Le Petit Dejeuner

http://petitdejeuner.ca/

Our celebratory breakfast at 10am after picking up mon cheri's adorable Mini Knighsbridge, turned out to be on a gloomy March morning.

APPEARANCE
light, unimpressive, confused
This tiny place is not one you'd find unless you are looking. It has black front facade (like every other place)and a random wooden plank at the top - replacing the old red painted front. There is a not-too-memorable logo just on the window and a Stiegl sign hanging above the entrance.. really challenging the hierarchy. This tiny place is squeezed between a Gabby's and a brick building with some construction at the front.

NOSE
lacking voice, true to the terroir
As we entered a lady quickly waved that we don't come in the second door. She poked her head out and said it'll be a 10min wait. It was more like 15-20 but we were the first in line so, we were hopeful.
We were sat at a relatively wet table with wet menus.. just smudged with water.
So this place is a narrow space between those two buildings. The brick facade from one building is just left as a wall inside with photo frames hang off of it, while the other one is a mix of wall and plastic wood.

SWIRL 
crisp, apple aroma, a bit of chemical
We quickly ordered teas and coffee followed by our main course. I tried their signature Toast Champignon with a Poached Egg. I was telling Cheri to try their Apple and Brie Panino, which he was a bit sceptical about but the dijon mustard sold him. We ordered his dad their Eggs Benny with peameal bacon.
Cheri's dad went to the washroom and return saying that if it was Russia, this place would be long gone - sued by the health inspection. I went for a tour down to wash my hands and it was rather smelly and wet in this basement.

PALATE
unexpected, medium-bodied, 
with a light spicy twist
The food arrived. My Toast Champignon with Poached Egg consisted of a bagel in half topped with chopped mushrooms, pieces of bacon sauteed in a mix of herbs (probably herbs de province). Underneath was a potato rosti (like a grated hash brown) and there was a side of apple slices, pickle slices and mustard - odd but very nice. Of course my pouched egg was there too..a bit out of place - right on top. It was tasty, apart from the fact that the chef dropped the salt shaker while sautéing the mushrooms. Next, cheri's Panino was great. The toasts were burned (I had no problem with that) and inside were apple slices, melted brie and a beautiful spicy dijon mustard. He said a tad of honey would have been perfect - a valid point. I did not try his dad's Eggs Benny but I have to say it was tiny and did not look like anything special. I kind of felt bad for ordering it for him..

FINISH

a pleasant, inspiring aftertaste
Overall, I would say someone in the back really knows how to create surprising but pleasant combinations. The restaurant part of the place needs some work though.

overall.. a surprising Riesling, unfortunately bottle sick.

Bonjour Brioche

http://bonjourbrioche.com/

I did not understand what the hype is all about when it comes to a brioche pastry. It is an airy, plain bread which slightly resembles a muffin. Regardless, it was going to be a french-style bakery so I was all in.

APPEARANCE
simple, bubbly
From the outside, it is right by a lonely bridge, but the blue and yellow awning paired with the smell of warm bread made it very welcoming.

NOSE

light and mixed, some green fresh fruit

Inside it is tiny and people line up near the middle when waiting for a table.. Kind of weird, I thought. As we sat down we did not take our eyes off the pastries, which we had once come by to try. The new bunch of plain de chocolate had just left the oven and were quick to finish. 

The tables have an old looking, colorful patterned tablecloth. The laminated single sheet menus are simple and I find amateur, but do the trick. A beige yellow and orange background is interrupted by blue spirals and black type - too much clutter.

SWIRL

some sulphates, a bit sweet

Our waiter had thick-framed glasses and tried hard to act French, when pronouncing the items on the menu - a bit overdone for my liking, but polite nonetheless. I decided to try their Croque Madam, as it was the only brioche consisting dish, while Cheri had their meatloaf sandwich.

As we waited, we enjoyed the smallest wall, as it was completely filled with frames. It had a certain charm to it. Throughout our wait, Edith Pief songs were making my day.

PALATE

astringent, easy-going, dry

It did not take long. My Croque Madam consisted of a toasted brioche with ham and gruyere cheese, covered by an egg and topped with a few chives. It came with a side of greens. Overall it was small and lite. This is probably why I had a random piece of baguette on the side too. I would have wished my egg was runny, as it felt so plastic. The meatloaf sandwich was great. It was on a perfect baguette - crispy outside with white marks of flower, and inside soft and airy. The meat in combination with caramelized onions and dijon mustard, made the sandwich.

FINISH

light but lively

What I found really made the experience was the crowd - ppl of all ages constantly rotating. 

overall.. a new Prosecco

Meat & Bread

http://meatandbread.ca/

After a short walking tour around downtown Vancouver we ended up in Gastown and were highly recommended this place by out tour guide.

