Brunch in Vancouver/Western Canada

[peppyre]

My mom just called to aske where we are taking her MIL for Lunch on Sunday. I'm completely stymied and need help. Last year we went to Cafe Katzenjammer and everyone loved it, so that is about as high end and froufy as my mom's inlaws will get. It can't be expensive and definitely not high-end. My Mom and I were thinking maybe Thai food. Does anyone know a thai place open this Sunday? Help!>

[snacky_cat]

Mr Snacky_Cat and I can be found at the Yaletown Melriche's virtually every weekend morning (and by morning I mean, uh, noon-ish). The primary attraction is that it's cheap like dirt (breakfast and coffee for 2 with tax runs about $12-$14), and if you get a big booth you can sit around and read the weekend papers for a couple hours.

Sadly, there is no Hollandaise to be had, but they have awesome pancakes (apple cinammon is my favourite) which can also be had by the half-order, and their breakfast quesadilla is pretty tasty and healthy-looking. Their breakfast sandwich is super-yummy too, and easy to eat while you're reading the paper

PHAT next door has great baked goods for breakfast (see the earlier thread on the dangers of their ultimate chocolate croissant), but skip the eggs dishes. We both had "benny-like things" a couple of weeks back and they were served lukewarm, despite the fact that we were the only customers. And Mr SnackyC, who is an egg-poaching guru (I will rent him out if anybody needs a brunch chef...), took great offense at the fact that the eggs were poached in those little containers that turn them into pucks, rather than free-hand.

[Dining Diva]

a few on your list are definately places i like to go for a weekend brunch with friends. another one though is cafe zen in kitsilano, it's on yew and york street, just up the street from the roger's video. i love their brunches and there's usually a pretty big lineup in the mornings! their bennies are frikkin fabulous! i love getting a half and half order (one benji mushroom benny and one crab avacado benny mmmmmmm or whatever other combo u want) everything is extremely fresh and IMO it's pretty reasonably priced.

[snacky_cat]

Instead of Mother's Day brunch in town, we're taking Snacky_Cat Momma down to Bellingham for a burrito dinner at Casa Que Pasa. We'll probably stop in LaConner before that, and have some lunch at the little Native-run fish shack on the channel - really good chowder and great fish tacos made with a bannock-y/fry bread-y like thing.

[Shellback]

My mom just called to aske where we are taking her MIL for Lunch on Sunday.  I'm completely stymied and need help.  Last year we went to Cafe Katzenjammer and everyone loved it, so that is about as high end and froufy as my mom's inlaws will get.  It can't be expensive and definitely not high-end.  My Mom and I were thinking maybe Thai food.  Does anyone know a thai place open this Sunday?  Help!>

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I believe Salathai downtown opens daily from 11:30. I'm not sure about the Cambie street location.

[Dining Diva]

check out simply thai or urban thai bistro in yaletown. i'm pretty sure they're both open on sundays. given a choice, i prefer simply thai, i find it a bit more authentic

[peppyre]

Unfortunately, these are absolutely not Yaletown type people. Does anyone have any suggestions for the 'burbs, not necessarily Thai, but something just a little different? Good unusual food that my mom and I will enjoy and nothing too fancy for the rest of the bunch.

BTW, the in-laws live in Langley and my mom's in North Delta. Driving will be a given no matter where we go.

[annanstee]

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.

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Well, this being Vancouver, you won't get any looks as long as you are not wearing sweatpants. I would say casual with decent shoes.

I am to take my mum to the Pan Pacific for the MDB (after repeated murmurings on her part as to how wonderful the Easter brunch was),-brother is absconding to Mexico for a wedding, and my DH has to work, so it will be us and my little guy. The buffet menu does look fabulous, but I know it is going to be like the annual shoe sale at Army and Navy in terms of crowds. It is exactly the same as the Easter menu, only 10 bucks more.

I just found out that the Four Seasons is giving out an Hermes Gift Bag to all mums at their brunch- if I could get a reso, that might tempt me to swtich.

