Hummingbird604.com » brunch

A #PerfectSunday with @WestRestaurant @TheArtsClub and @hummingbird604

Raul — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:45:28 +0000

As you know, brunch is one of my favorite meals of the day, and I absolutely love and adore theatre. So, what better way to combine them for a Perfect Sunday? My definition of a perfect Sunday, is in fact having brunch with my friends and then taking in a theatre matinee. So, I was thrilled when West Restaurant and The Arts Club agreed to partner with me for a contest to offer one of my lucky readers and a guest a taste of a Perfect Sunday.

Recognized as the ‘jewel in Vancouver’s culinary crown’, West’s outstanding contemporary regional cuisine and seamless service has earned much critical acclaim. Pristine seasonal ingredients are sourced to deliver superbly conceived dishes offering modern interpretations of classics. For those keen to observe ‘behind the scenes’ action and experience West from a unique perspective, the two ‘chef’s tables’ can be found directly adjacent to the presentation kitchen. One of the highlights of the dining room is a temperature-controlled wall of wine, and under it, the long cherry wood bar that gracefully anchors the conversation—where martinis and cocktails are composed of fresh herbs, juices and creative infusions.

You will be treated to Sunday Brunch at West Restaurant (West just launched their new Sunday brunch menu). West was kind enough to throw in not only Sunday Brunch for two, but also their special bubbly brunch cocktails. As if that wasn’t enough for a wonderful Sunday, The Arts Club kindly offered me in exclusive a pair of tickets to the matinee function on April 8th, at 2pm at the Stanley Industrial Alliance of the wonderful show The Importance of Being Earnest (total duration of the show is 2 hours and 35 minutes).

Allan Gray, Allan Zinyk, Charlie Gallant, Ryan Beil in the Arts Club Theatre Company’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest. Photo by Emily Cooper.

What happens when two wealthy playboys—one in the city, one in the country—each pretends to be named Ernest so that he can behave recklessly without besmirching his reputation? In this hilarious Oscar Wilde satire, arguably the wittiest play in the English canon, pandemonium ensues when the duplicitous duo find themselves together, both masquerading as the same person, with each wooing a different woman!

To enter my giveaway, all you need to do is describe to me what a Perfect Sunday looks like to you. The version that I’m offering here on the giveaway is definitely a personal favorite, but another perfect Sunday used to be going for breakfast with my Mom and my brothers, followed by shopping, a nap and then taking in a movie and having dinner together. Family time is super important to me, and I look forward to going back to Mexico to do that at least once this year.

So, tell me in the comments section what a Perfect Sunday looks like to you. If you want to earn an additional entry, post the following text on your Twitter stream (note, I’ll count the second entry AFTER you have posted a comment with your description of what is your definition of a perfect Sunday).

Shared my #PerfectSunday w/ @hummingbird604 http://is.gd/GNjf9Z to enter to win a brunch @WestRestaurant & show @TheArtsClub prize pack

I will draw a lucky winner on April 5th at 2pm. As with any of my contests, you will have 24 hours to respond and accept the draw prize and provide me with your full name and contact details so I can pass them along to The Arts Club and West Restaurant for a reservation under your name for Sunday Brunch at West Restaurant and tickets at Will Call at the box office at the Stanley (arrive 15-30 minutes prior to the show to pick up your tickets).

Good luck everyone, and thanks to The Arts Club and West Restaurant for partnering with me to offer a lucky reader a taste of a Perfect Sunday.

Cafe Medina (Crosstown)

Raul — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:00:39 +0000

There are restaurants you need to try at least once in your lifetime. They might be slightly pricey, but it’s worth going there with people you love, as I said, at least once in a lifetime. I should preface this post with my usual disclaimer: I don’t do lineups. I don’t wait in line even for a bathroom. This is horrible and I know I’m a snob. I know, I am terrible and I admit it fully. But it’s true – I hate having to wait in line. Well, this past weekend I waited for more than 45 minutes in line, but at least I was waiting for a fantastic brunch and with the wonderful company of Chris and Ashleigh. I love these two and waiting in line with them was just a lot of fun. And the food was totally worth it. We also managed to chat with people around us. The lines at Cafe Medina are a little bit of an exercise in community building themselves, as people chat and joke amongst themselves. The staff at Cafe Medina make the wait bearable by providing witty commentary when calling for the next set of people in line.

For brunch, I ordered a Paella (at $13, the Paella – 1 baked egg, curried orzo, Hungarian chorizo, zucchini, red pepper, roasted corn, grano padano, watercress, tomatoes, avocado, is about at the same price point as other higher-end brunch places, so this is reasonable). The amount of food was perfect for a big morning appetite like mine. The staff were kind enough to change my order from baked egg (which I don’t like) to full hard-boiled egg. The curried orzo was genius (instead of using rice which would have been the Spanish Paella, Cafe Medina used fluffy, warm, almost-melt-in-your-mouth orzo), and the Hungarian chorizo combined with avocado, tomatoes, and grano padano made the combination of flavours spicy and rich. Mouth-watering, complex flavours with a beautiful appearance.

For drinks I ordered a Moroccan mimosa, which in hindsight, I probably would have preferred the standard mimosa. At $8, perfectly on price point, but the flavours were kind of weird, I found. The Morrocan Mimosa has fresh orange juice infused with Sumac, star anise and fig mixed with sparkling. Between Chris, Ashleigh and I we ordered a couple of Belgian waffles with mixed berry compote and pistachio/rosemary dip ($3.50 per waffle + $1 for each topping). Cafe Medina had me at Belgian waffle. Delicious.

Overall, yes it’s a bit pricey and you have to wait in line, but the staff’s friendliness and lovely service, the quality of the food, portion size, excellent flavours and overall atmosphere make Cafe Medina one of the hottest destinations for brunch. I’m glad I came here with Ashleigh and Chris, and I will come back for sure. Totally worth the visit.

Disclosure: Each one of us paid for their own brunch items on our own dime.

Brunch at the Rockwater Secret Cove Resort and Spa (Halfmoon Bay, BC, Sunshine Coast)

Raul — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:30:56 +0000

They had me at frittata.

I knew that our Sunshine Coast Art Crawl 2011 might not have the opportunity for a longer stay at the Rockwater Secret Cover Resort and Spa in Halfmoon Bay (although I’ve wanted to visit for a long time now), but I was thrilled when I was told that the Rockwater had invited us for brunch. As I said above, they had me at frittata.

I ordered a frittata (at $16 price point, absolutely reasonable with regards to any other hotel or even brunch spots in Vancouver), which was delicious. The coffee was spectacular and the service was simply outstanding. And I’m sure every table received as good a treatment as we did, because I walked around and listened in on other guests’ comments (I do this to ensure that my reviews are as accurate as possible and that people know that I seek input from the actual guests as well to inform my posts).

The Rockwater Secret Cove Resort and Spa in Halfmoon Bay, on the Sunshine Coast, has a great reputation as one of the best destinations for weddings, and especially they pride themselves in catering to the queer community as they recently just had a couple of same-sex weddings. This really made me very happy as I know that I’m sometimes a bit of a complainer when I see a lot of heteronormative approaches to advertising. The Rockwater Secret Cove and Spa is definitely one location I totally would LOVE to visit with more time.

My group (Andrea, Andrea, Robyn and myself) were promptly seated (we had another lovely writer join us whose name I completely am blanking on), and we were joined by the director of events at the Rockwater Secret Cove Resort and Spa. Robyn and I obviously had to walk out and take a few photos. There are a number of really neat elements to the Rockwater, but one of the most fun is the tents.

We went for a walk around the Rockwater and had a lovely view of the Georgia Strait. The pathway is one of the most amazing paths I’ve walked through, as it makes you feel so intimate with the forest itself.

And yes, as my good friend Cheryl McKinnon wrote, the Rockwater Secret Cove Resort and Spa provides an amazing sense of tranquility and calm. I totally would come here for a week just to take a break from the crazy city life (and yes, I know that Vancouver is not that overwhelming, and it’s quite laid back – but I’ve been working so much!). The views are stunning.

