Brunch Archives - Page 9 of 10

In Brunch

Joe’s Grill: Brunch with Bennys and Hash

August 19, 2011

CanuckGirl and I decided we should go to the Pride Parade since we have never ever been to one. Living here for all my life and never going there…shame. Before lining up on the streets, we thought we would grab a bite to eat. I heard Joe’s Grill was pretty popular, so we decided to grab a quick bite here.

They are located on Davie and near Burrard.

The place was packed by 10am, but luckily there were seats on their patio.

You can find the usual breakfast and lunch items on their menu. Sandwiches, Pasta, Bennys, Eggs, omelettes, etc….

The service was quite slow and we were really confused by other customers that ordered after us got their meal before us. After seeing dish after dish not land at our table, I asked the waitress and she went to the kitchen to check. After awhile, she came back and told us the kitchen prepared all the tickets backwards and ours would be coming up soon. As others were half way done their meal, we finally got ours.

Eggs Florentine Benny ($8.55) has spinach, hollandaise and poached eggs on top of toasted english muffins with side of panfried potatoes and an orange slice. CanuckGirl thougt this dish was alright, but it wasn’t the most amazing benny she has ever had. She much preferred Subeez.

Corned Beef Hash ($8.25) has diced corned beef, fried onions, green peppers with potatoes and 2 eggs. They used real corned beef in this dish. I was kinda expecting the canned corned beef for this since I love the salty salty taste. Having it the other way wasn’t too bad. The potatoes, green peppers and the onions made to be a delicious combination of flavours. I am not a potato eater, but with this dish I could eat all the potatoes without hesitation. Not a very pretty dish, but the flavours make up for it. I also douse my food in tabasco too. Early morning kick in the face of spiciness.

After we headed off to the parade. Instead of watching the parade like everyone else, I took my time staring across the street as 2 security guards were yelling at some guys to stop sitting on an “under construction” structure. I find strange things amusing.

Overall, Joe’s Grill wasn’t as good as we expected. Slow service with some decent food, but there are plenty of brunch places in the area.

Words of Wisdom:

Pay Parking on street
Poor and slow Service
Busy during peak hours (especially brunch)
Good low prices

We Rate Joes Grill:

Address:

Robson Street/West End
1031 Davie St
Vancouver, BC

In Brunch

Bandidas Taqueria: Veggie Bacon Strips, Veggie Bacon Strips

July 22, 2011

Waking up early is not my favorite thing in the world. Time is really best spent sleeping in, @wongers told me to meet up with the #YVRbreakfastclub at Bandidas Taqueria for some vegetarian breakfast and some good times with fellow twitterers such as @mananetwork @mini604 @wongers @alexglee @graceeeyang @EarlAlikpala
@gluttonwithacam @richerd and @alexglee .

Bandidas is near Commercial and they are quite popular for their vegetarian Mexican cuisine. I’ve heard much about this place but never had time to eat here.

The interior was pretty decent. If you want to go with a large group, it’s best to call ahead of time to let them know the size of your party so they can set up the tables before they open. They don’t do reservations, so it is best to go about 10 mins before opening to line up.

There wasn’t a huge line up, but it slowly did get filled up by other patrons.

They have a brunch menu and an all day breakfast section as well.

Its pretty cool how all their water are in jars.

Early morning breakfast is best with coffee! I live off coffee and thats what keeps me going and going.

Alan’s Breakfast ($11.75) has romaine, purple cabbage, cilantro, cheese, pinto beans, balsamic vinaigrette, guacamole, and fresh salsa, topped with two fried free-range eggs. It was basically a breakfast salad. I thought it was pretty good since the guacamole, salsa, and the beans really worked well with all the ingredients.

It was a light refreshing breakfast. I did get quite full from this as well.

I also added a side of Veggie Bacon ($2.25). I have never had veggie bacon and it really did not taste bad. Since they added some salt to it, it really mirrored the taste and crunchiness of bacon. When you try to taste the flavours of the veggie bacon, it is something familiar. I am not 100% what it’s made out of, but it reminded me of those asian fish sausages.

I found that the veggie bacon was quite expensive considering it was only 2 pieces.

Overall, we did have a great time. The waitress was really nice and accommodating. They forgot @richerd ‘s Horchata and brought it later on in the meal, they compensated him for the mishap by not charging him for it. The other items that people ordered seemed pretty good as well.

Words of Wisdom:

No reservations
All Vegetarian food
Good quality ingredients
Closest Skytrain: Commercial/Broadway stn

We rate Bandidas Taqueria:

Address:

2781 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.bandidastaqueria.com

In Brunch

5 Spot: Long Line for Breakfast

June 19, 2011

During the last long weekend, KoreanGirl, TaiwaneseGirl, CanuckGirl and I headed down back to Seattle for a day. We wanted to try some more jaw dropping restaurants as well as to get a little bit of shopping done.

Our first stop was at 5 Spot Restaurant. We arrived about 2 hours too early since I really gunned it down the highway at 160 km. Since there was no one on the roads and nothing was open, we just slept in the parking lot till it opened.

10 minutes before they opened, we started seeing a lot of people starting to line up, so we got out of the car and joined these early birds.

