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Brunch in Vancouver/Western Canada


Ling

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I've heard good things about Aurora's bistro for brunch. The Reef on Main St. is also good if you are looking for somewhere very casual. I'll second Sophie's as long as the line up isn't too long. There's also a similar diner on Main St. called Slickety Jim's. It's always busy, but I've been twice and found the food tasteless. These are all casual spots...more details on what you are looking for will help.

"One chocolate truffle is more satisfying than a dozen artificially flavored dessert cakes." Darra Goldstein, Gastronomica Journal, Spring 2005 Edition

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oops, didn't even think to give any details

There will be 4 or 5 of us

We'll spend up to $25-30 per person

I live in Port Coquitlam, but wouldn't mind driving anywhere in the Vancouver area.

Don't have any particular kind of food in mind, we're open to anything!

My dad and brother are pretty big eaters, especially my brother. He sometimes eats like two adults and a child. :wacko:

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

Edited by taryn (log)
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Taryn,

Thanks for the details ... makes it easier :biggrin:

I'll second Aurora. They do a really excellent brunch. Also consider Feenies. Other suggestions can be found here.

butter, you've hit Jim's dead on. The things I like there are the run of the mill things ... Juevos Rancheros. Stuff anyone can do. I really want tolike the place, but kitch-factor alone just doesn't cut it.

A.

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Went to Raincity Grill at 1193 Denman a few weeks ago. Had been there for dinner, but never brunch. It was one of the best brunches I've had in the city, and very good value.

Eggs Benedict is kind of a tired old classic, but they did a terrific version that several people raved about. A nice selection of wines by the glass to go with it (okay, it wasn't quite noon, but...)

Of course it helped that the sun was shining over English Bay, but even on a dreary day like today, the location is hard to beat.

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  • 4 months later...

It's been a long while since I've gone to a good sunday brunch so I'm a little out of the loop... In the past I'd checked out some of the brunches that Hotels offered, some were good but very pricey and some were just ok. Does anyone have any suggestions about where I could go (and take my mom) for a good Mother's Day Brunch? Hopefully someplace that's not going to bankrupt me too! :wink:

(Preferably a hotel/restaurant that has a good selection of seafood) Thanks!

Edited by Dining Diva (log)
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Two mother-friendly brunches (friendly to my mother at least) have been Provence Marinaside and Pastis. Not particularly pricey at that time of day unless you order a lot of wine!

A brunch at Marinaside would certainly fit the bill ... unless it was my mom I was dining with, I'd NEED a lot of wine to make it through! :laugh:

Personally (and not to rain on your thread) Mother's Day is right up there with Valentine's Day as days NOT to go visit a restaurant. I'd always cook brunch for mom at home. Perhaps a morning of shopping at Granville Island ... coffees, fruit salad, a little nosh at Oyama (is nosh in season?) etc etc. Then go home and cook.

A.

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Personally (and not to rain on your thread) Mother's Day is right up there with Valentine's Day as days NOT to go visit a restaurant.  I'd always cook brunch for mom at home.  Perhaps a morning of shopping at Granville Island ... coffees, fruit salad, a little nosh at Oyama (is nosh in season?) etc etc.  Then go home and cook.

Actually, when you make an 'unconventional' restaurant selection for Mothers' Day brunch, it's not as bad as you think out there in terms of crowds. Last year, I was pleasantly surprised when I took my Mom to Glowbal for brunch. Food and service were great, atmosphere was just chic enough without being too over the top for my Mom, and we had lots of time for shopping afterwards. Cooking be damned on Mothers' Day... heck, it was a celebration for me as a Mom too!

And I'm definitely with Deborah on Bistro Pastis and Provence Marinaside. Two more excellent suggestions.

Edited to give Deborah the nod on her picks.

Edited by Mooshmouse (log)

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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Cooking be damned on Mothers' Day... heck, it was a celebration for me as a Mom too!

Okay, it should be noted that I am a SON and a FATHER, thus I was breaking no "rules" by cooking on Mother's Day :raz:

Don't get me started on Father's Day :laugh:

A.

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Best brunch I've had in recent memory, and possibly ever, was at Feenie's. Absolutely f'ing fantastic smoked salmon benedict. And the regular coffee is some of the best restaurant coffee I've every had. :wub:

sarah

Always take a good look at what you're about to eat. It's not so important to know what it is, but it's critical to know what it was. --Unknown

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I noticed recently that Coast Restaurant has a Mother's Day Brunch Menu and it doesn't appear to be overly expensive. Could be worth checking out...

http://www.coastrestaurant.ca/menus.cfm

"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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If you want to knock her socks off, take her to the mothers day brunch at the Wedgewood Hotel. We went there with my mum two years ago and it was FANTASTIC. I don't even like brunch! It was the best spread I've ever seen (it's a buffet with everything you could imagine), and the food was spectacular. I think it was something like $60 a head though, but I'm not quite sure. It was definitely well worth it though!