Overall, I would totally love to come back to the Rockwater Secret Cove Resort and Spa for a few days, and I probably will do so over the winter holiday as I need to edit my book on water governance and I need peace and serenity. I look forward to being back in Halfmoon Bay on the Sunshine Coast!

Disclosure: Our breakfast was compliments of our hosts at the Rockwater Secret Cove Resort and Spa. I participated on the Sunshine Coast Art Crawl 2011 as part of a media trip. My accommodations and transportation were compliments of our hosts and the tourism agencies in charge. I paid for a few miscellaneous expenses associated with this trip, specifically incidentals and my own shopping etc. You can follow along my adventures on the Sunshine Coast through this tag.

Brunch With Benefits (Fundraiser for @YouthCo)

Raul — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 15:45:32 +0000

I’ve blogged before about Brunch With Benefits, but lately (and by lately I mean, the past 3 years) I have made more of an effort to promote charitable causes that deal with issues that affect the queer population, so I’m writing about it again (and I will be attending the 2011 event).

HIV is still one of the diseases that affects gay men in a significant proportion, so I am quite keen to support non-profit organizations like YouthCO (in addition to the fact that I have good friends either working for YouthCO or on the board).

YouthCO is Canada’s first youth-driven organization leading the HIV and Hep C movement through peer education, support, and shared leadership.

So, why support Brunch With Benefits, you ask?

Approximately one third of all new HIV-positive tests in Canada are among youth aged 15-29 years, and the numbers are just as high when it comes to Hepatitis C. Now more than ever there is a need for effective prevention, education and support programs by and for young people.

YouthCO has been providing such services for over 16 years and has been recognized nationally as a leader and advocate for youth sexual health. By supporting Brunch with Benefits you are promoting the current and future health of our community.

There are 10 restaurants participating at Brunch With Benefits. 2 that I recall off the top of my head are: Market by St. Georges and The Helm.

Brunch with Benefits 2011 will be happening on Sunday, November 27th at 10 participating restaurants around Vancouver. Enjoy brunch with your friends and family and a portion of the proceeds will go towards YouthCO‘s HIV and Hep C prevention, support and awareness programs for young people.

I will post the complete list of restaurants once I hear back from my friend Michael Reid, who works for YouthCO. The list so far is quite impressive. Check it out! And if you can’t make it for brunch that Sunday, you can still donate directly.

Biercraft (Cambie Street)

Raul — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 19:00:57 +0000

While I’m totally happy that there are many businesses flourishing on Cambie Street (apparently, Biercraft being one of them), I’m not that happy when the establishment has really expensive beer. Maybe because (a) I’m not a beer drinker (b) I’m not a beer snob and (c) I am there just primarily for the food. And while the strawberry beer (Fruli) was pretty good, I’m totally flabbergasted at $7.50 for ONE beer. Regardless of whether it’s a specialty beer or not.

The decor at Biercraft is pretty good. Actually I came here once with Susie Gardner to have a beer, but wasn’t impressed with their drinks assortment. This time I had brunch with Cisco Grajales III and we had a pretty enjoyable brunch, although again, I’m not totally impressed with brunch places where they don’t have my usual staples (hot sauce that isn’t Tabasco, etc.) – but that’s totally my own bias.

I ordered a Biercraft brunch (scrambled eggs, potatoes and toast, $9.50). Since they didn’t have hot sauce that wasn’t Tabasco, I had to order a side order of salsa (which, while generous, I was still charged with). And then I got overcharged with one more pop than I ordered (while the server swiftly reimbursed me, I was less than impressed). I can’t fault her as she was incredibly sweet, but the beer being so expensive and the fact that I had to pay for something I usually get free other places (a hot sauce that I like) sort of tarnished my experience. I have had better brunch at The Nice Café for half the price. My scrambled eggs were fluffy and well done, but the potatoes were hard to chew and without much flavour, although I will admit the rye bread was pretty nice.

Overall, I’m glad Biercraft is doing well, I’m glad we have a good place for an extensive selection of specialty beers and decent food, but for what I ordered, I can easily name 5 places on Main Street that are (a) closer to me and (b) less expensive than Biercraft. Visited, checked it out, tried it out, not coming back unless it’s for beers with my friends. And hanging out with Cisco made it all worth it.

Disclosure: I paid for my brunch ($27) on my own dime.

Chef Suzi (Bastion Square, Victoria BC)

Raul — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 16:00:22 +0000

Last month, when my Mom was visiting, I took my good friend Janni Aragon (who as you know, teaches in the Department of Political Science at University of Victoria and who, like me, is an enthusiast of social media) and my Mom for brunch to Chef Suzi (a little quaint restaurant/coffee shop in Bastion Square, in the core of downtown Victoria. We were very surprised at how good the service was. And how good our breakfast was too, and not expensive at all. I ordered the Chef Suzi version of Huevos Rancheros, which is not Mexican at all. But to be honest, we really were there just to hang out, more than the actual food.

Chef-prepared meal preparation with an emphasis on tantalizing, wholesome, balanced meals using the freshest ingredients available. Leave the planning, shopping and preparation to Suzi, so that you can focus on what is most important to you. All meals fully cooked, in individualized containers, ready to heat and serve, or to pop in your freezer for later.

I would bring friends here for breakfast, particularly for a little hole-in-the-wall so that nobody would bother us for breakfast. We had a few other guests sitting near by and they all seemed quite impressed so I’m quite happy that we ended up having breakfast there. Really, all we wanted was to celebrate Janni. And obviously, introduce her to my Mom. I’ll be back to Chef Suzi for sure.

Disclosure: I paid for all of our breakfasts on my own dime.

The Red Wagon Café (East Hastings and Nanaimo, East Vancouver)

Raul — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 19:00:55 +0000

When my good friend Jason Sanders said that we couldn’t have brunch at The Waldorf Hotel because they weren’t open for brunch on Canada Day, I was kind of disappointed as i was looking forward to trying their famous Mexican brunch. But I’m really glad that Jason suggested that we go to The Red Wagon Café, located in Hastings Sunrise. When he told me it was also in East Vancouver, I had to Google it. I’m not really much of an East Vancouver boy that goes beyond Commercial Drive (I know, heresy!).

The Red Wagon Café is located near Nanaimo Street on East Hastings (I’ll even tell you, very close to the Mexican restaurant El Barrio). I had very bad luck with transit so the commute was kind of annoying. But once we got there, and even though we had to wait for about 45 minutes altogether (30 that I was late, sorry Jason! and 15 that we were waiting outside), the wait was totally worth it. And you know me, I don’t wait in line even for a doctor’s appointment.

Seeing how I was in the mood for Mexican breakfast, I ordered Chilaquiles ($9.50, two eggs, corn tortilla chips, salsa verde, feta cheese, crema and red onions). I’ll have to say that I’m glad my Mom hasn’t seen the presentation of the chilaquiles yet. They aren’t really chilaquiles as we know them in Mexico (the red onions look totally weird and I had to order a side of salsa verde to add on top of my scrambled eggs), but I’ll have to say that the flavours were exquisite.

The scrambled eggs were fluffy and cooked to perfection, the salsa verde I could have sworn was made by a Mexican, and the amount of food was absolutely perfect for someone who exercises in the morning and is extremely hungry by 11 am (actually, by then it was noon). The service was spectacularly outstanding, even under the face of extreme pressure, the waitresses (who didn’t have a busser) were absolutely adorable and apologizing all the time about us having to wait a little bit for our food and wait in line.

For the quality of food we received, the amazing service, and the really nice ambiance (not to mention, the chance to hang out with my good friend Jason), I think I’m totally giving The Red Wagon Café a 10 out of 10. Remember, you’ll have to wait in line, but it’s worth it (and there’s lots of cute hipsters to look at while you wait in line). I will definitely come back.