Soon enough, the restaurant was packed. We were super excited because we didn’t know what to expect.

Here’s a look at their menu.

The water even came in jars!

I started off with Green Tea ($2.50) since I need caffeine in the morning.

TaiwasneseGirl had the Herbacious omelette ($8.75). It has fresh chopped herb omelette hash browns and toast. She found the omelette to be average and nothing too special. She did like the hashbrowns. Extra crispy just the way she likes it.

CanuckGirl ordered the Breakfast Special ($10.25). It has some scrambled eggs with hashbrown and toast. There was something in the scrambled eggs but I don’t really remember what it was. She did like it and had no complains.

I ordered the K-Bob’s Chicken Fried Steak & Eggs ($10.75). Tenderized steak double dredged and fried. It comes with 2 eggs with potatoes and a buttermilk biscuit. I really did not like this dish. Since the steak is double dredged, you get more breading compared to the meat. It just ended tasting like fried flour with salt and pepper.

I loved the potatoes that came with it!

Porkopolis Rumble ($9.75) has scrambled eggs with house-cured pork belly, caramelized onions, thyme and cheddar. It is also served with potatoes and toast. KoreanGirl was not very impressed. The menu description sounded pretty good, but she really did not like it very much.

Overall, it was just ok food. I don’t think we really found this breakfast very unique. Just ok. Perhaps their lunch is better.

Words of Wisdom:

Free street parking in the front
Go early or wait in line
Decent portion sizes for price

We Rate 5 Spot:

Address:

1502 Queen Anne Ave N
Seattle, WA

Website:
www.chowfoods.com/five/index.aspx

In Brunch

Amelia: Cheap & Affordable Breakfast

May 16, 2011

PedoGirl and I went off to Amelia in New Westminster to FINALLY check out their breakfast. They are known for their affordable breakfasts and Chinese food. You could say Amelia is a hole in the wall restaurant with outdated décor and some good simple breakfast.

There are 2 Amelia Restaurants in the area, but Amelia Café is no longer part of Amelia. They sold the place to other people.

Since we arrived at 2pm, we didn’t know if we wanted to have breakfast or their Chinese food. After much discussion, we decided to order breakfast.

We started off with our pots of tea. PedoGirl got the Red Tea and I stuck with my usual Green tea. They come in small little teapots. There’s really not too much to it since they are just made from tea bags.

As they were about to close soon, they gave us a plate of their fried wontons. The wonton skins were really crispy and not too hard. I think these could be my guilty pleasure because I would want to eat them all day if I had an unlimited amount of these. They would rank 3 in my list of favorite fried things to eat, after ebi mayo and chicken karrage.

PedoGirl ordered the Bavarian Scramble ($6.25). It has diced Bavarian Sausage scrambled with veggies and cheese with pan-fried potatoes and toast. The melted cheddar cheese on top of the scramble made the eggs so much more enjoyable. Cutting into the omelet and then pulling away the stringy cheese is very enjoyable. Haha.

I ordered the Workman’s Special ($5.95). This has 3 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, 2 sausages, pan fried potatoes and toast. I ate this breakfast with ease. Perhaps I am a Workman? If you have a large appetite, this may not fill you up.

The dish was pretty average, but I really loved the bacon! Super crispy to perfection! The sausage was also good.

Afterwards I drank 2 cups of coffee since they needed to get rid of it during closing. I was so wired afterwards! Afterwards we went to Starbucks to get Fraps…I was too hyperactive to function.

Overall, Amelia is not your amazing awesome OMG to die for breakfast, but it is cheap and gets the job done. They cater most to seniors and to the residence in the area. It gets busy on the weekends near peak breakfast time.

Words of Wisdom:

Amazing bacon!
Bravarian Breakfast was featured on the news
Free parking on adjacent roads
Under $10
Cash only

We Rate Amelia:

Address:

640 12th St
New Westminster, BC

In Brunch

Beth’s Cafe: 12 Egg Omelettes

April 27, 2011

Beths Cafe is most famous for their 12 egg omelets! They have been featured on Man v. Food when Adam takes the 12 omelet challenge. After watching that episode, it was on my ‘to-do’ list for Seattle. Who wouldn’t want to tell the tale of having eaten a 12 egg omelet?

We arrived around noon, which is probably the worst time to go to any popular restaurant. Can you guess why? Line ups. There were people lining up. There were probably a good dozen people or so infront of us, but the time passed by pretty quickly. They have chairs set up outside and the sun was shining! We basically spent most of the time looking at the menu contemplating which 12 egg omelettes to order.

What is super cool about Beths Cafe is that all the walls are covered in customers art work. This is the ultimate hole in the wall restaurant. Old outdated furniture, tons of tape and paper on the walls. It’s actually quite interesting to see a few of the drawings on the wall. I even found a cool Charlie Sheen reference! I also found Angry Birds too!

M was so happy he sat in the exact same seat where Adam Richman of Man V. Food was sitting in! I think it made his day.

Their covers of their menu even has artwork. When flipping through the menu, the only thing we were interested in was the omelettes. 6 different types or you can even customize your own.

