D travels for business and I often take the opportunity to dash about town, picking up solo treats to sustain me while he is away. Jonnie’s Sticky Buns at 941 Portage Ave has plenty of street parking in the area, to run in and walk out with a late breakfast and a treat for later in the day.

I first met Jon McPhail when he opened the neighbourhood bakery. At that time a hearty bunwich like the one that I tucked into, was not available. The local hang out has evolved over the years to the thoroughly satisfy their many customers. I understand doughnuts are the new rage-I’ll take a cinnamon bun any day.

The Breakfast Bunwich starts with a just baked roll, to which a perfectly cooked egg was placed. By this I mean: not one with a runny yolk that leaks out of the sandwich and all the way down your arms to the elbows.  The gooey Bothwell cheese, chorizo sausage and sweet curry ketchup elevated a typical breakfast sandwich into a category of its very own.

I waited all day to sample my next treat- a whole grain sticky bun. My Mom, who made the greatest cinnamon buns I had ever tasted, would be hard-pressed to duplicate this. Yeasty and standing tall, I split it down the middle, grilled it and lavishly applied the butter. If you are going to splurge on all those carbs and sugars, you might as well do it up right!

Jonnies is one of those perfect places that takes a simple concept, sticks to it and excels at it.

Kath’s quote: “Sticky cinnamon buns belong to Philadelphia… This is a bun of true cinnamon flavour, of a stickiness incarnate.” –Best Recipes of 1949 (This Week Magazine) I would beg to differ Mark Kurlansky!

Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.

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