Pauline Bistro

A Hotel Breakfast Done Right

3.5 of 5

Hotel restaurants usually coast on a captive audience. Pauline, inside the Norwood Hotel on Marion Street, does not get to. It sits in St. Boniface, a neighborhood with serious French roots and strong opinions about bread, and it is dressed like a 1920s Parisian bistro. The tile, the mood and the croque monsieur all point the same direction.

The signature move is the St. B. Benny, a benedict with braised brisket that borrows from the Prairie as much as from Paris. The Garden Hash puts poached eggs over mushrooms, tomato confit and potatoes, with a chimichurri to wake the whole thing up. For the sweet tooth there is a brioche cinnamon bun French toast with strawberry compote, which is breakfast and dessert fighting for the same plate. Burgers, sandwiches and salads cover lunch for the stubborn.

Hours run weekdays from 7:30 and weekends from 8, closing at 2 every day, so this is a morning and early afternoon room. Book through OpenTable or SevenRooms if you want a weekend table. The hotel also runs a high tea in the cooler months, which is worth knowing if someone's grandmother is visiting and you want to look good.

Order this: St. B. Benny with braised brisket, Croque Monsieur, Garden Hash, Brioche cinnamon bun French toast
The damage: $$
Go: A weekend morning, with a table booked
Find it: 112 Marion St, Winnipeg, MB (Norwood Hotel)
Website: paulinebistro.ca