Vancouver Magazine
Care to travel the world, one plate at time? Visit Kamloops.
Flaky, Fluffy and Freaking Delicious: Vancouver’s Top Fry Bread and Bannock
The Best Gelato in Canada Was Made in a Hotel Room (and You Can Get it Now in Kitsilano)
Wine Collab of the Week: The Best Bottle to Welcome a Vancouver Spring
Naked Malt Blended Malt Scotch Whisky Celebrates Versatility and Spirit
A $13 Wine You Can Age in Your Cellar
5 Things to Do in Vancouver This Week (March 20-26)
5 Things to Do in Vancouver This Week (March 13-19)
Looking for a Hobby? Here’s 8 Places in Vancouver You Can Pick Up a New Skill
What It’s Like to Get Lost on a Run With a Pro Trail Runner
8 Things to Do in Abbotsford (Even If It’s Pouring Rain)
Explore the Rockies by Rail with Rocky Mountaineer
The Future of Beauty: How One Medical Aesthetics Clinic is Changing the Game
Before Hibernation Season Ends: A Round-Up of the Coziest Shopping Picks
On the Rise: Adhere To’s Puffer Jackets Are Designed With the Future in Mind
Except instead of waffles it's okonomiyaki. And instead of classic fried chicken it's karaage.
I’m not usually the type to suffer from seasonal depression, but this year’s onslaught of rain, slush and snow has taken its toll on me. I’ve been tired and unmotivated and more than a little short-tempered—just last week my husband loaded the dishwasher “incorrectly” and I could have sworn the world was ending. But then there are sweet periods of relief that remind me of (literal) sunnier times, as was the case when I sat down for breakfast at Gyoza Bar, where Chef Woo Jin Kim has created a new Japanese-style brunch menu.You might be wondering how brunch can conjure memories of blue skies, but stay with me. Back in September (in upwards of 30-degree weather, I might add), I was sampling Top Chef alum Lee Anne Wong’s Japanese-fusion breakfast creations at Koko Head Cafe in Honolulu; her Chicky and Egg skillet (such a savoury dish for someone who’s obsessed with pancakes and French toast) was unlike anything I’d ever tasted—or thought I would ever taste again.But that was before I took a bite of Gyoza Bar’s Okonomiyaki and Chicken Karaage—a dish best described as the Japanese version of chicken and waffles. Except instead of a sugary, doughy waffle, Chef Kim’s rendition is anchored by a savoury Japanese pancake (this particular okonomiyaki had a perfectly crisp exterior btw), which supports a pile of sweet-and-sour soy glazed chicken karaage. Topped with a rich, yolky sunny-side-up egg, pickled Asian slaw and house-made tartar sauce, the dish somehow, despite the snow outside, instantly transported me back to sunny Oahu—and had me desperately grabbing for every last crumb with my chopsticks, a first for me at brunch (note: eggs are just as slippery as they look).So, the next time this cold weather’s got me down, rather than checking out the latest flight discounts, I’ll just head for brunch.Okonomiyaki and chicken karaage, $15, Gyoza Bar; starting March 3, brunch will be served 12 to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays
French Toast at Matchstick CaféAcai Bowl at KokomoMushroom and Kale Skillet at Mamie Taylor’s