TanGuy needed his caffeine fix since we clearly walk around too much. M ordered Mr. Pibb, the Pepsi version of Dr. Pepper. He went nuts when he could order it here. It was his childhood drink that he has long forgotten. They don’t sell it in Canada, so he wanted to get his hands on this drink.

As we waited for our meals, we began doodling! Fabo drew a scary version of the Deuce Panda and the rest of us collaborated to draw a picture of the Nyan Nyan Cat. The Nyan Cat is this viral website featuring a cat non-stop singing. Similar to badger badger badger. No worries there are no viruses in the above links.

M and TanGuy shared the Triple Bypass 12 Egg Omlette ($20.75 + $1.50). You need to add on an additional $1.50 per person sharing the dish. This dish is so huge that it needs to be served on a pizza tray. Inside the triple Bypass are bacon , sausage, ham, double swiss and double american cheese. The egg is folded up and placed onto a bed of bottomless hash browns. Then you also get 2 pieces of toast on top. You also have ketchup, tabasco sauce, salt and pepper to season your omelette if needed.

The girls wanted in on this 12 egg omelette, so the 3 of us ordered the Makin’ Bacon 12 egg omelette ($17.25 +$1.50 +$1.50). this was also massive! It had mass amounts of bacon, sour cream, tomatoes and swiss cheese.

Eating this was quite interesting, I started off with 1/4 of the omelette was a piece of cake, then I ate the hash browns and I started feeling the barrier. The hardest and most filling item is not the omelette, but the hash browns! If you really want to finish the whole 12 egg omelette, your best bet would be to finish the eggs first and then dig into the hash browns.

Just be warned, there is no reward for finishing the entire omelette. It says specifically on the menu to stop people to attempt the hard challenge. The only reward you will get is self satisfaction and bloating. As all women know, feeling bloated is not a good feeling. If you plan to attempt this, make sure you walk around for a few hours to burn it all off.

Overall, it was a great experience and the omelette was actually tasty! I would eat this again if I was in Seattle!

Words of Wisdom:

Try their famous 6 or 12 egg omelettes
Best HashBrowns EVER (Never Frozen)
Psych yourself up by watching Man v. Food (episode about Seattle)
Open 24 hours

We Rate Beth’s Cafe:

Address:

7311 Aurora Ave N
Seattle, WA

Website:
www.bethscafe.com

In Brunch

Toulouse Petit: $7 Breakfast Happy Hour

April 25, 2011

I love watching the “Best Thing I Ever Ate” on the Food Network. The first thing we did in Seattle was visit Toulouse Petit for their cheap Happy Hour breakfast. Melissa d’Arabian, the host of Food Network’s Ten Dollar Dinners said her favorite “bang for the buck” meal was at Toulouse Petit for their Cured Pork Cheeks Confit Hash.

Arriving 5 minutes before they opened, there was already a line up. We quickly parked across the street and I was amused at how the parking receipts had to be stuck on the inside of the windows.

It is quite easy to pass by Toulouse Petit without noticing it, but when you see the green building and this board, you are at the right place.

The max capacity is 176 people, but it fills up fairly quickly when everyone want to devour their Happy Hour Breakfast. After 5 minutes of opening, every table was filled and there were people waiting for tables! The interior is very old and outdated. The lamps are quite eerie as they hang off the ceilings.

The menu is quite large and everything is $7 USD unless noted on the menu. A lot of the items are quite different from what you would find at usual brunch places in Vancouver. It took us a while to figure out what to get, because of all the choices.

I got the green tea ($3.50 USD) and everyone else needed a caffeine fix so they got the press coffee ($~3 USD)

Fabo and TanGuy both ordered the Creme Caramel French Toast ($7 USD). It has nice thick slices of toast drizzled with caramel with fresh strawberries and powdered sugar. You can also add a side of meat or eggs for an additional $3.00. Fabo and TanGuy both thought the eggs and the meat were for free since the waitress asked so casually if they wanted it, so they said yes. Fabo asked if it came with the meal and she heard the waitress say yes, but later when the bill came, the waitress seemed a bit annoyed and said very firmly that she did indeed say no.

M loves his meatloaf so he ordered the Cajun Meatloaf and eggs with Tasso Gravy ($7). It comes with hashbrowns, eggs, gravy and 2 large pieces of meatloaf.

Even though it says Cajun, it wasn’t spicy at all. M really loved it and he dubbed this the best breakfast he has ever had. The meatloaf had a nice texture, and the potatoes were finely covered in cajun powder.

BusanGirl and I shared the Cured Pork Cheeks Confit Hash ($7 USD). The pork cheek had a nice smokey flavour and it is very flavourful when you start chewing on it. There is also some potatoes in it as well. It is topped off with an egg.

It’s a very simple dish but the flavours were really incredible.

BusanGirl and I also shared the Rustic Duck and Pistachio Terrine ($7 USD). It comes with hash and 2 poached eggs. I’ve never had a terrine before, but it’s basically a meatloaf. It was wrapped in bacon and you can clearly see the pistachio inside. The bacon added a nice salty texture and the pistachio nuts added some nutty flavour to the meatloaf. I really like it because it was different and was incorporated together very nicely.

Overall, we all had a great time. We were all so surprised how cheap the meal was! Great price, great meal! One thing that could be improved was the service.