Disclosure: Jason invited me for brunch and he paid for both of our breakfasts out of his own pocket. I am neither obligated nor expected to write this review but I really enjoyed my brunch so that’s why I am writing about it. As always, I retain full editorial control over anything I publish on my site.

Brunch at Salt Spring Inn (Salt Spring Island)

Raul — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 19:00:19 +0000

I wanted to try the Treehouse Cafe at Salt Spring Island when I recently visited but the line was way too long and we had to get back to the Salt Spring Island Documentary Film Festival, so my friend Deirdre Rowland and I went for brunch to the Salt Spring Inn, a couple of blocks away from the Treehouse Cafe.

I’ll have to say I was thoroughly impressed. While the food was great (scrambled eggs, hashbrowns and ham on a toasted bagel, $10), I was even more impressed with the service. We said we were in a rush and our food was literally on our table within 3 minutes of having ordered. THAT is what I call service! Fantastic brunch, spacious room and overall a great experience.

Disclosure: I paid for our brunch on my own dime. I wasn’t paid to write this review, nor was I required to do so either. In any review I write or publish on my site, I retain editorial control at all times. Should you have any questions/concern feel free to contact me via e-mail through my contact form.

Breakfast at Hastings House in Salt Spring Island

Raul — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 17:00:38 +0000

Few things make me happier than having breakfast. Not sure why, probably because I feel that breakfast is “the most important meal of the day”. So when I was invited to stay over at the Hastings House in Salt Spring Island, I decided that I wanted to try traditional breakfast (scrambled eggs, hashbrowns and toast with ham).

Kelly is an excellent cook and the service was simply outstanding. My photos don’t really do it justice but the flavors were really good and more than anything, the mere opportunity to have breakfast on my own in a beautiful dining room like the one that I was hosted in.

The attention to detail provided by the housekeepers is simply extraordinary. And of course, who can forget the home-made jams!

Disclosure: I went to Salt Spring Island to experience the 12th Annual Salt Spring Island Documentary Film Festival March 4th through 6th. My stay at Hastings House and my flight on Salt Spring Air were both complimentary as well as my breakfast. All other expenses I have incurred on this trip I have happily paid for out of my own pocket.

Mon Petit Choux Cafe & Bakery (Nanaimo, BC)

Raul — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 17:00:24 +0000

In my last visit to Nanaimo, Chelsea Barr (Destination Nanaimo) invited me for breakfast to Mon Petit Choux Cafe & Bakery, a not-so-little French-themed cafe in downtown Nanaimo (on Commercial Street), just a couple of steps away from the Coast Bastion Inn and the Dorchester Hotel. I was thrilled from the moment I stepped in.

A place to start your day and to savour the taste of an authentically baked French pastry, an answer to your craving for a lunch that is unique, and a take out solution for your fast pace of life. Explore Mon Petit Choux Bakery Cafe where you’ll find all of this and more. [Mon Petit Choux]

Having “petit dejeuner” in a French-themed cafe always reminds me of my time in Paris. Despite the fact that I was supposed to have French-styled breakfast, I preferred to order Canadian bacon and eggs with fresh baguette and house preserves. Absolutely delicious, and while the portions are generous, they’re not overwhelming in size as some of the other brunch places I’ve been to.

The coffee is fantastic, and of course, they had a very broad variety of treats including the very traditional Nanaimo Bar. The Mon Petit Choux Cafe & Bakery is part of the Nanaimo Trail, and soon I’ll get around trying everything there.

Disclosure: My breakfast was paid for by Destination Nanaimo, but I could definitely and easily have paid, as this is a great little cafe, and next time I’m in Nanaimo I’m definitely coming back.

rebar modern food (Victoria, BC)

Raul — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 16:41:34 +0000

JT and I arrived last weekend to Victoria exhausted and sleep-deprived as we had been both working overtime, so we dropped our bags at the Grand Pacific Hotel and headed on to Government Street for brunch. My good friend Lisa Thomas-Tench suggested rebar modern food and I always trust her suggestions so we went there to have a bite to eat. rebar is located in Bastion Square.

Since 1989, rebar has been serving up the freshest, funkiest and healthiest food on the West Coast. Located in Victoria’s historic Bastion Square, rebar is open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch

JT ordered pancakes and I ordered a version of huevos rancheros (as you can tell from my Lady Marmalade review, that’s usually my go-to dish when having breakfast. Being Mexican might be the reason). While the flavors were good, the service was pretty dismal (with the waitress – the owner came by and he was super sweet).

Overall, the brunch there was good, and it’s particularly fantastic for those of us who favor organic, locally-sourced ingredients (and it’s ideal for vegans and vegetarians). I would have no problem recommending rebar, although I do like to eat meat once in a while, but this is a funky place. And very busy! We had brunch at 11 and it got completely full by 11.45am.

Lady Marmalade (Victoria, BC)

Raul — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 06:10:40 +0000

There’s one thing that Twitter is good for: asking for recommendations for brunch places in a city that you probably don’t visit extremely often. Despite the fact that I’ve been to Victoria more times this year than when I was dating a Saanich resident, I still don’t know where the hot spots for brunch are. So, while I reviewed John’s Place recently, I hadn’t reviewed other places.

Many people recommended Lady Marmalade.. So JT took me there for brunch. I ordered a variation of huevos rancheros that left me a bit puzzled. While not bad, I wasn’t terribly impressed with the food. It was definitely good, but I’m not totally crazy about it, for some reason.

The prices were reasonable without being super cheap. Overall, I think I want to try more places in Victoria before making a decision on which one is my favorite.

Disclosure: JT paid for my and his brunch out of his own pocket.

John’s Place (Victoria, BC) #yyj

Raul — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:00:41 +0000

It’s clear to me that Victoria knows where to get breakfast: John’s Place. It’s really rare that I get to eat brunch while I visit Victoria, because usually either (a) I am too busy running around like a headless chicken or (b) I don’t get to stay long enough to enjoy breakfast or brunch. Luckily, recently I got the chance to enjoy brunch with my friends Katharine and Paul Holmes. They suggested John’s Place.

They were right.

I would strongly recommend John’s Place to anyone who is seeking authentic brunch in Victoria. The only problem I saw is that it’s too popular! The menu is great and I loved their food (even if I really didn’t order much, as I already had had brunch at the Empress).

Habit Lounge (Main Street, Mount Pleasant)

Raul — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 15:45:48 +0000

My good friends K and L invited me for brunch to Habit Lounge for a post-birthday celebration, and I’m glad we chose this particular restaurant. I had eaten at The Cascade before (both restaurants are owned by the same folks) but I had never had a chance to try the food at Habit Lounge (despite living in the area).

I ordered a 3 egg omelette with chorizo, mushrooms, spinach and tomato ($10). This particular dish on their menu brings goat cheese, but since I hate cheese, they kindly removed it. When my food arrived to the table I thought my omelette looked smaller than my friends’ dishes (who had ordered just scrambled eggs), but overall, it was really tasty and I almost couldn’t finish it all.

I will have to come back to Habit for dinner, though I will admit I was a tiny bit surprised a family brought their little kid and the staff were incredibly kind to them. I have seen a dearth of restaurants in this city who cater to families who go out for brunch (I struggled to find a place where to take my friends with kids that would not be Little Nest yet again).

Definitely will do a return trip to Habit Lounge for dinner and/or drinks. Worth the trip. And the staff and service were really good.

Twisted Fork Bistro (Granville Street)

Raul — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 15:15:04 +0000

My good friend Rebecca Bollwitt (Miss604) took me for brunch to Twisted Fork Bistro for my birthday a few days ago. I was the one who chose the restaurant, though completely forgetting about how complicated it would be to find parking in downtown Vancouver. I’m grateful Rebecca is such good friends with me, because I completely forgot about the parking situation (I travel by public transit or walk everywhere). Anyhow…

We started brunch with mimosas (one with raspberry puree, mine, and one traditional, Rebecca). We then proceeded to order brunch. I was totally surprised at the fact that Twisted Fork Bistro had such good selection of brunch dishes.