For non hotels, I keep hearing great things about Adesso- also, I went to Ocean Six Seventeen for brunch on Sunday and loved it. Nice little patio right on the water (although on Sunday there were about 12 dogs in attendance so watch your step) and very reasonable. It will definitely be a new neigborhood hang for me.

[appreciator]

Just had brunch this past Sunday at Adesso. Smoked Salmon Benny for me and Veggie Benny for my friend. Both were DY - NO - MITE The hollandaise was zippy yet still light so that we didn't feel that a nap was in order immediately following consumption. The salmon benny had some very sublime caramelized red onions topping the english muffin, followed by smoked salmon, perfectly poached eggs (I like my eggs not very runny - sacrilege though it may be), aforementioned hollandaise and capers. Each bite was just a little bit of heaven.

Too much?

I also have enjoyed brunch at Feenies (in fact their salmon benedict on the croissant is currently my fav); omelets at Masa's A La Carte; what I would label as deconstructed eggs benny (though w/o the hollandaise) at Aphrodite's; and another salmon benny at The Avenue Grill.

Think that covers places of late.

After reading previous posts... I think I'm going to need to check out Ouisi Bistro, Raincity Grill, Trafalgars, Bistro Pastis and, even though it hasn't been mentioned yet, Ocean 6 Seventeen. (though brunch there was mentioned here.)

Edited because I forgot to add some links to old threads on the subject of breakfast/ brunch:

Breakfast Downtown, Where to eat the "morning after" ...

and,

brunch, where to go?

and finally,

Brunch, food visit in Vancouver, Please help me plan my trip!

Edited May 3, 2005 by appreciator (log)

[appreciator]

Unfortunately, these are absolutely not Yaletown type people.  Does anyone have any suggestions for the 'burbs, not necessarily Thai, but something just a little different?  Good unusual food that my mom and I will enjoy and nothing too fancy for the rest of the bunch.

BTW, the in-laws live in Langley and my mom's in North Delta.  Driving will be a given no matter where we go.

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How about The Beecher Street Cafe in Crescent Beach? Not too pretentious but a little on the funky side. I've just had lunch and dinner a couple of times but their brunch menu looks fairly appealing. Not sure if Crescent Beach would be a good compromise from Delta/Vancouver and Langley but it might so I'm throwing it out there. P.S. their website sucks (IMNSHO), so if you haven't been there, please don't judge them on that alone... the place really is quite cool.

Edited May 3, 2005 by appreciator (log)

[lauraf]

Have you tried Tangerine or Adesso?

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We tried Tangerine a few years ago, and my impression was that it was kinda dark for a noonish meal when I definitely need light stimulus.

And I want to respond to others but I am an egullet neophyte and have no idea how to add more than one quote , so bear with me while I reply to each in individual posts. And if anyone wants to tell me how to add multiple quotes to one post, I'd be most appreciative.

[lauraf]

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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Pastis is lovely too - I agree on the smoked salmon benny - but we're usually in grubby sweatpants, and even though it's a scant block away we rarely go there except with company when we have to brush our hair before venturing outside.

[lauraf]

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.

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Oat Cake, is Raincity quite fancy, or would sorta not grubby jeans be okay? I don't think they qualify for grubby sweatpants though.

And I'd LOVE the recipe. I've had mixed results with my recipes in the past. How do I PM you? Yes, yes, I realize I am an idiot . . .

[Chocoholic]

You can combine your brunching and grocery shopping at Granville Island. I had breakfast at the Granville Island hotel last Sunday and their pancakes looked very good. My friend had them, I had the French toast which was also good with suitable amounts of maple syrup. I don't remember seeing any Hollandaise on the menu but I wasn't looking for it at the time.

The location is also very nice with a view of the False Creek marina and a good patio outside for sunny days.

[barrett]

Shameless plug:

Caffe Artigiano on Hastings. For the Hollandaise lover, the smoked salmon and scallion rosti, for the omelet lover, there is a daily omelet special. We're open 7-3 on the weekend.