As our meal ended, we headed off to more food adventures, as well as sightseeing!

Words of Wisdom:

Arrive Early
Cured Pork Cheeks Confit Hash Featured on Food Network
$7 Breakfast Happy hour (Weekday 9am – 11am)

We Rate Toulouse Petit:

Address:

601 Queen Anne Ave. N.
Seattle, WA

Website:
www.toulousepetit.com

In Brunch

Fraser Park Restaurant: Truly Hole in the Wall

April 14, 2011

After reading Food For Buddha food blog, they seem to have fallen in love with Fraser Park Restaurant. Since Fraser Park Restaurant is basically in the middle of nowhere, its always hard to find the time to make the trek there. Google Map tells me it would take 30 minutes from my house. Always was a turn off. Since M and I planned to watch Source Code at Metro, I thought it would be perfect to take a trip here.

M drove to Fraser Park in record time, made it there in 15 mins ( beat that google maps! boooya!). On the drive down there, M did not believe there would be any restaurant down in this area. Mostly construction companies and huge warehouses. We got a little bit lost and M got frustrated with me. Once we did arrive, we were super turned off by the exterior….restaurant in the middle of nowhere with lost of construction items everywhere. M had the pissed off Korean look and that basically ruined the mood.

Walking in grumpily, we quickly decided on what to order – beef dip and the deluxe German breakfast.

As we waited patiently waited for our food to arrive, we looked at the decor and was surprised at the amount of people in the restaurant for a weekday lunch. I can’t imagine the weekend, must be super busy.

M’s Deluxe German Breakfast ($9.95) arrived and his eyes lit up by the large portions and piles of meat. As you can tell there are A LOT of items in this meal. His mood immediately lit up once he devoured all the meat.

Tis meal contains:

Cured Ham
3 egg omelet
breakfast sausages
Potato fritter
Potato wedges
Bacon
Schnitzel
Toast
Gravy

Such a long list of items, but M was very very happy. $9.95 for this massive breakfast. No wonder the Germans are so tall and handsome. 😉

I ordered the Beef Dip. I ordered it with salad on the side with italian dressing. The italian dressing comes in little kraft packages, so it is not house made. The salad was nice and fresh and no sign of wilted leaves.

The beef in the beef dip sandwiches were a bit dry, but since you are dunking it into the Gravy anyways, the dryness did not impact the overall taste. The bun is quite soft, so it does clench onto the sauce very well.

M and I both loved the food here. It fulfills al the requirements of being a “hole in the wall” restaurant. a) Crappy exterior b) amazing food c) cheap prices.

I will definitely be visiting again! Anyone want to join me?

Words of Wisdom:

Lots of construction around, so be careful
Do not let the exterior to deter you from going inside
Free Parking
Under $10
Large portions

We Rate Fraser Park Restaurant:

Address:

4663 Byrne Road,
Burnaby, BC

Vancouver

In Brunch

Little Nest: Kid Friendly Cafe

April 12, 2011

ConsultingGirl suggested we go to Little Nest for Saturday brunch. I’ve never heard of it before, so I just imagined a place with birds nest everywhere. I really didn’t question her opinions. We drove down all the the way to commercial.

Little Nest is not on Commercial, its off of Commercial on Charles Street. It was pretty packed around 12:30 when we arrived, but soon it got less busy around 1:00 /1:30pm.

After observing the people who were at the restaurant, everyone seemed pretty young but I kept hearing children, LOTS of CHILDREN! Little Nest = Kid Friendly Cafe. I finally made the connection. I know you can’t see it through the picture, but there is a small play area in the back with kids playing but I didn’t want to be a pedo. Little Nest is a place for young parents to hang out with other parents and not worry about their kids. Since I will not have kids for many many many many many many many years from now, this was not my favorite place to be. You will witness kids running around, crying and screaming. BUT there are a few super cute kids.

The menu is all on the board, so you must stare at it, and then go up to the counter to order.

Once you order, you can go grab your table and you are given block letters instead of numbers. Do be aware, children tried stealing our blocks…and we let them until their mother gave it back to us. Not our place to take stuff away from them and make them sad.

On the large communal table, there are chalk boards and chalk! You can be a kids again and draw yourself a nice picture. We didn’t want to get chalk near our food, so we left it there.

ConsultingGirl and I both had the freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. The juice was very fresh but it was a bit frothy near the top. Not too sweet either. It comes in a small glass, so if you are a very thirsty person, you may run out fast.

M ordered the organic GingerAle since his stomach was not feeling very well. This is different from your Canadian Dry, you can taste the flavour of the ginger. Really good.

M and ConsultingGirl both had the Eggs of the Day ($12) has scrambled eggs with pulled pork, appel fennel, fried beans and a toasted baguette.

The eggs were pretty good. It was nice and cheesy, a bit runny, but could have used a bit more seasoning. The pulled pork and beans were also good but nothing special.

M said the portion was not worth the $12. You mainly get full off the baguette.

I ordered the Little Nest Breakfast ($12). It has scrambled eggs with baked polenta, roasted portobello mushrooms, caramelized pearl onions, spinach pesto, cheese and a toasted baguette.

