Co-owner Dawn Donald delivers an excellent Burmese chicken curry and samosa at Junction House Cafe

Update: The Junction House has been renamed The Mad Dog Cafe & Market. Same owners, same great food.

The Junction House Café & Spice Market, just east of Canmore, is by no means content to offer just one curry of the day. No, there are six, which co-owner Dawn Donald spends several minutes patiently explaining to me. There’s a forehead-perspiring beef vindaloo, a couple of vegetarian options and my choice of a complex Burmese chicken curry, based on husband Russell Donald’s family recipe, and accompanied by a fresh mango chutney and a puffy puri (Indian fried bread). Of course, I can’t resist adding an excellent vegetable samosa to the bowl.

The Burmese chicken curry is from an old family recipe

The Donalds are similarly not content to just run a restaurant. They sell complete spice kits for many of the curries, along with fresh chutneys and frozen samosas and finished curries. In winter, Russell also runs a dogsledding tour business, aptly named Mad Dogs & Englishmen.

Open for about 18 months, Junction House is located along the Trans-Canada Highway in the equally delightfully named tiny community of Dead Man’s Flats. The Donald’s building has seen a succession of restaurants come and go over the years. Here’s hoping this great addition to the Canmore-area dining scene can last.

The Junction House Cafe & Spice Market
120 1 Avenue Dead Man’s Flats, Alberta
Sunday to Thursday 8:30 am-5:30 pm, Friday-Saturday 8:30 am-7:30 pm