I ordered a bacon, caramelized onion and Brie Frittata filled with potato and fresh basil, served with fresh greens and sweet corn relish (but without the Brie, as I don’t eat cheese). Rebecca ordered asparagus scrambled eggs served with toasted sourdough and housemade jam, roasted roma tomatoes, rosti and sauteed spinach (both $11.00).

Overall, the service was amazing and the food was really good. I was definitely pleasantly surprised with Twisted Fork Bistro. The best part of brunch for my birthday, though, was having some time to spend with Rebecca on a one-on-one basis. As I have mentioned before on my blog, beyond the online popularity, I am keen to maintain my friendship, and Rebecca is a very good friend of mine, so I value our time together.

I will definitely come back to Twisted Fork Bistro for dinner. And thanks to Rebecca for taking me here to celebrate my birthday!

Lucy’s East Side Diner (Main Street, Mount Pleasant)

Raul — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 18:30:40 +0000

The day that Lucy’s East Side Diner opened for a soft launch (Saturday September 25th, 2010) was the day I decided to drop by and visit (though their actual launch will be October 1st, I think). I went there with my good friends Arieanna and Ianiv Schweber, their son Aiden and Arieanna’s Mom.

We all ordered burgers, where mine was a basic ($6.00) with an addendum of cheese plus bacon minus cheese ($3.50). I found the burger reasonably priced and really tasty, but what the shocker was was the $4.50 that my drink (a simple root beer) cost.

That’s what freshly squeezed orange juice costs! My total bill came to $17.50 with tax and tip, which for a simple diner (a la Nice Cafe), it’s actually quite expensive (for one person). I will have to come back and not order drinks and just eat a burger or any of their other dishes, but I was quite shocked at the final bill (again, for a diner – this would be normal at Crave on Main or The Well).

The best part, though, wasn’t the actual place but more the opportunity to spend time with the Schweber family. Time with friends is priceless, and for that I’m grateful.

Lucy’s East Side Diner is located between 11th and 12th Avenue on Main Street. It will open officially on October 1st, I believe.

Little Nest (Commercial Drive)

Raul — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 00:10:13 +0000

I knew of Little Nest thanks to a recommendation by my friend Rob Cottingham. Even though I live in East Vancouver, and I do eat out a lot, I am never sure where I can go for lunch, brunch or dinner that can be kid-friendly. And given that Ianiv and Arieanna are two of my closest friends and they do have a little one, it’s important to me to know of places where we can meet and hang out. Little Nest is one of those.

Arieanna, Ianiv, Aiden and I went for brunch this morning to Little Nest. I ordered the Little Nest breakfast ($11, scrambled eggs, pesto sauce, and mixed veggies that included zucchini, tomato, mushrooms, lots of purple onion and a bit of potato), and an orange juice (adult sized, $3.95). Surprisingly (and I say this in the nicest way possible), I was shocked to find out that the scrambled eggs are as good as those from Crave on Main. Which is a lot to say.

While not extremely inexpensive, you can have brunch at Little Nest for as little as $8.00 (overall, mine came to about $18, tax and tip included). Overall, I was delighted just to have a chance to spend time with Arieanna, Ianiv and play with Aiden. As I was telling them this morning, given that my brother, sister-in-law and nephew are in Calgary, it’s almost only really with the Schwebers that I get to be an uncle while in Vancouver. And I love their little one. I have been friends with Ianiv and Arieanna even before they had a baby, so it’s nice to have the relationship evolve as they grow as a family.

I’d thoroughly recommend Little Nest for family gatherings, particularly when there are little kids involved. For Arieanna’s review on her new blog, click here.

Manhattan (Delta Suites Hotel)

Raul — Sat, 22 May 2010 23:00:27 +0000

I’m very lucky to have amazing friends. One of the closest friends I have (CB) came to Vancouver a few weeks ago for work, and on the last day of his stay, we went for breakfast downtown. Hard to find a reasonably good restaurant at the ungodly hour of 7:00am in the downtown core, so CB and I ventured into uncharted territory. After all, most of the places I know DT are mostly lunch/dinner oriented.

I am glad I decided on Manhattan at the Delta Suites Hotel in downtown Vancouver. Not only because the breakfast is, indeed, really good, but also because the Delta Suites Hotel is exactly 15 seconds away from my office downtown at The Network Hub. So, after breakfast, I could have quickly walked half a block and start working (I didn’t because I went to the airport with CB, but I could have).

Prices for breakfast at Manhattan are, surprisingly, quite reasonable and in line with most of the hotels I’ve had breakfast at and most of the middle-to-high-end brunch places I’ve visited. For my breakfast (scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, toast and ham with a little fruit salad on the side), the item was marked at $12 plus tax. Quite obviously

I would recommend Manhattan for breakfast even if the prices are substantially higher than the ‘greasy spoons’ – it will definitely be cheaper than Provence Marinaside and (in my opinion) better!

Tell me your favorite brunch spot in Vancouver (or wherever you are)

Raul — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:44:43 +0000

I’m a total brunch addict. There, I said it. I think it was the fact that I was raised by a woman who made some of the best breakfasts in the world (my Mom).

Mom used to say that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. And she made sure we ate fruit, eggs, beans, coffee, juice.

So my question to you is – what is your favorite brunch spot? Bonus points if you’re in Vancouver or the Lower Mainland, as it’s highly likely that I’ll be able to visit that spot! I recently went for brunch with Ianiv and Arieanna to the Tomahawk in North Vancouver. It was awesome!

Tomahawk Barbeque (North Vancouver, Capilano)

Raul — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:39:03 +0000

I had been trying to get together with my good friends Arieanna and Ianiv Schweber for a long while, and our schedules had been just next to impossible to mesh. With the beginning of the semester, teaching took an insane toll on me. Also, the Olympics just completely borked my schedule too. So, this weekend I made an executive decision: come hell or high water, I was leaving my Saturday and Sunday mornings free to ensure I could go out for brunch with Ianiv, Arieanna and their baby Aiden, who is now 4 months old (and still has the most beautiful blue eyes!)

We finally had a chance to get together this past Saturday (yesterday) so we met up and went for brunch. Arieanna and Ianiv took me to this place in the Capilano area of North Vancouver that is apparently legendary and an institution for brunch. They were slightly surprised I had never been, given that I write so much about food and that I eat out a lot, but it’s always nice to try out new places. I’m at 100% batting score when I go out with Arieanna and Ianiv, as I’ve tried Bin 941 and Deuce with them and I’ve had fabulous meals. I figured that just by virtue of pure statistics we would keep our score at 100%. Arieanna and Ianiv were right. The Tomahawk is GREAT.

We arrived at The Tomahawk Barbeque close to noon, and while it was almost completely packed, the hostess made sure to speed up our seating. We waited barely 5 minutes and we had a table. The waitress was super kind in bringing almost immediately a high chair for Aiden, although we did not need it at that particular time.

Since it was my first time there, I ordered what I figured was the feature, most distinctive item of the menu (the Yukon breakfast). At $11.65, it’s more expensive than a few other Vancouver brunch spots, but not much more than say, IHOP or Denny’s. It’s definitely around the price of what the same dish would cost at The Well on Main Street).

The Yukon breakfast contains

Five generous slices of Yukon-style bacon. Two country-style eggs served fried or scrambled, a heaping portion of golden-griddled hash brown potatoes, and two thick slices of Klondike toast.

The eggs, while not as fluffy as I am used to at Crave and other restaurants alike, were really good. And who can say no to bacon, even if it is back bacon? Mmmmm. Bacon. The carafe of orange juice ($12) is not really inexpensive, it comes on the high side of pricing. The hashbrowns could use a little bit less oil, but overall, it was a really good brunch. I didn’t feel hungry at all until about 6 pm!

I would gladly come back, and I am very grateful that Arieanna and Ianiv took me there for brunch, as it was actually a very good experience. And on top of that, I got to hang out with two of my best friends and their baby! What else can one ask for? Good food, good friends, good conversation.