APPEARANCE
clean, bold
The line up on a Saturday afternoon starts from the door.
An all windowed wall with a thin black frame is invaded by the narrow, bold, white word-mark on the glass.

NOSE
delicate, pear aroma
Inside it is warm, full of life and light. It is a long space - small tables by the window, a big main social table for anyone/everyone and then a few more small tables near the back. Chairs, lights, frames, menus all back, while the back wall is old white-painted brick that looks like its falling apart. Cheri lined up quite I fetched us a tiny table, as they are scarce. Of course this happened after we checked out their washrooms, which had vintage furniture and details as well as interesting framings ( like a poster explaining the parts of a cow).

SWIRL
lively, light smoke and oak hints
This place has little selection, so on can't get to picky/confused and is well worth the wait. I decided we are getting the Porchetta, the Turkey Confit and the Grilled Cheese (that our tour guide talked so enthusiastically about) with two of their Phoenix beers. While in line, you get to watch them make the sandwiches - it really works on your appetite. Saying that, anyone vegetarian will be scarred for life. I took a few photos and a man with an Australian accent came to talk to me (I think the owner). For a sec I though I was in trouble but he soon said he just wants to make sure the guys look good and there are no funny faces.

PALATE
medium-bodied, smooth, intriguing
Soon enough the sandwiches were each loaded on charming thin wooden boards, with a strip of wax paper and with a blob of the appropriate sauce on the side (usually mustard). The grilled cheese took longer though.
The Porchetta was great. The meat had a bit too much fatty pieces for my liking, but the salsa verde inside and the crispy skins were amazing. The Turkey confit was quite interesting combination of flavours - chipotle glaze, fennel, red onion, and a yogurt-base sauce. It had a strange smell to it, I did not mind right then but I know some days I would definitely not want that smell even close to me. The grilled cheese was brought out for us, it was light and melting in my mouth.

FINISH
evolving, living
Loved the lively ambiance, the light rock music in the background, the cozy lightness and simple interior and menu.

Overall a unique Chardonnay

Shu Raku

http://www.shuraku.net/

So we just landed in Vancouver and it was only 10pm there, so we decided to not stay in on our first night - especially as this place was a 15min walk from our hotel. On top of that it was highly recommended by a colleague and furthermore re-enforced by Urbanspoon

APPEARANCE
yellow-green color with hints of gold
Granville with its neon reflections off the wet paving was quite gorgeous and this little place, was also adding to all the life on the street.

NOSE
crisp, some floral nuances
So we entered and were quickly sat. Perhaps too quickly to take a good look at the natural curving wood counter or the adorable line of lamps with wooden sticks. So the second part of the restaurant, the back long room, is where the late-night snackers were lead to. There was an easy vibe, with spanish-sounding music (rather out of place), a blank lit-up wall on one side and an illuminating sushi bar on the other.

SWIRL

yellow plum, honey melon

The long menus came along with their playful-traditional wordmark everywhere, but most elegantly placed on the black chopsticks pockets. Our waiter was great. A Japanese guy who spoke with a Brit accent. He squat down to speak to us coming to our height - very polite. Due to our interest but lack of Sake knowledge we went with the Hot Sake Flight -  2 kinds of sake of the day. Cheri was curious to try their Beef Asparagus and I was really craving a Volcano Roll. I asked for his roll recommendations, he talked about the Roulette Roll which we decided to give a go the second time around.

PALATE
balanced, delicate, supple
The Sakes came in their traditional clay thermoses keeping them warm, and right in front there were little laminated coasters of taste notes on the back, whoa.. it is like wine/whiskey. One was Yuki Hotaru (Niigata): off-dry, light, refreshing, crisp and floral on the nose. The next one was Kagatobi Gokkan Jaumai (Ishikawa): full-bodied, with delicate flavours of nuts and tropical fruits. Both were lovely and easy to sip on. The Beef Asparagus came, elegantly presented, barbecued and not overwhelming in any particular flavour. Next came out our bowl of Volcano Roll - covered with tempura flakes and dry crispy sticks coming out. As I dug in, the fresh tuna melted in my mouth while the red spicy sauce really heated me up. Last but not least, the Roulette Roll is definitely popular for more than its classy presentation - with a long line of black seaweed soy sauce and lotus root chips crowning the roll. To be honest, neither of us are anything close to scallops enthusiast, but I did not even feel it, it mixed beautifully with the tuna, onion, avocado, and cucumber parts.


FINISH
pleasant with a long finish
We lingered on, sipping our sake and nibbling on the gorgeously delicious dishes. We sank into this fusion of trendy and traditional from the interior and vibe to our waiter and the dishes. The victim of our great evening was one little clay sake cup, which managed to jump as we built a cup column.. but again it was dealt with graciously and quietly.
A must go-back-to place!




overall.. a charming Beaujolais Blanc