The Tallest Poppy

The Tallest Poppy

103 Sherbrook Street

204-219-8777

http://www.thetallestpoppy.com/

Email:  thetallestpoppy@yahoo.com

Facebook:  The Tallest Poppy

Twitter:  @thetallestpoppy

March, 2017

I admired and respected owner Talia Syrie for her boldness and daring to open a restaurant at her original location at the former Occidental Hotel, then one of the most troubled areas in the city.  Her quirky establishment and menu was as bold as she was, featuring some unlikely ingredients and combinations.  All of them worked miraculously well, offering some of the best food Winnipeg has ever seen.

Roll the clock forward and you find Syrie's restaurant sitting on Sherbrook, in West Broadway and also formerly troubled, now in the middle of renaissance.  From its mish-mash of chairs to its OSB flooring, this rendition is every bit as quirky as its predecessor.  The menu is not as bold as it used to be, offering both classics and something edgier for the daring.  We're here for breakfast/brunch today, where the morning menu gives you plenty of options for all your wake-up moods (can't wait to someday try the Breakfast of Champions, featuring cold pizza, a Caesar and Advil).  

You know you're in for a ride when every table has a fire-breathing assortment of sauces:

If you ride the fad bandwagon, the current driver is kale, with the newly dubbed superfood eggs as co-pilots, there's an option for you, complete with plenty of prebiotics. 

The dish comes with cheese toast, not too cheesy but with just enough to give you the flavour.  The outside tastes perfectly crispy while the insides of the bread remains light, fluffy and fresh.  I love the idea of giving you one thicker slice, rather than two thin slicers, which often get dry and hard.

I never understood the etymology of "chicken-fried" dishes where there's never any chicken to be seen.  Chicken fried usually refers to breading or battering of some sort over a meat (veal, pork, beef--basically anything other than chicken).  Poppy's version features beef brisket.  

As a barbecue Pit Master, I am very familiar with beef brisket.  This very tough cut of meat needs hours of slow cooking to tenderise.  Off the smoker, we serve it freshly sliced.  Here, they take another step of breading and frying it.  It's a nice concept but I don't think it works that well.  The cut of meat ranges from very lean to fatty.  The center cut is normally lean, as is my slice here.  With the breading, the entire serving becomes a bit dry.

Gravy to the rescue!  I love this gravy, which has great taste, depth and complexity.  I guess this is where the "chicken" plays into the "chicken-fried."  

Considering the adventurousness of the menu and foods, I find the hash browns a tad boring, being simply pan-friend potato cubes.  Now I see that they're a perfect conduit for the gravy as I dunk every last cube into the boat (and drink the remainder!). 

Many of the dishes come with eggs as toppers, which I love.  I can't get enough of eggs and I believe they make everything taste better (inspired by classical French cuisine).  This is a very good dish, although I would like to see a second slice of beef.  I assume that bigger eaters like me would be attracted to this and there isn't quite enough food for me.

Enter sides!  The Poppy offers a variety of sides, ranging from fruits, vegetables to meats.  I get the homemade sausage, coming at a meagre price of $2.65.

The presentation looks lovely on a bed of spinach leaves but looks mean nothing when something tastes this good.  I can't begin to pick out the cornucopia of spices/herbs/flavours in the meat.  Poppy prepares them perfectly, wonderfully seared and caramelised on the outside, moist and juicy on the inside.  This is no breakfast sausage so if you search for the common, dinky sides, keep looking.  Herbed Italian is my best description, but who cares what you call it--just eat it!  And look at how much you get for two and a half bucks!  I can eat this all day!

If you prefer more traditional breakfasts, they offer the usual, including a French toast.  

Ok, so it's not so traditional, coming from challah bread and topped with assorted fruits.  Today's comes with a wonderful blend of peach and apricot, lightly sweetened with powdered sugar.  Again, the thicker bread acts perfectly in yielding a crispy exterior combined with a soft interior, with huge sopping potential.  If this isn't sweet enough for you, a boatful of blueberry syrup accompanies the serving.  

The location may be different but everything else here remains a constant.  Fortunately, those constants include:  enthusiastic service, vibrant atmosphere and top-tier food.  The Tallest Poppy was always one of my favourite restaurants in Winnipeg and it still is.

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