The Well (Main Street)

Raul — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 17:04:10 +0000

This past weekend, I was invited for brunch by two of my closest friends in Vancouver. My friends K and L and I have been friends for over 14 years, and we have a really strong bond. Our brunch group grew in size up to 6 people (sometimes but as time went by, people moved away from Vancouver. However, K, L and myself have always maintained our friendship strong. Sharing a meal is one of the best ways for us to catch up and make some time for ourselves.

L decided to try The Well (which I thought I had tried before for dinner). When we arrived (all of us were punctual) at 11 am, there was already a line (for a Sunday brunch spot on Main Street, this doesn’t surprise me). I wasn’t really impressed with the long wait (over 20 minutes). But I will have to admit that the waitress was extremely prompt with taking our orders and delivering the food fast.

There are numerous places where The Well can improve in their brunch experience. They need to make it explicit to their potential customers that they take reservations (we saw people who arrived after us, getting a table before – apparently, this was because they had reservations). I was also unimpressed with the fact that my friends had to request refills on their tea water (the server could have brought a teapot and just refill the hot water). Overall, the service was less-than-stellar.

But the food… OMG the food. I ordered scrambled eggs with ham and toast (The Well Breakfast, $ 9.00). The eggs were done almost to perfection (I would say they have tough competition with Crave on Main, but they really make very, very good food). The portion size was very generous. The fruit salad that accompanied my brunch plate was fresh and abundant. The flavors in The Well breakfast aren’t complex, as it’s pretty much scrambled eggs with ham, but it’s a really good breakfast. I can’t complain at all.

Overall, I’d give The Well a good grade for brunch and I would give them a try for dinner. But they really have to up the ante on the service. I’d recommend you check it out. It’s pretty much on Main Street between 14th and 15th Avenues.

Cabin 12 (Victoria, British Columbia)

Raul — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:39:50 +0000

Chris Parsons and I had been corresponding on Twitter for a while now. He is currently doing his PhD in Political Science at the University of Victoria under Colin Bennett (whose work on policy convergence and policy emulation I have both admired and used in my own research). Chris missed my talk for the Social Media Club Victoria, but we agreed to meet up for breakfast when he came back into town.

We did that recently, and Greg and Pat Aspa joined us for breakfast at a place that just has been opened for about a month and a half, Cabin 12. The decor of this cafe/restaurant is rather eclectic (as you will be able to witness from Greg’s excellent photos) but we weren’t disappointed by the food. (NOTE – the photo to the right is NOT from our brunch at Cabin 12, it’s just a photo of one of my preferred brunch items, scrambled eggs).

I ordered a traditional scrambled eggs, sausage, hashbrowns and multigrain toast (it’s hard to screw up this kind of brunch food, quite frankly). The food was actually quite good, filling and tasty. They even added some grapes and a slice of orange for garnish. Overall, I would come back here for brunch if I was in downtown Victoria (this restaurant/cafe is located on Pandora Street, relatively near the water).

The partner of the owner was telling us that they host fundraisers and independent music events (even jamming sessions) so I’ll have to come back to Victoria and have a chance to enjoy it to its fullest. Greg and Pat were telling me that they noticed the modem and wireless router so I’m going to assume that Cabin 12 offers free wireless.

Overall, while the food was good, the ambiance was nice, it was spending time with Greg, Pat and Chris what made it all worth it. I look forward to coming back to Victoria and maybe doing an evening music session here at Cabin 12.

Restaurant review – The Edge Cafe (Broadway and Cambie)

Raul — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:29:21 +0000

I had the pleasure of meeting with Julie Wright, Gus and Russ for brunch at The Edge Cafe this past weekend. I had previously reviewed The Edge Cafe on Ianiv and Arieanna’s Vancouver Coffee.

My first impression of The Edge Cafe hasn’t changed. It is spacious, comfortable, pretty cool. The food we had was pretty good, actually in regards to my order, it was spectacularly good. I ordered a Yukon breakfast ($ 12.00) which came with a double side of ham (pretty good, filling, the quality and taste were very good too). The coffee is from 49th Parallel which is also a very tasty brand of coffee (and it’s bottomless, so you get frequent refills).

For the price, it’s good value for your money. However, I’d have to say that as far as brunch goes, the Edge Cafe is on the higher-ish end of the scale. I’ve had brunch at Crave and it’s less expensive (and of course, the greasy spoon places are even LESS expensive). But as I mentioned, the food was great and I can’t complain. The place filled up rather quickly after we arrived, but the service was prompt, friendly and the staff were very attentive.

Restaurant review: The Wallflower Modern Diner (Main Street, Mount Pleasant)

Raul — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 18:16:03 +0000

Just when I thought I had scooped a new restaurant opening, I saw on the newspaper that Andrew Morrison (now of Scout Magazine fame) had already written about the fact that The Wallflower was opening in the space where defunct Aurora Bistro used to be. While I am NOT at all happy with the demise of Aurora Bistro (who would be happy about restaurants closing? Not me, that’s for sure!), I am glad that at least someone decided to use the space, and renovate it in such an interesting way.

The Wallflower Modern Diner is exactly that – a modern diner. Its room is well decorated although during the day may look a bit dark (but that’s ok – it’s not terribly dark). K and L took me there for brunch recently (as we all thrive in trying out new restaurants, and we hadn’t hung out in a long while). K ordered a set of breakfast sliders (small burgers with scrambled eggs as the filling), L ordered a burger with a salad side and I ordered an omelette.

While in my opinion it was good value for the money (omelette for $ 7.00 – about standard in comparison to other breakfast places around the neighbourhood), I wasn’t really excited with the rest of the brunch menu. I have to be fair to them – they just started operations literally, 2 weeks ago. I’d be more than happy to sit down with them and recommend a few items if they wanted me to.

Good news for The Wallflower are that the place seems to be successful so far. When K and L and I went there, it was packed literally 15 minutes after 11 in the morning. I think that it will be a successful venture, as the menu, the room, the decor and the staff are all the same – non-pretentious, comforting, and welcoming. I really want The Wallflower to succeed, to be quite frank. I don’t have a stake in the restaurant (I don’t even really know the owners) but I sincerely wish them well. I want my neighbourhood (Mount Pleasant) to thrive, and in these uncertain economic conditions, I will certainly spend my money in local restaurants.

I haven’t tried The Wallflower for dinner, but once I do (and once my friend K sends me the photo of my brunch) I’ll update this post.

Restaurant review – Theresa’s (Denman Street, West End)

Raul — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 23:52:23 +0000

My friend ML and I hadn’t done brunch in a while so we headed down to Theresa’s on Denman Street. I hadn’t realized this place was so incredibly popular until we got there (admittedly, after 1pm). The service was prompt and friendly, and the prices are substantially cheaper than any other brunch place I’ve been to recently.

I ordered a C (Charlie) – 2 eggs scrambled with white toast and 2 sausages ($ 4.50) and a soft drink ($ 1.00), which was good in portion size and flavor. It’s funny though – the sausages here are better than at other greasyspoon joints I’ve been to.

Our bill combined wasn’t even over $ 10.00 (before tip) so I can definitely attest to the fact that Theresa’s is indeed a very inexpensive brunch place.

Breakfast with Jeff Pulver (Vancouver, January 11th 2009)

Raul — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:49:19 +0000

Under normal circumstances, unless I have a volleyball game or have to go to church, I rarely wake up earlier than 11 am on a Sunday morning. I am NOT a morning person. So, despite having had VERY little sleep the previous night, I knew I couldn’t miss the Breakfast with Jeff Pulver in Vancouver.

Jeff Pulver. Credit: John Biehler (Flickr)

Jeff Pulver is a wonderful individual, with a passion to connect people that I have only very rarely seen in my lifetime. His “Real Time Social Tagging” exercises are a fantastic way to network and establish connections with people. Since being social and creating friendships is almost second-nature to me, I immediately connected with Jeff’s idea. My tag for this breakfast was “Raul – I use social media for fun and to create friendships”

Credit: John Biehler on Flickr.

