BEST OF VANCOUVER Three new brunch spots with international culinary twists
With brunch being a perfect fit for the West Coast approach, here are three or our favourite brunch spots in Downtown Vancouver that opened up over the past year. (Check options for takeout or delivery.)
PALATE KITCHEN
848 West Hastings Street
This class act opened in the Financial District on February 8, courtesy of Pallet Coffee Roasters. The high-ceilinged, split-level space offers distancing room while staying social. Brunch staples get Euro touches: Palate Breakfast pleases with two eggs, bacon, sausage on toast, baked beans, and more while the brisk Fjord marries Nordic-style cured salmon with whipped cream cheese and avocado on sourdough. Cinnamon French toast with mascarpone praline, berries, and meringue? Yes, please. Beyond brunch, chef Khalid Kahya casts a Moroccan sway over lunch, with kefta tagine (two poached eggs atop meatballs in tomato sauce) and the 24-Hour Lamb sandwich (ultratender lamb with fried egg and greens on sourdough). Save room for the meal-cleansing Palate Tiramisu.
BRUNCH
1147 Granville Street
Our list—nay, our lives—would be incomplete without this one, launched in May, where West Coast faves cozy up with Mexican recipes. Traditionalists can opt for pancakes, French toast, and crêpes, or the Breakfast Sandwich with scrambled egg, bacon, and cheddar on a croissant or ciabatta. Hungry for sun-splashed vacations? Try the huevos rancheros (refried beans and sunnyside egg on a tortilla), molletes (grilled cheese and refried beans on ciabatta), or the popular enchiladas suizas (corn tortillas filled with cheese or chicken in green salsa). Order your caffeine fix and 10 percent of sales go to a nonprofit helping Mexican kids with cancer.
NOAH’S CAFÉ
572 Davie Street
At this pop-up that grew permanent roots, the yoshoku (Japanese takes on western food) menu includes sandos (sandwiches) with egg katsu, deep-fried ebi (shrimp), or chicken karaage deconstructed hamburger steak and onsen egg on bread, snf Japanese breakfast—grilled mackerel with rice, miso, salad, and pickles. Hawaii appears in loco moco: a sunny-side-up egg on either hamburger steak or sous-vide pork-loin cutlet over rice. Check out the Napolitan spaghetti with smoked ham in a spicy tomato dashi sauce, or uni (sea urchin) cream pasta with shrimp, baby scallops, and uni sashimi. For the full-meal deal, board Noah’s Ark, a weekly special platter of tongue-tickling delights. Who says you can’t have it all? Answer: your stomach. Ah, but that’s what repeat visits are for, right? See you next Sunday.