At first I was super disappointed in the size because paying $12 to get a small plate hardly seemed worth the price. As I devoured the polenta and the mushrooms, it was really really good! Polenta was nice a firm and had a good corn flavour.

Overall, decent food and overpriced. We also did not dig the atmosphere because I think all of us were a bit too young to go here.

Words of Wisdom:

Overpriced
Small portions
Kid friendly
hard to find parking

We Rate Little Nest:

Address:

1716 Charles St
Vancouver, BC

Website:

www.littlenest.ca

In 24 hours

Dennys: Disappointed by Hash

April 2, 2011

On a Sunday morning, the best thing to do is to have brunch! Since M and I were craving brunch, we decided to head off to Dennys. It’s close by and I really wanted to figure out which 24 hour place was better – Knight & Day or Dennys.

We went to the location near Lougheed Mall, it was pretty packed but if you only have 2 people, you will probably get a table right away.

M started off with a lemonade and I just got hot water.

M got the Meat Lovers Trio. It has the Golden country-fried steak smothered in savory country gravy with two sausage links, two crispy bacon strips and two eggs prepared in any way you want.

We liked the fried steak since it is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It’s not like a real steak but it tasted more like meatloaf.

It is also served with their hashbrowns. Their hashbrowns were good but we have noticed that they skimped out on the amount of hashbrowns. Very minimal amount of hasbrowns. That was the only downside of his meal.

I ordered the GrandSlamwich. It has two scrambled eggs, sausage, crispy bacon, shaved ham, mayonnaise and cheese on potato bread grilled with a maple spice spread. Served with crispy hash browns.

The sandwich was way smaller than I had it when it first was introduced. The sandwich tasted good, but they really skimped out on the ingredients…and also on the hashbrowns.

That was our Sunday brunch! Food quality was decent but we were really disappointed in the amount of food presented. At the end of the meal, our verdict was decided that we prefer Knight and Day over Dennys.

We rate Dennys:

Address:

500 Austin Ave
Coquitlam, BC

Website:
www.dennys.com/en/

In Brunch

Fortune House: Dim Sum time with lots of shrimp

March 22, 2011

My aunt came and visited for the past weekend and as per usual, when relatives arrive we must go have dim sum. My mother really likes Fortune House at Metropolis and I really don’t mind as long as there is shrimp.

I’ve done a review here before but a few things have changed. They have a built in speaker system in the waiting area, so when you are outside waiting for your number to be called, you can hear it from outside.

At first I didn’t anticipate any loud PA noises, so when they called another family, I automatically flinched in fear.

While we were waiting, my aunt asked me what I wanted to order, so we picked up a menu and I pointed out all the items that had shrimp in it. To my surprise…she would actually order all those items. This is how this dim sum became packed full of shrimp!

On the table, they give you an explanation of how the dim sum works at Fortune House.

As per usual, SuiMai ($3.95) must be ordered.

Shrimp and Chive dumpling ($4.95)

Jumbo Har Gau ($5.45), it’s basically like the shrimp and chive dumpling, but with no chives.

Spare Ribs ($3.95)

Shanghai Pork Dumplings ($3.95). There were not that great since we had so many other dishes that it was left for about 10 minutes. It’s best to eat this right away or else it won’t tast very good..or hot.

Shrimp Bean Curd Roll ($3.95)

Fish and preserved egg congee ($6.95)

Prawn Rice roll ($5.45)

Donut rice roll ($4.95). We really did not like this dish. usually the donut it decently crispy but today it really wasn’t at all.

Deep Fried Wontons ($4.95)

Shark Fin Dumpling ($5.45)

Black sesame Rolls ($2.95). What I LOVE to do with these are to unravel them and eat them like fruit roll up. When I was a kid, we use to call these “film” because it reminded us of the film you would put into the cameras. Eating it the way we eat it is probably the most ugly thing you will ever see. Probably very improper as well.

Mango pudding ($2.95). This is probably the cutest thing they have on their menu. Great for kids! My little sister loved it so much that she gobbled it up without sharing.

That was a lot of their shrimp dishes. Beware, if you eat dim sum with me, there will be shrimp. hahaha. =D

Words of Wisdom:

Make reservations if going for Dim Sum
If you can’t read Chinese, there is an english menu
Lots of parking, closest parking is to park near Urban Behaviour/Zara area.

Fortune House Seafood is a very popular Dim Sum restaurant to go to but it can get really really busy and LOUD. Make reservations ahead of time.

The price is a bit expensive compared to other chinese restaurants in Vancouver. I think it’s really popular due to the location since it is in Metrotown.

We rate Fortune Seafood House:

Visit their website: http://www.fortunehouserestaurant.com/

In Brunch

8 1/2 Restaurant + Lounge

March 7, 2011

M and I had no clue where to eat brunch on a lovely Sunday morning. I’m sure there are plenty of places to go, but my brain was not working that day. I recall KoreanGirl saying something about 8 1/2, so we went there without her (oops). I’m sure she doesn’t mind. =)

They serve west coast dishes and really pride themselves by making everything fresh and made to order. All their ingredients are local too. On the weekends the have brunch!

Their interior is really nice and modern. They also have a bar if you want to drink up!