[Daddy-A]

Shameless plug:

Caffe Artigiano on Hastings. For the Hollandaise lover, the smoked salmon and scallion rosti, for the omelet lover, there is a daily omelet special. We're open 7-3 on the weekend.

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Oh, I'll back up that shameless plug! One of the nicest breakfasts I've had in a while was at Artigiano about 6 weeks ago. Latte, croque monsieur, fried taters and the Globe & Mail. Just needed few people in the place so I could spread out!

A.

[lauraf]

Shameless plug:

Caffe Artigiano on Hastings. For the Hollandaise lover, the smoked salmon and scallion rosti, for the omelet lover, there is a daily omelet special. We're open 7-3 on the weekend.

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Oh, I'll back up that shameless plug! One of the nicest breakfasts I've had in a while was at Artigiano about 6 weeks ago. Latte, croque monsieur, fried taters and the Globe & Mail. Just needed few people in the place so I could spread out!

A.

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Thanks for the shameless plug - I didn't know Artigiano served brunch! And I'm definitely dragging hubby to Adesso and Cafe Zen. They sound great, and are a short walk-off-the-hollandaise couple of blocks away.

[barrett]

Thanks for the shameless plug - I didn't know Artigiano served brunch!  And I'm definitely dragging hubby to Adesso and Cafe Zen.  They sound great, and are a short walk-off-the-hollandaise couple of blocks away.

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The one on Hastings has a full kitchen, so we do! Look forward to seeing you.

[lauraf]

Thanks for the shameless plug - I didn't know Artigiano served brunch!  And I'm definitely dragging hubby to Adesso and Cafe Zen.  They sound great, and are a short walk-off-the-hollandaise couple of blocks away.

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The one on Hastings has a full kitchen, so we do! Look forward to seeing you.

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I'll be the one asking if you can do latte art with hollandaise!

[Yummy]

uugh.... hollandaise eh? Tony Bourdain's show on the hollandaise episode kinda scared me away... and also monday's seafood special.

Have you tried De Dutch Pannekoek House? I'm not sure if they're a franchise or not but I know there are several of them around the city. The one closest to us:

1-1725 Robson St (across from Safeway) 604-687-7065

Definitely have really good pancakes (different from the regular IHOP kind)

[Daddy-A]

Have you tried De Dutch Pannekoek House? I'm not sure if they're a franchise or not but I know there are several of them around the city.

They are indeed a franchise. A franchise that has gone through an unfortunate metamorphosis (sp?) becoming more cookie-cutter and bland than before. I prefer The Dutch Wooden Shoe Cafe ... 17th & Cambie. Esentially the same thing, but with that dark attitude reserved for foggy mornings after the night before.

Have the Salami-hash Pannekoek with Hollandaise. I can feel my arteries clogging as I type the words ...

A.

[Mooshmouse]

One tip regarding the Dutch Wooden Shoe Cafe: get there early. Really early. The lineups there are longer than they are at De Dutch and almost as long as the ones at Sophie's or the Tomato.

[Zucchini Mama]

Once in a blue moon I have to go to the Wooden Shoe and have a pannakoek with ham and that thick apple molasses goop which is supposed to be high in iron (must be a PMS thing). The decor is pure Dutch kitsch and there's a little box of toys for the kids. This is an olde fashioned kid-friendly café, that reminds me of Saskatchewan for some reason-must be all that wood panelling!

Zuke

Edited May 7, 2005 by Zucchini Mama (log)

[chadum]

My wife and I are going to be enjoying our anniversary in Vancouver this year. We're staying at the Wedgewood.

I think I've found plenty of lunch & dinner recommendations by searching past topics. I haven't seen anything particular about brunch. We are very big fans of breakfast/brunch.

Are there recommendations for weekend brunch places?

We like small, cafe settings that really care about this particular meal. We also tend to prefer the sweet side with waffles & pancakes and do venture towards the occasional omelet ;-> . We live in Seattle and the brunch at Macrina Bakery is an excellent example of this.

thanks

[kontemporary]

I'm thinking of either Elixir @ the Opus or Café Crêpe..