When I have guests visiting in the summer I always recommend a trip to visit Fort Edmonton Park. There is so much history in that park alone, it's fascinating to take a step into the past. During the off-season the park operates on a limited basis with occasional film screenings at the Capitol Theatre, accommodations at the Hotel Selkirk, and Sunday Brunch at the Johnson's Cafe.

Johnson's Cafe at Hotel Selkirk - 1920 Fort Edmonton Park Road - Edmonton AB

Fort Edmonton Park played a huge role in my childhood. From attending their summer camps to going on a yearly field trip with school, the park holds many memories for me and I make a point to visit once a year. The park offers Edmonton's most unique Sunday Brunch setting, as Johnson's Cafe is inside the 1920's style Hotel Selkirk. Brunch at Fort Edmonton has been on my to-do list for a while, so my boyfriend and I were excited to give it a try when we were invited by the park.

Johnson's Cafe can accommodate up to 96 guests, and we were surprised to see how quickly the room filled up with tables of two and large family groups. Sunday Brunch runs from 10:30AM-1PM with seatings available every 30 minutes. Tickets for brunch are purchased online in advance at a cost of $32.95 for adults (13+), $27.95 for seniors, and $19.95 for children aged 4-12. For a buffet-style brunch the pricing is similar to others around the city, but there is even better value when the park is open since park admission ($26.20 for adults, $20.90 for children/youth/seniors) is included in your brunch price!

In terms of food there is a wide variety available and the serving stations literally take over the entire lobby of the hotel. The stations are grouped into morning pastries, cold plates and salad, signature hot plates, a chef-attended omelette station, a chef-attended carving station, and a specialty dessert selection.

My first stop was at the made-to-order omelette station, where you could choose between an assortment of eight toppings. If the line was any indication, this was one of the most popular stations for brunch.

The cold section featured a fresh salad bar, assorted cold cuts and cured meats, pickled vegetables, fresh vegetables, and ready-to-eat salads like a traditional potato salad, corn and chickpea salad, and country-style coleslaw.

From the hot side was a variety of breakfast and lunch options. Breakfast must-haves included crispy bacon, plump breakfast sausages, and crispy hashbrowns, but I particularly enjoyed the parmesan grilled tomatoes. The signature lunch dishes change from time to time, but the ones available during my visit included grilled chicken, pasta, vegetable paella, and seared salmon, among other dishes. The chef-attended carving station was featuring a beautiful prime rib with a peppercorn jus.

If there was one thing I was saving room in my stomach for, it was for the jaw-dropping selection of desserts! With sweets like red velvet cake, cream puffs, blueberry cobbler, watermelon tequila shooters, cupcakes and other plates, I didn't know where to start. The desserts change from one week to the next but the milk chocolate fountain is a staple, and when I saw the flowing chocolate I was done for!

After dipping numerous skewers of fresh fruit, marshmallows and rice krispies into milk chocolate, the other dessert that caught my eye was the rosemary creme brulee. The smooth custard with earthy rosemary was a perfect flavour combination that I'm going to have to replicate at home!

The Sunday Brunch experience at the Johnson's Cafe was lovely. Our server was constantly checking in and made sure our water glasses and coffee mugs were never empty. Food quality was great and there was enough selection to ensure there was something for everyone. While having brunch in a 1920's style hotel is an experience in itself, take advantage of the brunch price during Fort Edmonton Park's operational season and explore the park after brunch! With admission included in your brunch price, it really is a no-brainer.


*Disclosure: I was invited to try the Sunday brunch at Fort Edmonton Park. Views expressed in this post are solely mine. This post is 100% my opinion, and as always, my priority is to you, the reader, to present an unbiased, thorough review.

Throughout my years in elementary school I visited Fort Edmonton Park countless times. Whether it was for a field trip, a day trip with my family, or for summer camps, I usually enjoyed every visit to learn a little bit about history. However, the food was never something that I would look forward to...unless you count the ice cream at Bill's Confectionary on 1920 Street.

In the month of May Fort Edmonton Park opened its doors to the public for the season and announced the appointment of their new Culinary Director, Jasmin Kobajica. Jasmin brings with him a wealth of culinary experience, including recently serving 10 years as the Executive Chef at Cheateau Lacombe. I was curious to see what Jasmin had in store for Fort Edmonton Park and had the chance to sit down and chat with him.

To be honest I would never think of visiting Fort Edmonton Park for the food. Like I said, all I think of is either ice cream or bannock. With Jasmin as culinary director he is now overseeing all food services in the park, including the Johnson's Cafe, Mahogany Bar, Jasper House Bakery, Bill's Confectionery, Midway Treats & Treasures, and Masonic Hall. Many of these food outlets were previously managed separately, so Kobajica is hoping to consolidate food production to raise the bar and give visitors to the park a whole new culinary experience.

Inside Hotel Selkirk is the Johnson's Cafe, which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner Monday through Friday and offers Sunday brunch and high tea on Wednesday afternoon. Johnson's cafe is where you can have an elevated culinary experience, consisting of menu offerings inspired by Edmonton's unique past and locally sourced fare.

Jasmin Kobajica has many ideas lined up for the park, but the first order of business is to improve the quality of food, as it is an important aspect of the visitor experience. To start, many items are being made in house. From breads and pastries being sold at the Jasper House Hotel, to the charcuterie at Johnson's Cafe, quality is the top priority. There is also a focus on sustainability and commitment to local producers, and many dishes on the menu at Johsnon's Cafe showcase local products. Fairwinds Farm, Moose Wood Acres, and The Cheesiry are just some of the names that you may recognize. What gets me really excited though is that Bill's Confectionary now serves locally made Pinocchio's Ice Cream! If you haven't had Pinnochio's, make sure to grab a scoop when you visit the park.

I had the chance to taste some of the small plates on the dinner menu at Johnson's Cafe and was pretty impressed with what was available. First up was the Birch Syrup Glazed Smoked Salmon ($14) served with lemon zest, Fairwinds Farm goat cheese and onion jam. The smoked salmon here is cured on site and has a delicate sweet and smoky flavour. It is not overly salty and I liked the pairing with the pickled onions rather than the traditional capers.

I also tried the Braised Pork Belly ($12) with parsnip puree, smoked crackling, and chimichurri. The pork belly here was moist and flavourful and the pairing with the tart and savoury chimichurri was a welcome addition. The crackling was not what I had expected as it was more similar to a chicharonne, but I enjoyed the crunch.

My last taster was the Housemade Headcheese with Duck Torchon ($14) served with spiced apple jelly and dark rye crostini. The headcheese was soft and had a nice flavour but I usually prefer for it to be a bit more gelatinous. The torchon on the other hand was lovely as it was smooth and easily spread onto the crostini.

An Edmonton-based tea company, VitalyTeas, has recently created a herbal tea blend just for Fort Edmonton Park. Served hot or cold, the Hotel Selkirk Reserve Blend is described as "a tangy and minty after-meal tisane with a smooth fruity finish". As an iced tea, I loved how refreshing it was with the light fruity flavours. And the colour is so pretty too!

In the past, Fort Edmonton Park never would have crossed my mind as a place where I would go for quality fine dining. But with Jasmin Kobajica on board, I'm definitely interested to check out the full menu and Sunday brunch! Kobajica plans on utilizing the park's greenhouse year round to grow produce for the kitchens to use and will hopefully move on to era-specific dining in the future. The only downfall is that you have to pay admission to enter the park if you plan on dining during park hours - so why not plan to be at the park for the whole day and soak up some history?