This is their menu, if you came here during brunch time, but felt like something else, you can order that too. For brunch they serve the usual items.

They started off giving us cucumber water, if you haven’t had this before, it’s really unique when you add cucumber to water!

We ordered the Orange Juice ($ 2.50). Their juices are freshly squeezed as well.

I ordered the Wild Salmon Benedict ($9.50). It hasWild BC smoked salmon, dill cream cheese, 2 poached eggs, capers and hollandaise sauce served with rosemary potatoes and fruit. The hollandaise sauce was a bit different than what I am usually use to. It just tasted like mayonnaise. The poached eggs were done very nicely and were super gooey and yummy.

I wished there was a bit more wild salmon because the hollandaise sauce really drowned out the flavour. The rosemary potatoes and fruit on the side were good as well.

M ordered the Feature Hash ($ 11.50). The hash contained steak and cherry tomates, with rosemary potatoes, 2 slices of toast, and topped with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce.

M liked the dish but really felt like the hollandaise sauce really ruined the taste of the dish.

The bill came out to be $30. Which, I guess if you go to a lounge for brunch, it’s an ok price. M really would not come here again for brunch since right across the road is Nice Cafe, which serves brunch as well for super cheap. Over all, the food was decent, but I think it was the hollandaise sauce that killed it for us.

Words of Wisdom:

Fresh local ingredients
Weekend/ Holiday Brunch
Daily specials

We rate 8 1/2 Restaurant + Lounge:

Address:

151 East 8th Ave
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.eightandahalf.ca

In Brunch

Cafe Medina (Visit #2)

January 16, 2011

To celebrate a bunch of us working in Downtown, Mandu, NotFauna and I went to Cafe Medina. We went in the middle of the day at 1pm to get some lunch. Since we had 3 people, it was hard to sit us down because of the busy lunch rush. After 40 minutes of waiting, a table cleared up. If you have a lunch time limit of 1 hour, it’s probably best to come alone or in 2s.Caf Much much faster.

Cafe Medina has drinks (right side of menu) and Breakfast/Lunch (right side of menu).

I had a pot of green tea ($3.00). It came in a kettle and a cute little cup and saucer. The tea was very light and refreshing, so it was a perfect pick-me-up for the middle of the day. I’m trying to stray off of coffee because having too much coffee doesn’t work well for my digestive system.

Mandu ordered the Cappuccino.

NotFauna saw that Lavender Lattes ($3.60) were popular, so she decided to get one as well. The Lavender taste is very subtle in the latte. It took her a while to figure out if it was a regular latte or a lavender latte.

Mandu ordered the Fricasse ($16), which has 2 fried eggs, braised short ribs, roasted potatoes, caramelized onions, arugula, applewood cheddar and a side of grilled foccacia. If you are looking for a light lunch/breakfast, this may not be the dish for you. Under the arugula and eggs lie the heavy potatoes and short ribs. Mandu was very satisfied with this dish because she was really hungry and wanted a dish that had a lot of food.

NotFauna ordered the Les Merguez ($15), which is flat bread wrapped roasted merguez sausage, baba ganoush, haloumi cheese, grilled eggplant, and tabbouleh. We tried asking the waiter how to pronounce this dish, but we epically failed and looked like fools.

I ordered the La Salade de Crevette ($14). This salad has Crisp romaine lettuce, wild shrimp, aji parmesan dressing, croutons and lime. I was looking for a light lunch, so the salad was perfect. I really liked the parmesan dressing, it gave a little bit of saltiness to the dish which was yummy.

I also ordered the Waffle ($3.15) + Milk Chocolate Lavender Topping (+$1). The waffles are well made and they come with a variety of topping to choose from.

Words of Wisdom:

2 hour free parking at Tinsel Town (I know its for patrons…but FREE parking! I break rules)
Waffles and lavender lattes are popular
Best to go in 2s for quick seating

We rated Cafe Media:

Check out their website: http://www.medinacafe.com/

Address:

556 Beatty St
Vancouver, BC

In Brunch

Knight and Day

January 13, 2011

M and I couldn’t decide where to go to for a quick late lunch. He had an idea and wouldn’t tell me…I thought it would be an exciting place…but it turns out it was just Knight & Day. Sad date, but I didn’t mind because I haven’t been here since 2005.

Knight and Day serves a variety of different food items from breakfast to greek to burgers to pasta. They are open 24 hours, so you can be a kid again and have breakfast for dinner. Muhahaha….

The interior is quite dated and have booth style seatings. Nothing has really changed in many years. The waitresses are really nice.

I good the green tea. Nothing fancy, just a tea bag in a pot.

M got the Truckers Breakfast Platter ($10.79). It has three eggs, two strips of bacon, two sausage links, three buttermilk pancakes and pan fries with thick-cut toast. M loved it because it has so much meat and made fairly well compared to places like Denny’s. ( Denny’s is good too).

They also give you ketchup for your eggs and hash. You get a selection of 4 types of jam for your toast. Lastly, syrup for your pancakes.

I was not really hungry, so instead of getting a calamari dinner, I got the Klassic Kalamari appetizer ($8.99). It has their marinated kalamari rings served with tzatziki, fresh pita bread and lemon. The size of the kalamari rings were massive. It looked like onion rings rather than kalamari. These were pretty average. I was pretty full eating the kalamari that I didn’t even bother eating the pita bread.

