Marulilu Cafe

Cafe Marulilu has been on my wish list of places to go after WorkingGirl kept pushing me to try it out. One day after work, DJSpock and I spotted the Cafe just across the street from the Town Hall Skytrain on Broadway and Cambie. It was this small tiny white restaurant beside these 2 large stores. If you can read japanese, you can tell a letter fell off the sign. It reads “maru__lu . Cafe”. Took me a while to figure out why there was a weird spacing until I actually read it. Overall, it is super cute and it is japanese owned as well!

Looking at their vast menu on cool chalk boards, there were so many things to choose from. They have sandwiches and wraps, ALL DAY BREAKFAST, dessert and different types of dons.

And then there were more menus. No pressure walking inside to see the menu when it’s right outside! I think I counted that hey had 9 chalk board menus. Click on the photos to see large images because I doubt your eyes will be able to see the items and prices.

Of course there has to be a drink menu too! COFFEE!!!!

After DJSpock and I spent a while looking at the various menus, we came to a decision on Corn Soup, Tuna Melt Sandwich, latte and Japanese style breakfast.

DJSpock had a side of soup ($2.25) and the Tuna Melt sandwich ($5.99), which was highly recommended by the cashier. DJSpock said the Tuna Melt was fantastic! It was not a “lazy” tuna melt, you could see there was nice fresh tuna inside mixed with a bunch of spices and ingredients. The daily soup was a type of corn soup, she liked it but felt it went cold fast.

I got the Japanese style breakfast ($6.99), it is apparently one of the best selling items at the cafe. It comes with a bowl of rice, miso soup, Japanese Natto beans, green onion, cheesy egg, and grilled salmon. It is very unique and I was glad I tried it. I never usually have rice for breakfast, so it was a new experience. The salmon was a bit dry and it went cold pretty quickly as well, maybe I was talking too much. This dish was simple but very healthy!

The Japanese Natto beans, is probably equivalent to Chinese people are their Durian. These natto beans can be loved or hated! It has a very slimy texture and it tastes like coffee. When you put a few in your mouth, it leaves like a spider web- like string from the bowl to your mouth. By the time I finished it, I felt like i had a beard. My japanese teacher once told me, this is very healthy for you.

To finish the meal off, I had the latte ($3.05)! It was a good latte and came on a very cute cup. The lovely owner was very very very cute and gave us 2 cookies! I had the double chocolate chip! Mmmm Yum yum!

Words of Wisdom:

Great atmosphere to get a cup of coffee or tea to chat
Japanese Breakfast and breakfast plate are the 2 most popular item on the menu
Breakfast served ALL DAY
Cheap
Japanese style sandwiches and don’s

If you are craving for breakfast and don’t want the traditional eggs, bacon, sausages, and hashbrowns…try Marulilu Cafe for a different kind of breakfast – Japanese breakfast! Their prices are fairly cheap and you get to sit in a very nice and intimate atmosphere.

We rate Marulilu Cafe: