Brunch All The Time? Yes, Please. Meet Corktown’s Newest Cafe, Folk

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If you love brunch, look no further. Your dream place may arrived.

FOLK, Corktown’s newest café and coffee shop will be opening to the general public on Wednesday, April 18.

The café is owned by Kiki Louya and Rohani Foulkes. The are also the women behind The Farmer’s Hand. Both businesses are in the building on the corner of Trumbull and Bagley.

We had a chance to take a look around and to try some of the dishes at FOLK before it opens to the public.

The café is small with only 24 seats but it is still inviting. The large windows in the front of the building bring in plenty of light and it makes FOLK feel welcoming.

There are communal tables and seating at the bar that overlooks the open kitchen.

Louya and Foulkes have also made sure the menu is filled with seasonal ingredients from local farms. You can listen to the interview with both of them on the Daily Detroit News Byte below.

The menu has a selection of brunch dishes that are familiar with an international flair. Think quiche, hashes, parfaits, egg sandwiches and meat pies. There is even a section dedicated to different types of toasts.

Since FOLK is a coffee shop there is a nice selection of coffee, espresso drinks, teas, and infused milks.

They also have a nice little sweet section to the menu they make muffins, scones and other goodies in-house. You can also get ice cream from Reilly Craft Creamery and items from Sister Pie.

Let’s run through what we tried in order of what we liked most with the clear caveat that this is a first taste and not a review, as it was a media preview. But it should give you an idea what you’re going to run into here.

The first thing we tried was the Rose Milk, which is one of the three infused milks on the FOLK menu. It is a mixture of beet root powder, ginger, chili powder, cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla bean and rose simple syrup.

I don’t think I have had anything quite like it. It was a mix of earthy, floral and warm. The rose simple syrup makes the drink taste how a flower smells.  I liked it, plus it is really pretty to photograph.

The next thing I tried was the Avocado Toast, which has a hearty mix of avocado, beet hummus, tahini, sprouts, radish and a sprinkling of benne (aka sesame seeds.)

I’m not generally a fan of hummus, but the beet hummus was tasty. Not to mention the seeded wheat from Zingerman’s Bakehouse holds up nicely to all of the toppings.

I’m sure there is a joke in there about avocado toast, but I’m not going to be the one to make it. Because I love it. No shame in my game.

Next up was the Basic Brekky, which is FOLK’s take on your standard breakfast of egg on toast with seasoned potatoes and greens.

If you are a fan of soft scrambled eggs, then this dish will be your jam. The greens were dressed nicely and the potatoes were crispy and spiced well.

Finally, on to my favorite thing from FOLK, which is silly since it’s a Yogurt Bowl. The yogurt bowl had ginger honey yogurt, lime apricot compote, lemon basil seed pudding and toasted coconut. 

The lime apricot compote is bright and vibrant. The lemon basil seed pudding looks weird, but it adds texture to the yogurt bowl. Then there is just enough crunch from the toasted coconut.

I am looking forward to going back on the weekend because there is a Waffle Brekky on the menu that looks amazing.

Everything on the menu is available for carry-out order. FOLK also have some grab and go items, like coffee and the Yogurt Bowl.

Folk is open Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. and is closed on Tuesdays. On Saturday and Sunday FOLK is open from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

FOLK is located at 1701 Trumbull Detroit, Michigan 48216