Words of Wisdom:

Lots of parking outside
Open 24 hours

We rate Knight & Day:

Website: http://www.knightandday.com/

Address:

3684 Lougheed Hwy
Vancouver, BC

In Brunch

De Dutch Pannekoek House

January 8, 2011

NotFauna, Jojocake, VideoGameGuy, and Jengay decided to go to De Dutch because Cosmo’s was closed for the holidays.

De Dutch is best know for their Panneloek (pan_ne_koek), which is a Dutch pancake, tasting similar to the traditional North American pancake and is slightly thicker than a crepe.

One you get into the restaurant, the interior is super ugly and outdated. There are no windows… just walls. You feel like you are in a basement…perhaps you might be.

I ordered the BC Benny ($12). It had thinly sliced smoked wild BC salmon on top of dutch rusks with eggs and hollandaise sauce. You also get Special Recipe Hash Browns and our Garden Green Salad. The hash browns were horrible! I think their “special recipe” is just to under fry the hash browns. The garden salad did not seem very fresh at all.

For $12, it was not worth it since you can get much better breakfast at any of the other popular brunch places.

NotFauna ordered the Seafood Benny ($14.5). The benny contained thinly sliced smoked wild BC salmon, and baby shrimp sauteed in lemon butter. Similar to the benny above, it was served on Dutch Rusks with eggs, Hollandaise Sauce, Special Recipe Hash Browns and the Garden Green Salad.

JojoCake ordered the DeSausage & Eggs ($9.5). She had her eggs scrambled. It was served with e Hash Browns, Toast and Garden Green Salad.

VideoGameGuy ordered the Hash Pannekoek ($12). The hash contains Hash Browns, Mushrooms, Green Peppers, Onions and Cheddar Cheese, mixed with DeBakon. Topped with Hollandaise Sauce and all served on top of a Pannekoek.

Jengay ordered the Boer’s (Farmer’s) Pannekoek ($16). This had Hash Browns, Ham, DeBakon, Bratwurst, 2 Eggs and Hollandaise Sauce.

All this served on a pannekoek. If you are a meat eater, this dish should satisfy your meaty desires.

Words of Wisdom:

Entrence in the back
Free parking in the back
Overpriced for what you get
Pannekoek should probably be ordered

We rate De Dutch Pannekoek House:

Website: http://www.dedutch.com/the-de-dutch-story/locations/british-columbia/east-hastings.asp

Address:

6651 Hastings St
Burnaby, BC

In Brunch

Provence Marinaside Restaurant

January 4, 2011

LAgirl and I were meeting up for Brunch and she suggested we go to Provence in Yaletown. Since it was a Sunday, it was BRUNCH!

We headed over and you guessed it… there was a wait. We waited about 20 mins, but it didn’t feel too long since we went to a Starbucks for a bit.

LAgirl got the Two eggs any style ($14). She chose scrambled eggs with sausages. If you don’t want sausages, you can also choose bacon, smoked salmon or roasted vegetables. This dish also came with roasted potatoes, fruit and toasted baguette.

She said she liked this dish but she was not too fond of the sausage. She really loved the additional fruit to the dish and hasn’t seen this done anywhere else.

I ordered the Croque Monsieur Eggs Benedict ($14). It has poached eggs, black forest ham, gruyère, and sundried tomato butter on foccacia. This has probably been one of my all time favorite eggs benny dishes! The texture of all those ingredients on top of the foccacia were just amazing. The taste of the melted gruyere tasted SO GOOD!

I usually hate potatoes, but their roasted potatoes that came with the dish was really good and well seasoned.

They also give you 4 pieces of fruit as well. I loved it because eating the heavy potatoes and eggs benny, having the fruit there just gave your mouth a great refreshing taste afterwards.

Words of Wisdom:

Good for Brunch
Free 1 hour parking at Urban Fare for Provence Customers
There is also street meter parking

We Rate Provence Marinaside Restaurant:

Website: http://www.provencevancouver.com/marinaside/

Address:

1177 Marinaside Cres
Vancouver,BC

In Brunch

Brioche

December 6, 2010

Brioche has great food and atmosphere. They are known for their amazing daily specials. Located in Gastown, Broche offers up amazing items from pastas, soups and sandwiches.

Their daily specials are located on a chalkboard. The door leads to the washroom, so its not a good idea to stand in front of it just incase someone is inside and they happen to open the door. What is bad about the specials is that they do not specify the price. On their larger, there are prices.

The little cafe is a good place to have a nice little chat. Most of the tables either eat 2 or 4 people. Not good for large groups.

I got a latte. I didn’t think their lattes were extraordinary or anything. It was not as strong as other places.

I got the Grilled NY Steak Panini. It came with wild mushroom sauce. The bread was very fresh, it was very light and fluffy on the inside and nice and crispy on the outside. I was kinda skeptical about this sandwich, but the cut of the NY Steak was very tender and very easy to chew. This was a really really good sandwich and you will get full. The mushroom sauce worked well with all the ingredients.

