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Coffeehouse and Cafe Reviews

phaelon56

By phaelon56
in Western Canada: Dining

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hopkin

hopkin

Posted
Posted
In pretty much all the shops pouring latte art, if you don't specify skim milk, you'll be getting homo by default. It's easier to steam and, if you tried a skim and homo sided by side, it just makes a better latte.

JJ Bean use 2% and Skim.

Elysian Room, and most other shops I know use 3.25% and 1%.

Almost all milk is homogenized.

Alistair Durie

Elysian Coffee

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Daddy-A

Daddy-A

Posted
Posted
JJ Bean use 2% and Skim.

Elysian Room, and most other shops I know use 3.25% and 1%.

And damned if you can't taste the difference! After latte at The Elysian Room or Artigiano I'm full, not so at JJ. All the more reason for me to stay with my Americano :laugh:

A.

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hopkin

hopkin

Posted
Posted
And damned if you can't taste the difference!  After latte at The Elysian Room or Artigiano I'm full, not so at JJ.  All the more reason for me to stay with my Americano :laugh:

A.

latte is about milk. if you want a coffee drink order a cappuccino or macchiato. i made a mac for you last week so i know you know what i'm talking about.

Alistair Durie

Elysian Coffee

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Daddy-A

Daddy-A

Posted
Posted
latte is about milk.  if you want a coffee drink order a cappuccino or macchiato.  i made a mac for you last week so i know you know what i'm talking about.

I thought it was all about the LOVE :wub:

A.

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  • 3 months later...
canucklehead

canucklehead

Posted
Posted

Just wanted to say I had a delicious capuccino today at the Elysian room. I've been off of coffee for a little while and it was really nice to recalibrate my palatte with some good stuff.

Was also given a sample of a featured Kenyan coffee - and what a treat. Light - but real plummy and strong black currant notes - terrific frangrance. You could see a sheen of oils on the surface of the coffee. Very cool. Not sure of the exact name of the bean/roaster.

The real treat was trying to drive back to the office afterwards while the caffeine jitters made me feel like one of those junkies caught on video in a bait car.

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3WholeCardamoms

3WholeCardamoms

Posted
Posted (edited)
Was also given a sample of a featured Kenyan coffee - and what a treat.  Light - but real plummy and strong black currant notes - terrific frangrance.  You could see a sheen of oils on the surface of the coffee.  Very cool.  Not sure of the exact name of the bean/roaster.

The Kenya was from Karogato Farm in the Nyeri Valley.

Roasted by Hines Coffee.

thanks for coming in.

d

edited for ignorance

Edited by 3WholeCardamoms (log)

Drew Johnson

bread & coffee

i didn't write that book, but i did pass 8th grade without stress. and i'm a FCAT for sure.

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transfattyacid

transfattyacid

Posted
Posted

I must say i thought Prado Cafe looks suprerb.

This is my favourite interior of any cafe / restuarant in the city.

A bold statement, yup . But i`ll admit to subscribing to the St John school of interior design.

The two things that stood out for me in this room are :-

Product

Focussing your attention to where and what is being made, as opposed to having retail opportunities at every glance.

People

Apart from the 'chandelier' the people who use this space form it`s sole adornment, ever changing , but always true to the neighbourhood the cafe services.

The uncluttered decor draws in the eye from the street. It did mine anyway.

bravo . i`ll be back when i`m next in the hood , great coffee too .

tt
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Mooshmouse

Mooshmouse

Posted
Posted
I must say i thought Prado Cafe looks suprerb.

This is my favourite interior of any cafe  / restuarant in the city.

A bold statement, yup . But i`ll admit to subscribing to the St John school of interior design.

The two things that  stood out for me in this room are :-

Product

Focussing your attention to where and what is being made, as opposed to having retail opportunities at every glance. 

People

Apart from the 'chandelier' the people who use this space form it`s sole adornment, ever changing , but always true to the neighbourhood the cafe services.

The uncluttered decor draws in the eye from the street. It did mine anyway.

bravo . i`ll be back when i`m next in the hood , great coffee too .

Nice post TFA. Mind you, I'm biased since Prado Cafe is my neighbourhood coffee haunt.

