| Let's
Do Brunch — Page 3
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Provence Marinaside: After a
serving of the city’s best French toast,
you might consider a jaunt along the Yaletown
seawall right outside the front door. Or not.
Image credit: Shannon
Mendes |
BEST REASON TO FORGET THAT CLEANSE: PROVENCE MARINASIDE
1177 Marinaside Cres., Yaletown, 604-681-4144. Provencevancouver.com/marinaside
Two words: French toast. Provence Marinaside Grill makes
a French toast ($10) with soft baguette, cinnamon sugar
and whipping cream so mind-flayingly splendid it’s
worthy of its own religion. Paper-thin Parisian crêpes
stuffed with fresh seafood ($15) and beef tenderloin
with peppercorn sauce and salty frites ($22) delight,
but experts go straight to the restorative fish soup
($8). Bay windows and a wraparound patio offer striking
False Creek views; the warm pastry basket ($9) brims
with croissants, good butter and preserves.—C.G.
BEST PLACE TO INDULGE
YOUR SWEET TOOTH: PATISSERIE LEBEAU
1728 W. Second Ave., Kitsilano, 604-731-3528
Waffle aficionados crush Penny and Olivier Lebeau’s
patisserie early on Saturday mornings for gaufres de
Bruxelles. Limited seating sees frequent but fast-moving
queues. Toppings change seasonally and include poached
pear, caramel and warm cinnamon apple compote ($3).
If you miss the Saturday sugar rush, gaufres de Liège
($2.80) are available throughout the week. Pearl sugar,
imported from Belgium, gives these waffles a unique
crispness; popular flavours include white chocolate
almond and dark chocolate chip or cinnamon apple. The
croissants (possibly the best in the city) and pain
au chocolate are terrific, as is the savoury quiche
Lorraine ($5.64) or brie- and-chicken Waffle Sandwich
($5.60). Lebeau waffles are also available in the freezer
section of Meinhardt.—J.A.K.
Big Box Brunches
They are the usual suspects, where bloody Caesars and
hollandaise run rife. For the most part, they rely on
their locations, riding easy in the knowledge that the
punter legions will come. And boy, do they ever. Summer
at Bridges Restaurant remains magnetic
for tourists and Granville Island shoppers even though
its popular if predictable brunches can sometimes be
rushed. On the North Shore, at the Beach House
at Dundarave Pier the menu is as you might
expect (except for the delicious free croissants—just
ask the busser in the crumb-covered uniform). Both the
Sequoia Grill in Stanley Park and Seasons
in the Park offer more imaginative plates:
at the former, soak up the ocean view with a Tintoretto
flute (champers and pomegranate), while the latter sits
best after a halcyon walk in the gardens of Queen Elizabeth
Park. Try the Hunan pork sandwiches with caramelized
onions, lathered in sandy Dijon. Come late May, all
of these long-established spots morph into high-turnover
operations (complete with harried hostesses and parking
challenges), so treat this month as the best time to
take advantage of their charms, minus the hordes.—A.M.
BEST PLACE TO GO ON ISLAND TIME:
THE REEF
4172 Main St., South Main, 604-874-5375. Thereefrestaurant.com
Hipster Main Street denizens crowd The Reef for brunch
with a raucous and lively reggae vibe. Harry Belafonte
would love their version of the national dish—ackee
and salt cod ($12) rings true (cooked ackee fruit is
virtually identical to scrambled eggs, without the cholesterol).
Scan the specials board for the Daily Blaff—it
features dishes such as smoked marlin Benny with roasted
tomato hollandaise and cilantro ($9). Set your palate
ablaze with Matouk’s Hot Pepper Sauce from Trinidad
and wash it all down with a sparkling glass of Ting
($4.50), a refreshing Jamaican grapefruit soda.—J.A.K.
BEST HANGOVER CURE: SOLLY'S BAGELS
2873 W. Broadway, Kitsilano, 604-738-2121; 189 E.
28th Ave., South Main, 604-872-1821; 368 W. 7th Ave.,
Mount Pleasant, 604-675-9750. Sollysbagels.com
Any breakfast joint can slap egg and cheese between
two pieces of bread (or worse, on a soggy English muffin);
only Solly’s serves The Eggel: a puck of fluffy
scrambled egg, tucked under a thick blanket of melted
edam or cheddar cheese, sprinkled with paprika, and
served on a Jewish bagel. Solly’s makes a version
with lox and another with hot pastrami but, frankly,
they’re a little excessive. It’s not the
fillings that make the eggel one of the city’s
best breakfast sandwiches but the perfectly dense bagel
foundation. Ordered before 10:30 a.m. the eggel can
be had with coffee or tea for a very reasonable $4.75.—Eds.
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