I spent this weekend with my dear friends Al and Jaire in Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island. On our way from the ferry terminal, we noticed a neat spot to have breakfast-the Modern Café on Commercial Street. It has a retro neon sign and it’s wonderfully decorated with exposed brick and wide planked wood floors.

Chorizo and goat cheese frittata

I had the West Coast frittata with goat cheese and chorizo sausage, Al had the special, a Greek omlette with fresh spinach and feta, and Jaire had the classic breakfast with eggs over easy. I also had Earl Grey tea (a passable Mighty Leaf), Al had coffee, which she reported as excellent and Jaire had water that was served from a wine bottle.

We all enjoyed our breakfasts, the food was plentiful and for the most part alright. And herein lies my beef with the Modern Café. A closer attention detail would have made the difference between a good breakfast and a memorable one. For example, the toast was an indifferent Wonderbread-type offering. The jams came in those little packages. Jaire asked for orange juice and was disappointed they only offered concentrate. I am sucker for goat cheese and was unimpressed with the wee bit they condescended to put on my frittata.

Greek omelette

The breakfast definitely paled in comparison to my sublime company.

The facts:

The Modern Café
221 Commercial Street
Nanaimo, BC
250-754-5022

Classic Breakfast

Breakfast for three cost us $33.04

Modern Cafe on Urbanspoon

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