Thought I'd provide this link to the Prado pictorial from my foodblog for those of you who are curious. And a note on their beans of choice: organic fair-trade from 49th Parallel Roasters (Caffe Artigiano). Flavour profile is a custom blend of Timor, Peru, Guatemala and Venezuela (decaf is Peruvian).

Joie Alvaro Kent

"I like rice. Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2,000 of something." ~ Mitch Hedberg

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kontemporary

kontemporary

Posted
Posted (edited)

Has anyone been to "eighteast" on East Broadway a couple blocks off Main Street? It's a very hip-looking café that's new, but I have heard absolutely no publicity of it..

And Mooshmouse, those pics don't do Prado Café justice! The space is very very beautiful and original. They call it "Scandinavian minimalism" but I'd say it's the perfect coffee house to sit down and enjoy a nice latté while reading a novel. The place is as if you were sitting at an art gallery yet still being able to keep up with people-watching on by the window seats. :smile:

Edited by rêvasser (log)

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.

Virginia Woolf

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  • 1 month later...
tarteausucre

tarteausucre

Posted
Posted

Just thought I'd mention that I went to Coco et Olive yesterday (on West Broadway just east of Dunbar). The place is disarmingly sweet - don't expect anything lavish or grand though. The people who run it are lovely and I found it to be the perfect place for a foggy Sunday afternoon. I had a chai latte and a cranberry coconut oatmeal cookie. My friend a caramel latte with a triple chocolate cookie. The selection of sweets is fairly limited (although those 2 bite brownies did look enticing); however, all in all in a great place to go if you're in the neighbourhood and craving sugar and caffeine.

"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."

~ Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady

Tara Lee

Literary and Culinary Rambles

http://literaryculinaryrambles.blogspot.com

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JasmineL

JasmineL

Posted
Posted

Hi my name is Jasmine and I am addicted to caffeine.

I blame my serious addiction on the Americanos served at Our Town (Broadway and Kingsway). The large Americano features 4 shots of intense espresso...served with a sidecar of hot water. I have recently concluded that I can only consume these stimulant bombs pre-Fitness World. They make for an enthusiastic cardio session.

I'm a girl who will gladly eat chocolate made of 99% cocoa solids and this espresso appeals to those same receptors.

They used to have the most wonderful oatmeal raisin cookies. They recently changed suppliers (or perhaps started baking in house). It's just not the same. :sad:

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DarkDante

DarkDante

Posted
Posted
Hi my name is Jasmine and I am addicted to caffeine.

I blame my serious addiction on the Americanos served at Our Town (Broadway and Kingsway). The large Americano features 4 shots of intense espresso...served with a sidecar of hot water. I have recently concluded that I can only consume these stimulant bombs pre-Fitness World. They make for an enthusiastic cardio session.

I'm a girl who will gladly eat chocolate made of 99% cocoa solids and this espresso appeals to those same receptors.

They used to have the most wonderful oatmeal raisin cookies. They recently changed suppliers (or perhaps started baking in house). It's just not the same.  :sad:

The coffee at Our Town is great! I tend to get Henry's coffee which is an Americano with chocolate in a large cup.

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Foodie in Vancouver

Foodie in Vancouver

Posted
Posted

One of my clients recently relocated to Yaletown so we have been on the search for decent coffee. Given that there are a boatload of coffee bars within a 2 minute walk of the office it has been an interesting quest. The first place I tried was recommended by my wonderful morning barista at Cafe Artigiano (41st). Citto (or is it Cito?) is directly across the street from Urban Fare and SB on Davie. It is truly wonderful and I highly recommend the latte. Sweet, rich and sensous without even the faintest hint of bitterness. Needless to say my quest has been stopped in its tracks. Others in the office have not been nearly as successful - definitely caveat emptor in Yaletown when it comes to coffee.

Cheers,

Karole

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  • 1 month later...
bccoati

bccoati

Posted
Posted

Hello all, long-time lurker, first-time poster, please be gentle with me .... :laugh:

Does anyone know of a coffee place in Vancouver/Richmond that uses the siphon method (or glass vacuum pot) to serve coffee (preferrably Japanese "charcoal-roasted" coffee)?

http://baharris.org/coffee/History.htm

My partner fell in love with this Japanese-style coffee while we were in Hong Kong last October. It is the preferred method of preparing coffee in popular coffee chains like UCC and Pokka in Asia.