It is true. Social media is my playground, not my day-to-day job. I am flattered by the people who have asked me to work with them on some social media contracts but as I have explicitly told them, I’m NOT a specialist in social media. My field of research is environmental policy (more explicitly, wastewater governance, urban sustainability and environmental groups mobilization). I teach public policy too, but it looks like in the future, I might get more into the intersection of social media and sustainability (workshops, talks and projects).

Although we missed many people who would have wanted to attend, the energy that transpired in the room (we had brunch at Enigma, a place I hadn’t visited since well, my days of graduate student) was simply phenomenal. I had the opportunity to meet new people, reconnect with my friends, and a personal goal of mine – meet Jeff Pulver in person. I am in awe of his energy, his passion and his sincerity. He is such a great man. Thank you Jeff for making this possible and for giving of yourself in such a caring and positive way.

You can read my tag cloud thanks to my friend John Biehler (who also has already written his own recap) – I am very happy and flattered by all the positive tags I received. You, my dear readers, the people who love me and whom I love, and my wonderful social media/PR/tech friends, complete me.

Restaurant review – The Reef (Main Street)

Raul — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 06:16:19 +0000

I have NO CLUE how I have managed NOT to write a restaurant review of The Reef (located on almost King Edward and Main Street). A Caribbean hangout, the food is really good (you can find anything with a Jamaican or Caribbean flavor) both for dinner and for brunch. For dinner, I always recommend the jerk chicken AND of course, jugs of mojito.

I’ve been visiting The Reef much more in recent weeks, particularly for brunch. The brunch menu is somewhat exotic, affordable, and tasty. I love their scrambled eggs with chorizo. The service is really good, and it is one of those rare places where you can have brunch on Sunday without having to line up (I damn sure hope I won’t be in a line up, I always have bad luck when I write good reviews for restaurants – they start to pack up!)

I had recently the pleasure of having brunch with Tanya, Gus and MJ one day and another day I went there with H, C, A and D (all of them civilian friends). Both days I had a wonderful time. I hope to be able to visit The Reef more often, since I do live in the neighbourhood.

I would strongly recommend The Reef to anybody who wants good lunch and/or good dinner. In many ways, it’s better positioned simply because it has a nice patio, great and friendly staff and wonderful food.

Restaurant review – The Alibi Room (Gastown)

Raul — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 13:31:03 +0000

It would be unfair for me to judge The Alibi Room in their dinner mode having not had dinner there for a long, long time. The last time I actually consumed anything there at night, I attended Global Metal with Rebecca, Trevor, Andy and Beth. We only had drinks so that doesn’t really count.

But I did have brunch there very recently with MJ and Dale, for the AIDS Benedict brunch. While I absolutely hate eggs Benedict, I wanted to participate in the event and so I sent out a Twitter invitation. I was very pleased and touched that both MJ and Dale accepted, as we had a really good time. Neither of them had met each other before, and I’m always happy when I help build connections amongst my friends from the Vancouver tech scene.

Both MJ and Dale ordered eggs Benedict while I ordered scrambled eggs with chorizo and toast. As far as the quality of food goes, it was really, really good. I did remember The Alibi Room being this good. The service was a mixed bag. Both our servers were incredibly sweet and nice and they went out of their way in keeping our coffee cups refilled. Both of those elements were highlights.

The very small downside? The servers seemed to struggle to keep up with everyone, and our food took a while to get to our table, but we didn’t mind as we were having a really good time.

My verdict? I will come back to The Alibi Room many, many times. It’s spacious, it’s well designed, it has good food (brunch is good and I remember dinner being good too. I’ll have to come back for that). Service is ok, and more than anything, it’s pretty strategically located. The Vancouver tech community visits The Alibi Room with frequency, and it’s close to my downtown office and to my home (well, if I take the bus anyways).

I’d definitely recommend The Alibi Room for brunch, although frankly, I still do love my Nice Cafe and Crave on Main. In my humble opinion, two of the best brunch places in town.

Restaurant review – Ricky’s (Central City, Surrey) – NDMD ’08

Raul — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:30:23 +0000

Our first stop for the Metro-Vancouver-wide National Digital Media Day (NDMD ’08) is Ricky’s in the Central City mall, in Surrey (downtown Whalley or so I am told). Sis604, Miss604 and Nephew604 are all here. We are having brunch, but as I was mentioning to them, I’ve already had dinner here so I think it’s valid to have the review as both brunch AND dinner.

I’ve ordered the 2×5 and Rebecca ordered a Blackbowl for breakfast. I’m looking forward to the food The food is really good, although slightly pricey for the equivalent that I would get at The Nice Cafe. But I do still like Ricky’s. I had their burgers for lunch the last time I was at the one on Dunsmuir and Georgia.

While we made it one hour late, I am sure the rest of our trip will be uneventful. We’ve already crossed 4 cities (Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster and Surrey). We will come back downtown at around 1pm for lunch with Anthony Nicalo from Farmstead Wines.

Restaurant review – Sunshine Diner (Kitsilano)

Raul — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:00:40 +0000

Knowing myself and how structured a life I have, it’s kind of funny to see myself responding positively to last-minute, “hey Raul are you doing anything right now? Let’s do breakfast/do lunch/have coffee/have drinks/go for a drive/shopping RIGHT NOW” kind of phrases Structure, people, structure! My best friend is chocolate, but my second-best is my Google Calendar. However, I never let the opportunity to spend time with a good friend slip away, and everyone who knows me, knows that I’ll pretty much always say yes if I have the time and the opportunity arises to hang out.

Thus, earlier this past week, when my good friend LiB (I now have three LBs in my life, so this is a way to identify her without revealing any personal information) said on MSN “hey Raul, let’s do breakfast, I got an appointment later“, I just simply had to say yes. Ever since I moved from Kitsilano, I haven’t been back for food in a long while, despite the fact that MANY of my good friends live in Kits.

Anyways, when LiB suggested breakfast, I said “ok, let’s do Sunshine Diner. I haven’t been there in a long while, and it’s due for a restaurant review“. Got ready really quickly and headed down to meet her. Good times. We really enjoy our time together and we hadn’t caught up in AGES, so it was just nice to just hang out, eat good food and catch up.

The brunch, you ask? Hmmm… It was good. Nothing unexpected. The Sunshine Diner is good for comfort food, although the service is sometimes slightly suspect. I am not one to complain, though. The waitresses seemed to recognize me, because at the beginning they were slightly stand-offish and then they were really friendly.

While the breakfast food itself was good, it wasn’t something to write home about either (I don’t know if it is that I simply have tried way too many brunch restaurants already and I am definitely sold on The Nice Cafe and Crave). I have been disappointed with brunch food lately, with the exception of the spots I mention above. Not sure why that is.

I often ask my friends to tell me what they think of the food when we go out. I asked LiB what she thought and she mentioned it was good, but it wasn’t something, super special. I had a similar reaction later in the week with Andy at Moderne Burger. Good food, yeah – but nothing really to write home about. *sigh* Again, I am not saying Sunshine Diner is bad. It’s not, it’s good food. I just don’t think I’m going to travel all the way from Main to Kits in order for me to have breakfast here. But if you are a Kitsilano regular, and come down often, the Sunshine Diner is definitely one of the spots to check out.

Restaurant review – Provence Marinaside (Yaletown)

Raul — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:13:23 +0000

Spending time with good friends over brunch is always fantastic. I had never done brunch with Monica nor with Tanya and thus I jumped at the possibility of hanging out with two of my favorite gals for brunch. We met at Provence Marinaside, at the foot of Davie Street, in Yaletown. I have had dinner at Provence before, but (as you may have noticed by the fact that I do not have a restaurant review of it), dinner there was anything but memorable. And this time, Provence Marinaside didn’t make an impression on me either. The saving grace was, of course, the company. I love both Tanya and Monica and we had such a great time that the food and service at Provence was somewhat irrelevant.

