Introducing: Camp, a new camping-themed Junction café from the former owner of the Beaver

Megan Whiten, former owner of the Queen West’s The Beaver Café, loves camping. She also loves double-entendres, which is why she decided to renovate the ground floor her Baby Point Gates (i.e., west Junction) home and turn it into a Muskoka-inspired restaurant called Camp, complete with plenty of, yes, campy decor, like a sign from a Girl Guide campsite, faux-log flowerboxes and Muskoka chairs. More elegant touches include refurbished wood tables and art by Clint Griffin, Bud Fujikawa and Whiten’s mother, the noted sculptor Colette Whiten, which elevate the room from mere campsite kitsch to a more chic country vibe.

Whiten, making do like any good camper, is currently working around the fact that she doesn’t have a cook top. Her eggs l’espresso, a take on the traditional scramble, are steamed (Whiten uses her Ferrari-red Sibilla espresso machine and steams the egg mixture as though it were a cappuccino). She uses the same technique to prepare the eggs for the breakfast burrito ($8), which is made with veggie chili, cheddar and avocado, and served with a healthy dollop of sour cream and a side of tangy homemade tomato chutney (the chutney recipe was Whiten’s grandfather’s). For those averse to steamed eggs, there are baked options such as daily quiches ($7.95), as well as camp-style French toast ($7)—customers can choose classic, chocolate or almond croissants, which are smothered in a mixture of whisked eggs, cream, vanilla and brown sugar and then baked.

Almost everything at Camp is made in-house save the bread, the sweet gluten-free treats (made by DeFloured), and the quiche shells and croissants (made by Patachou). For now, Camp is offering up primarily brunch and lunch options like salads ($5–$8.50), customizable paninis ($5.50), veggie chili ($6.50) and sandwiches such as Reubens, tuna melts and BLTs ($7). Whiten recently got her liquor licence and is planning to extend business hours into the evening soon, offering tapas such as oysters from Oyster Boy, ceviche and sturgeon caviar.

Camp, 244 Jane St., 647-346-2267