago. It looks small, but the box is rather filling and a good value!
As for me, I tried a couple of their rice burgers! Although they have traditional onigiri as well, the rice burgers are basically a larger version of that (similar in size to a sandwich) with layers of seaweed and rice enveloping different fillings. One rice burger would probably be plenty for a person, and they offer up a combo which includes a rice burger, two pieces of karaage, and miso soup or green salad for under $10. (I was a glutton who ordered two rice burgers since I couldn't decide which one I wanted to get.)
On the left, their miso katsu rice burger ($5.25) comes with breaded pork and miso sauce. The miso katsu was good but the sauce was a bit light. I think I expected it to be more like a traditional tonkatsu sauce which is more tangy and flavourful.
On the right, we have the spam and egg rice burger ($4.20). Everyone has that food that brings them back to childhood and mine is spam and eggs. Say what you want about spam, but it's delicious! Whenever my mom didn't know what to make for dinner, she would just fry up pieces of sliced spam with scrambled egg. Have that with rice and soy sauce and you have a quick and tasty (but maybe not the most nutritious) dinner. This rice burger definitely had the nostalgia factor for me. They also season the rice with a bit of fried onion which adds a little oomph with texture and flavour.
If you're in Calgary looking for a place that's laidback and a little quirky, definitely consider Redheads Japa Cafe! The food is simple and honest, but tasty and comforting. Our server was also super nice and attentive, and it just felt like we were dining in someone's home the entire time. If you make it for the brunch buffet, just remember to bring your stretchy pants.
Redheads Japa Cafe
638 11 Ave SW #105
Calgary, AB
(403) 532-0600
- CT
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