Edited by Megs (log)

"Never eat more than you can lift" -Miss Piggy

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The Wedgewood is hands down my mom's favorite place to go on mothers day.

And all mums get orchid corsages :smile: - at least we did last year.

The sea was angry that day my friends... like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli.

George Costanza

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thanks everyone for the great suggestions. Daddy-A, I'd love to cook brunch for my mom but unfortunately it's not just the two of us.. it'll be the rest of my siblings and all the rugrats.. i mean my nieces and nephews too :raz: a few too many people to cook for. i've been to provence and loved it there , i'll definately put that on the list. i liked glowbal but unfortunately the last couple of times i was there for breakfast I wasn't terribly impressed. The food was good, the service was just eh... hmm... the wedgewood huh? I've heard good things about it so we might just go there. Has anyone checked out the brunch at Pan Pacific? Is it any good?

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Has anyone checked out the brunch at Pan Pacific?  Is it any good?

We went for Mothers' Day brunch at the Pan Pacific a few years ago. It is good but can be a bit of a gong show as far as the crowds are concerned. Same goes for Cafe Fleuri at the Sutton Place Hotel. If it's a buffet you're looking for, stick with the Wedgewood.

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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Hey fellow egulleters,

I have been scouring Vancouver websites for a place to take my lovely Mother whom is flying in from LA the day prior - do not want to do the traditional hotel brunch routine though I must say last year we went to the Wedgewood - fantastic! This year I would like to change to a restaurant - any recommendations, so far I have decided on one of the following;

Parkside, Pastis, Coast Restaurant... would really prefer the outdoor patio thing if weather permits.

Suggestions!

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hey y'all,

what's the dress normally like at CRU on a Saturday night?

-jc

edit: i don't mean to hijack the thread, but I didn't see a CRU thread. Respect.

Edited by jmc8y (log)

I wanna say something. I'm gonna put it out there; if you like it, you can take it, if you don't, send it right back. I want to be on you.

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thanks again for all the suggestions... my sis and i are talking a about going to C restaurant.... anyone been for brunch? is it worth going or would somewhere else be a better bet? keep in mind there will be a lot of us... this becomes a huge family "do" and because of this we have to go somewhere that's kid friendly too.... any more suggestions anyone?

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My husband and I are weekend brunch fans. We're often too lazy - or too low on groceries - to actually cook brekkie at home, so we toddle of at least once each weekend in search of brunch menus to satisfy us both. I am a hollandaise fanatic, my husband a pancake/omelette person, but both willing to branch out as well. (Hollandaise . . . my waistline yearns for the days before I discovered hollandaise.)

But we're in a rut, and generally end up at the same four or five places every weekend:

Milestones - hollandaise is dependable.

Feenie's - hubby loves the souffled pancakes, hollandaise top notch.

The Elbow Room - for the banana/blackberry pancakes, not the hollandaise. Enigma - reasonable hollandaise, nice banana bread served gratis.

The Sunshine Diner - great eggs, olive oil used on the grill. Satisfactory hollandaise.

We also sometimes break out and go to Trafalgar's or Provence.

So, what are your favourite Westside/Downtown brunch spots? A hollandaise ranking is appreciated.

Laura Fauman

Vancouver Magazine

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my personal favorites include:

ouisi bistro - crab cakes topped by chipotle hollandaise.... yum!

elixir (opus hotel) - have had very pleasant brunches here. hollandaise not a particular standout but good nonetheless.

pastis - thumbs up to the smoked salmon eggs benny. nice rich hollandaise, perfect for coating your roast potatoes. fireplace, and good selection of brunch-type cocktails make this my favourite.

r

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Not Westside or strictly Downtown, but our favourite place for brunch is Raincity Grill. Both their crab & smoked salmon bennies are outstanding: really generous portions of crab & salmon and the Hollandaise is first-rate too. Their brunch menu certainly extends beyond bennies though and I think they do both omelettes and pancakes but as all we ever order there are bennies...

The Fish House is another place we enjoy going to for brunch and they make a good omelette - shrimp & brie if I remember correctly - and you can have a brisk walk in the park beforehand or afterwards to burn off those Hollandaise calories!

Oat Cake

P.S. I have a great recipe for "Light Hollandaise" which uses less butter and is easier to make than regular Hollandaise....it's a lot more stable and you can chill it (great over freshly steamed asparagus) and even freeze it - strange but true! PM me if you'd like the recipe.

"I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best." Oscar Wilde
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