The added bonus was seeing Michael Weatherly (of NCIS and Dark Angel fame). Weatherly is an actor I’ve always liked a lot, and from what I could see, he didn’t seem conceited at all. I was *this* close to say “hey Michael” but refrained myself. Geez, after all these years living in Canada AND living in Vancouver, I can still get a bit star-struck.

The food was really nothing to write home about, it was decently good breakfast, but honestly, screwing up breakfast is rather hard. I ordered scrambled eggs with fruit, toast and veal sausage. Perhaps not the best choice. The veal sausage was WAY too strong and it looked really pretty ridiculous. For about half the price, I could have gotten better scrambled eggs and sausage at an equally sophisticated restaurant (Crave on Main). I would rate the level of service and pricing at Provence Marinaside with the same of Figmint on 12th and Cambie (whom, if you recall, I didn’t like either).

Again, this wasn’t a BAD breakfast in terms of food, but it wasn’t something I would write home about or a rave review. The company was really what made it all worth it, because the service was pretty appaling. We didn’t get refills for our water, nor for our coffee, and I had to ask THREE times for jam. I am NOT impressed. If you’re charging high-end-ish prices, you should give me high-end-ish service.

Hanging out with Monica and Tanya, was just unbelievably awesome, and I got a lot of really important and useful advice in regards to my life in social media and also, in regards to the job search. It was very calming to hear them both reassuring me that I’ll be getting a good job. We also laughed a lot Good times, indeed. Although next time, I’ll probably suggest we change venues for brunch. I am not coming back to Provence Marinaside. Not until they have fixed their level of service

Eatery review – Liberty Bakery (Main Street)

Raul — Sat, 03 May 2008 22:16:11 +0000

There is only one thing that sucks about being allergic to squash … you can’t really enjoy butternut squash soup (oh wait… I hadn’t told you I’m allergic to squash… yep, I am… and I’m lactose intolerant. *sigh*)… But the best butternut squash soup in town, I’ve been told, is produced by Liberty Bakery, on Main and 21st. Avenue.

Photo credit: Raul on Flickr.

This little piece of heaven is wonderful for work-related meetings (when I’m working from home and other friends/colleagues who live near by are doing the same), or just for lunch. I’ve had their wonderful sandwiches on foccacia bread (in my case, I like turkey but they’ve got also hummus-based delicacies). Needless to say, great food and a very comfortable, home-like atmosphere. We should probably organize an intimate Tweetup or Blogger Meetup here, just a few folks

Restaurant review – Cafe Deux Soleils

Raul — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:06:16 +0000

(SIDE NOTE – I was looking for a photo to showcase Cafe Deux Soleils and ghastly, I didn’t get any on Flickr. So you’ll have to just be happy to see a photo of some food on here to make the post pretty, hehehe – I’ll have a full-blown rant about Flickr a bit later).

I am a fan of Commercial Drive, anybody who knows me even a little will know this for sure. I am, after all, an East Van boy. Since my groups of friends span all areas of the Greater Vancouver area, I decided on a relatively central spot to say farewell to my friends H, I and their newborn L. They are flying back to Europe this weekend and we wanted to say goodbye before they left. Unfortunately A couldn’t make it, but M, H, C and I went to meet them, and since H is a vegetarian AND a Mom, I suggested the most family-friendly place I could find that would serve vegetarian dishes: Cafe Deux Soleils.

Now, since I speak French, it’s not difficult for me to know the difference between Deux and Du. The problem is that sometimes I get confused on which one is the right one. So, for all of you who have the same problem – Cafe Du Soleil is near Hastings on Commercial, so in the Northern part of The Drive, and Cafe Deux Soleils is in the Southern part, closer to the post office and the Skytrain. The vegetarian one is Deux Soleils. The little hidden gem is Du Soleil. Confused enough? Ok, good.

Since they seem to offer a fairly good selection of vegetarian burgers, most of us tried different versions. I tried their basic burger and I have to say that while the burger itself was tasty, I was pretty disappointed with the fries. The fries were cut in a strange manner, and they were also under-cooked. Although I have to say, the staff were VERY friendly and VERY patient.

NOTE TO SELF – Don’t organize an intimate friends’ dinner on Open Mic night at Cafe Deux Soleils – it gets LOUD. But on the other hand, another NOTE TO SELF – Lots of eye-candy on Open Mic Night. So, I’ll have to organize a Vancouver Bloggers Meetup here or a simple gathering on a Thursday

While we all had a really great time, and I am grateful that I got to see little L and H and I, I found myself again seeing close friends of mine going away. This has become a recurring pattern, which of course has nothing to do with me, and everything to do with this city’s multicultural, transient population. Last night, as J was driving L and me home from dinner with C and B, we were talking about how much we dislike the fact that this city doesn’t provide stability. Your friends can just as easily move to another country or city or region in a whim. This doesn’t allow us to create long-lasting bonds that easily.

So, back to the restaurant review – I have been a devout patron of Cafe Deux Soleils even though I’m not strictly a vegetarian (I do eat organic meat), and their brunch menu is also really good. I do have some minor negative associations with the fact that my ex was a vegetarian and a fan of this place so we came here for brunch all the time, but that’s why I always organize new gatherings with close friends, to erase whatever minor reminiscences I have from past lives.

I would seriously recommend Cafe Deux Soleils for a laid-back, family-friendly (or singleton-friendly) brunch or dinner with friends. I for one will make sure to organize a meeting with a few local bloggers here for dinner sometime.

The temptations of dining out

Raul — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 06:50:02 +0000

So everybody knows that, while I lead a fairly Spartan life (e.g. I’m a budget-conscious man), I do indulge in eating out every once in a while. My 2006 and 2007 were filled with chances to eat out and thus I ended up becoming some sort of food critic, if might. However, I have resorted to my trusty restaurants and haven’t been very adventurous lately. I apologize to those of you who are expecting me to review new restaurants. I do have a couple in sight that I’m saving my money for… Boneta, The Charlatan and Me and Julio. Potentially Tequila Kitchen too.

That being said, I’ve recently had brunch and dinner at other places and I’ve just simply forgotten to post the review. So you’ll be seeing some new commentary on local Vancouver restaurants. One of the places that I do want to recommend for lunch is Liberty Bakery on Main and 21st. I will refrain from commenting more until I write the review, but just wanted to give you heads up about that one.

But I guess it’s natural to have your trusted restaurants – I mean, how can you go wrong with The Nice Cafe for brunch, or Kishu Mountain for sushi dinner? Or Crave for breakfast? Or Arms Reach Bistro for dinner? I mean, there is something to be said for reliable good food…

UPDATE – Since it wasn’t really worth writing yet another blog post, I have a question – should I give restaurants a second chance? I have long hated Chill Winston, The Cat’s Meow, Las Margaritas, Shabusen, The Red Room, I have fallen out of love with Slickitty Jim’s, and Toshi sushi. However, I wonder… should I try once more?

Dining Out for Life 2008

Raul — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 01:45:05 +0000

As I have done in previous years, I’m planning to organize a group to go out Dining Out for Life. Anyone who knows me even a little bit knows how much I support worthy causes such as programs to prevent HIV/AIDS and programs to provide food to people who are already suffering from this deadly disease. Two of these Vancouver-based programs include A Loving Spoonful and Friends for Life, both of them beneficiaries of 2008′s Dining Out for Life.

You can find here a PDF list of the 2008 participating Vancouver and Whistler restaurants. Many of my personal favorite restaurantes are participating, including The Cascade, Crave, Havana, Bistrot Bistro, Incendio West, Clove, the Sunset Grill, Quattro, Burgoo, Yaletown Brewing Company, Jules Bistro, Martini’s… wow even Public Eatery (up by 17th and Main) is participating! I have to say that I am quite happy that many East Vancouver restaurants are going to be a part of this. I have thoroughly insisted that a lot of people are unaware of the night scene on Main Street and the rest of East Vancouver, including Commercial Drive.

