The UFO Factory’s in-house hot dog purveyor Laika Dog is launching a Sunday brunch.
While the new menu includes a short selection of brunch dogs, it’s not centered around cased meats like the restaurant’s lunch and dinner service. Instead, brunch chef Erin Ruprecht branches out with an impressive and diverse menu that includes options like breakfast egg rolls and a grilled romaine salad.
Among the highlights are the Johnny Cakes — light and fluffy corn cakes Laika labels “early North American proto-pancakes” that include toppings like maple syrup and powdered sugar, while the more adventurous “Winslow” variety includes vegan nacho cheese, grilled red peppers, fresh avocado, cilantro, and a drizzle of spicy vegan mayo.
Also excellent is the tuna tartine. Eating an open-faced breakfast tuna sandwich in a rock and roll club may give one pause, but it’s an awesome plate with Detroit sourdough bread and sustainable pole-and-line-caught tuna salad atop a bed of grilled red peppers. The package is finished with a drizzle of Mediterranean garlic sauce and fresh, diced scallions, and it’s served aside a lightly dressed arugula salad. The fresh fruit tartine is similar, but served with a mix of berries and a creamy blend of mascarpone cheese and locally made greek yogurt. It’s finished with a house-made Aperol reduction drizzle, orange zest, and mint chiffonade.
Laika’s Hangover Fried Rice is a jumble of traditional fried rice mixed with veggies, egg, sesame oil, and black sesame seeds. One can add bacon, kimchi, or veggie sausage.
As with Laika’s lunch and dinner menus, the brunch menu is vegetarian/vegan-friendly and meat typically can be substituted with vegetarian meat. Other items are vegetarian to begin with, like the avocado tartine with avocado mash, ajvar, and shredded radish, as well as pickled onion which is dusted with fresh dill, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, and black sesame seeds.
Among the brunch dogs are the waffle dog and the Monte Cristo dog. The latter is a sweet and savory package like the classic sandwich, but instead made with a French toast battered bun that holds a beef frankfurter topped with a bechamel sauce, melted Swiss cheese, a sunny-side up egg on top, and a drizzle of raspberry-ancho-mint sauce.
Prices range from $8 to $12, the bar stocks a wide selection of craft and cheap brews, and all the usual brunch drinks are on the menu. Tunes will be provided by Geoffrey LaRue’s Rainbow Brunch. Service starts on Nov. 9.
The UFO Factory is located at 2110 Trumbull Ave. in Detroit, ufofactory.com.