It came with a greek salad. It was yet again very fresh and I did enjoy it. The latte, NY Steak Panini and the side of greek salad came out to be $18. I don’t remember the breakdown of this, but I was surprised how expensive it was for a lunch. Nonetheless, I did enjoy the panini and salad.

MedicalGiraffe had the Cioppino Mix Seafood Stew ($18), it had Sauteed Seafood, Penne Noodles, Veggies, and simmered in a Garlic Tomato Broth. She thought it was pricey, but she did enjoy the stew. It came wit 2 pieces of bread, but she wish there was more to eat with the stew.

Words of Wisdom:

Food is a bit pricey
Best in small groups
Panini’s are really good
Parking garage across the street. Discounted parking for SFU students after 6pm.

We rate Broioche:

Website: http://www.brioche.ca/

They are located at:

401 West Cordova Street

Vancouver BC

In Brunch

Two Chefs and A Table

December 2, 2010

When MedicalGiraffe was back in town, she told me that we should try Two Chefs and A Table. I have never heard of this place before and decided why not! They are known for the simple food with AMAZING flavours! Looking around the neighbourhood of where Two Chefs and A Table are located, you would never expect such a popular restaurant would be hidden!

When you look inside, you can see the chefs hard at work preparing the meal. The open kitchen really shows customers that they have nothing to hide!

The interior decor is nicely decorated and modern. The waiters are really nice and helpful! Hey look it’s a garlic painting.

I started off with a green tea ($2). It even came with a little tray of honey.

I ordered the Tomato, Feta, Ham Frittata ($9), which also had spinach and basil pesto. It also came with potatoes and 4 pieces of whole wheat bread. The frittata was superbly made, the only thing i wished they had were more feta cheese.

The bread was very simple and was spread with butter. Nothing fancy, but it’s the way toast is supposed to be like.

MedicalGiraffe was in a dilemma about her meal. She couldn’t decide between the Monsieur Andres brunch or the scrambled benedict. Mark, our waiter took away our menu and left it up to a surprise. You could tell MedicalGiraffe was really excited. When does a waiter ever do that and make the choice for you?! I was excited too because i didn’t know what to expect.

After waiting for the mysterious dish to come out, Mark brought MedicalGiraffe the Monsieur Andres Brunch ($9). He said “Anyone who comes here must try the Monsieur Andres”. The Monsieur Andres has chacuterie meats and cheese within grilled sour dough. On top there is an over-easy egg and Parmesan Hollandaise. On the side there are potatoes as well.

This was an amazing take on the Traditional French Croque Monsieur (Twisted Fork Bistro). The Monsieur Andres was much smaller and had a better rich bold taste. The ingredients worked really well together!

And thus, we enjoyed our last meal together in November until MedicalGiraffe comes back for Winter Vacation.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Since I had a positive experience, this could not stop me from visiting again with FinanceGirl. We needed to catch up on SFU Finance Club matters, so I suggested we go here.

In a few days since the last visit, they decked out the restaurant in christmas decorations. Take note of the art piece on the left in the black. They replaced the garlic with 2 Christmas StarWars figurines. Darth Vader and Yoda! FTW!

I always have a habit of always ordering the first thing on the menu. Today for Lunch, I got the Mac and Cheese. It had a 4 cheese sauce and topped with a layer of cheddar cheese. I chose to have the salad as the side. this Mac and Cheese was so good and cheesey. It may have looked small, but I was satisfied with the size. I looked around and 4 other people at different tables had it too. The salad was quite bland and too drenched with mango sauce that the leaves just ended up being very soggy.

FinanceGirl had the Grilled Chimichurri Wrap ($9). Inside this grilled wrap was Argentinean green sauce, grilled chicken, chipotle mayo, cheddar, tomato and rice. She seemed to enjoy this wrap. It’s pretty filling too if you want to be full. Yet again, the ingredients did go together really nicely. SO jealous of her fries too.

I was surprised by Two Chefs and A Table. It is true when they say it’s a hidden gem! I will return for dinner someday and I hope it meets my expectations!

Words of Wisdom:

Affordable brunch and lunch
Must try Mac & Cheese and the Monsieur Andres
Very sketchy neighbourhood
Free parking on side of road
Best for small groups

We rate Two Chefs and A Table :

Visit their website: http://www.twochefsandatable.com/

They are located at :

Gastown

305 Alexander St
Vancouver, BC

In Brunch

Havana’s – Revisit

December 1, 2010

A few months ago, we wrote a post about Havana’s. Since MedicalGiraffe was back in town, we thought it would be most appropriate to go back to Havana’s to try out some more tasty treats.

I started off with a latte ($4 or $5). This latte is huge! It’s like comparing it to a really big mug? Ok, that was just a bad comparison. This latte was not as strong as some other places. It lacked a very bold strong flavour.

Last time I had the Tuna Burger ($16) and this influenced MedicalGiraffe to get it! This is still my favorite burger of all time. YUM!

I had to try their brunch since I am in such a brunch phase these days. I got their Chorizo Hash ($13). I had 2 poached eggs, peppers, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, chorizo sausage, brown toast and Hollandaise sauce.

I found this breakfast to be a bit heavy, but for some I guess this is what you need to get you started for the day.