I vaguely remember having had a cup of Blue Mountain coffee two or three years ago in a Chinese-run cafe in a mall (Union Square?) on Capstan Way or Sexsmith Road in Richmond. It was served using the siphon method. I tried to locate it again last week to no avail. Found an interesting new Taiwanese restuarant instead, but that's another story.

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Daddy-A

Daddy-A

Posted
Posted
Hello all, long-time lurker, first-time poster, please be gentle with me .... :laugh:

Does anyone know of a coffee place in Vancouver/Richmond that uses the siphon method (or glass vacuum pot) to serve coffee (preferrably Japanese "charcoal-roasted" coffee)?

http://baharris.org/coffee/History.htm

My partner fell in love with this Japanese-style coffee while we were in Hong Kong last October.  It is the preferred method of preparing coffee in popular coffee chains like UCC and Pokka in Asia. 

I vaguely remember having had a cup of Blue Mountain coffee two or three years ago in a Chinese-run cafe in a mall (Union Square?) on Capstan Way or Sexsmith Road in Richmond. It was served using the siphon method.  I tried to locate it again last week to no avail.  Found an interesting new Taiwanese restuarant instead, but that's another story.

Welcome to eGullet.

If memory serves correct, Alistaire (hopkin) at The Elysian Room at least sells this type of system. Not sure about Japanese charcoal-roasted coffee though, nor as to if he uses the syphon system to prepare the coffee. I don't think he does, but he might know who does.

A.

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Chef Fowke

Chef Fowke

Posted
Posted
Hello all, long-time lurker, first-time poster, please be gentle with me .... :laugh:

Does anyone know of a coffee place in Vancouver/Richmond that uses the siphon method (or glass vacuum pot) to serve coffee (preferrably Japanese "charcoal-roasted" coffee)?

http://baharris.org/coffee/History.htm

Sidenote: Starbucks used to sell Vacuum pot coffee makers ~ very cool ~ but hard to maintain and constantly breaking. Best cup of coffee, ever...even when using over roasted, burnt beans.

Chef/Owner/Teacher

Website: Chef Fowke dot com

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vin

vin

Posted
Posted
Caffe Artigiano, I noticed, had a staff party at the Mountain

Shadow pub in Burnaby last night. Don't know why I found that

odd/amusing/noteworthy, just thought you'd all be clamoring to know...

Wow! Paparrazzi :raz:

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eugene

eugene

Posted
Posted

A couple of my friends have a coffee blog thats Vancouver-centric (is that even a word??) :cool:

http://www.vancouvercoffee.ca/

"Since when do you have to be hungry to eat?"

Give a man a fish and you’ll feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish and… he’ll open up his own place right across the street from yours, steal your sous-chef, talk shit about you, haggle with suppliers, undercut your prices, kiss critics’ ass, steal your clients and you’ll eventually curse the day you taught him how to fish.

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chocomoo

chocomoo

Posted
Posted
Hello all, long-time lurker, first-time poster, please be gentle with me .... :laugh:

Does anyone know of a coffee place in Vancouver/Richmond that uses the siphon method (or glass vacuum pot) to serve coffee (preferrably Japanese "charcoal-roasted" coffee)?

Welcome to eGullet.

If memory serves correct, Alistaire (hopkin) at The Elysian Room at least sells this type of system. Not sure about Japanese charcoal-roasted coffee though, nor as to if he uses the syphon system to prepare the coffee. I don't think he does, but he might know who does.

A.

I'm not Alistaire, but if you're looking to brew your own coffee, I think I've seen UCC ground coffee sold at Izumi-Ya on Alderbridge and No. 3 Road in Richmond. It's tucked in beside Holt's furniture. I have no idea how much they sell it for though. You might also want to check that other Japanese convenience store (I forget the name) on Robson.

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phaelon56

phaelon56

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Starbucks still sells vac pots in most stores but no longer the manual (i.e. heat on the stovetop) breakable type. Now they sell mostly the "Utopia" - a self-contained electric vac pot that is actually a rebadged Bodum E-Santos.

The electric vac pots of this brand work best if you shim up one end with a 25 cent coin or maybe even a Loonie if you can spare one (the end where the heating plate in the base is closer to the countertop - it is an angled plate). That yields a longer brew time and IMHO a tastier cup.

I use a manual vac pot at home although I also have an electric one. I prefer the greater control over brew time that the manual system allows.

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