Holy smokes, it’s going to be a gong show trying to coordinate all my friends’ tastes to choose a participating restaurant! Well, since I’m organizing I probably should be the one deciding. I have to say that I am thoroughly tempted to try The Charlatan on Commercial Drive and/or Boneta.

Whatever the restaurant you choose, I strongly encourage you to go and Dine Out for Life. And once you do, come back to my blog and leave a comment. … By the way, if you’re on the edge about any particular restaurant on the list, shoot me an email (you can find my contact details on my About page) and I’ll try to the best of my ability to make a suggestion or provide a recommendation. Or simply check my dining out category or my Urbapoon page.

Restaurant review – Seto Cafe (Commercial Drive)

Raul — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 08:40:00 +0000

I write this review as I am listening again and again to the song “Who Knows” by Natasha Bedingfield (by the way, I just found out that the song is not included in the soundtrack, which totally sucks – this song would be the sole reason why I’d buy the soundtrack). Anyhow, this afternoon (just before meeting J for dinner and a movie), I had brunch with L, M and A after our volleyball game at a nice little cafe that has one of the cheapest brunches in town ($3.50 for breakfast is hard to beat).

Cafe Seto (on Commercial Drive) is located pretty close to JJ Beans and near 6th and Commercial (if I’m not mistaken). It only takes cash and debit, so that’s a bit of a problem for those like me, who totally love plastic (e.g. credit cards). But the price is almost unbeatable. And the food is REALLY good.

It was very nice to spend some time with L and M (two of my best volleyball players) outside our customary environment (e.g. a volleyball court). I have to say that I am pretty damn proud. My volleyball team this term is super solid, and we get along famously. As S put it very truthfully, “we are freakishly laid-back”.

Back to the review. I had their All Day Breakfast (actually I ordered the ADB but they gave me the 2-2-2, 2 eggs, 2 sausages, 2 pancakes). Awesome, very filling. I think that the only issue I am having with brunch at the moment is that I do need coffee with my toast and a soft drink (e.g. Pepsi) with my eggs. Call me weird, but I can’t really fathom a brunch without those two drinks. Anyhow, I highly recommend Cafe Seto. Cheap brunch – almost unbeatable!

Restaurant review – IHOP (International House of Pancakes) [Richmond]

Raul — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 03:44:00 +0000

Best way to be welcomed to Vancouver? Brunch at IHOP with my close friends C and B. They were kind enough to pick me up at the Vancouver International Airport, and since I had eaten only airline snacks, they thought it would be better for me if I actually ate good food.

I’ve been a customer of IHOP for many years now, but I rarely go because there’s none in Vancouver. I’ve been to the one in Delta with my brother, to the one in Brentwood Mall (Burnaby) with J, and now to the one in Richmond (close to the airport) with B and C. And if you read this sentence carefully, you’ll realize that none of these are actually in Vancouver. Hence why I never go to IHOP. Which is regrettable, because their food is SO GOOD!

I had one of their International Passport, which was enough food to keep me going through a really busy afternoon (had to register my volleyball team by 4.30pm). The best part, of course, is hanging out with B and C. They even took me to my office after dropping off my luggage! They are such a cute couple, and such a perfect team! And I’m very proud of counting them amongst my dear friends.

So, all in all, I would seriously recommend IHOP. Normally, I am the type of guy who will endorse only local products and services (e.g. I’ll have coffee from Blenz rather than from Starbucks), but IHOP is a good international franchise, and it’s good for your stomach (and your wallet!)

Restaurant review – Las Margaritas (Kitsilano)

Raul — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 00:32:00 +0000

I regret having recommended Las Margaritas to John and Rebecca. Honestly, it used to be much better. But the place has gone downhill. I went there with L, W, K and R for brunch a few weeks back, and the first thing I noticed is that their brunch menu is totally non-existent.

The prices have gone up, and for a simple mango salad, I wouldn’t pay $8 bucks (anywhere). The service was absolutely terrible. I was going to order the Huevos Rancheros (which in the standard format are over-easy). But I don’t like over-easy eggs, so I told the waitress that I’d like to see if they could do my eggs scrambled and without cheese. She bluntly and rudely said “we won’t change our menu for you”. I was totally stunned.

Then she basically dumped my glass of Coca-Cola on the table, and continued showing a really rude attitude. Of course, when I paid my part, I gave her a very minimal tip (I would have not left any tip but I was with my friends, who did tip, so I felt somewhat obligated).

With Las Margaritas, it won’t be “debut y despedida” but absolute farewell. I am NOT coming back here, and I will not recommend it ever again. At least not until the restaurant owners have fired this woman, revamped their brunch menu and instilled some sense of customer service on their staff.

UPDATE – I still think Las Margaritas is horrible, but somehow my Spoonback code hadn’t been inserted. So here it is. And I totally disagree with the >70% “like it”. As you can see from the comments below, this restaurant sucks.

Restaurant review – Denny’s (Birch and Broadway)

Raul — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 23:19:00 +0000

LF and I were talking about how some people disagree that a food critic is serious when he/she eats HP Sauce and ketchup (a complaint I heard from someone who criticized one of my restaurant reviews). Truth is, I believe that these sauces are important for brunch items. At any rate, I love brunch with friends and I know that some people may hate Denny’s, but truthfully it wasn’t bad. It was actually really good.

C, B and KW had asked me if I wanted to do brunch with them on Thanksgiving Day, so I agreed and when they picked me up, they suggested Denny’s. We had done brunch there before so I had no complaints. This time I tried the meatloaf and it was really good. My friend B got a bit of debris on her sandwich, but I think that was an accident. So, overall, I’d say Denny’s is good food for the value.

I couldn’t find UrbanSpoon’s site for Denny’s, so I can’t link there. But here is the link to the website. And the best part, as I’ve often emphasized, that I got to hang out with C, B and KW. I really appreciate their support throughout thick and thin. They’ve really stood up for me whenever I’ve needed. They’ve consoled me, fed me, encouraged me and made me laugh. I am very lucky with my group of friends.

Restaurant review – Mosaic at Burrard

Raul — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 22:18:00 +0000

Having brunch with close friends is always awesome, particularly after having had a somewhat sad Friday. My great friend LF suggested that we try Mosaic at Burrard, which is the hotel restaurant for the Hyatt Regency Vancouver. I’d never been and neither had she, so we settled for brunch/lunch here.

Naturally, the prices are higher than at a normal restaurant, but bear in mind that this is a top-notch hotel and thus you pay a premium. That being said, this is definitely top notch breakfast. I ordered a frittata and LF requested a chicken sandwich (I couldn’t find the menu online, so I can’t really offer you that).

There were several things that made it outstanding. The waiter was looking after our very need (although coffee refills weren’t as fast as I expected them, but the service was phenomenal nonetheless). We started off with coffee and orange juice (freshly squeezed) and we received a complimentary smoothie, which was kind of funny considering that my mental association looks something like this:

(Smoothie)=(Only Possibly Tolerable Food Item after Horrible Hungover)

And since I had a smoothie last time I had been hungover before meeting LF, this brought good and bad memories (bad because of the hangover). Anyhow, on to the restaurant review. The frittata was great, although I was a bit taken aback by the salad on top of the frittata. However, the bread, the potatoes and the frittata itself were amazing. LF seemed to enjoy her sandwich. She praised the dressing, which luckily was served on the side.

Would I recommend Mosaic to potential customers? Absolutely. This is a great experience if you come with someone you really like or it is a business brunch. I know that they have brunch buffet but I doubt I could eat that much food in one sitting. One word of warning: it is fairly expensive, but definitely worth the money, particularly if it is (as it was the case) a pre-Christmas dinner.

Since I am leaving Vancouver way too early this year, we had to meet for brunch much earlier than we expected. Nevertheless, it was great fun, and luckily a great place to eat with a very good friends. LF and I have been excellent friends since over a decade, so it’s fun to really talk very openly and about everything with her. Good times indeed