brunch Archives - Page 3 of 8

IHOP – West Broadway

November 25, 2019

It has been what seems like eons since I last went to IHOP. Many good memories were made inside those four walls. In particular, the fiance and I used to come a lot to the Brentwood location when we started dating. We were so sad when they closed down (I want to say 5 years ago? But I could be wrong).

We were looking for a place to have lunch, and I suggested IHOP since the fiance went with some work people the week before. I was so excited to come back!

The closest location to us now is the West Broadway one. This IHOP has been around for many years, and is close to VGH. A great bonus is that they validate parking here!

Parking is not cheap at $5/ hour in this area, one of the most expensive rates in Vancouver. Just be sure not to pay on the Hangtag app. You need the print out receipt from the machine to get reimbursed.

Orange pineapple passionfruit guava juice: On the menu, it made it seem as though it would only be a guava and passionfruit juice, which is why I ordered it. Turns out it was a blend of all those different juices, which was a bit disappointing because I love my guava juice! The juice was alright and I did taste some guava, but I wish it was made more clear on the menu.

Chicken and waffles with a side of strawberry compote & whipped cream: Clearly, I went all out and in treat yoself mode. No regrets though because it’s been years since I had IHOP!

The chicken and waffles were always my go to. Since I love strawberries, I always order a side because the free strawberry syrup on the table does not do it for me! They also threw in a free small plate of whipped cream for me with the strawberry compote.

The waffles were thick, fluffy, and delicious. Adding the strawberry compote and whipped cream just elevated the waffles. I’m glad that nothing has changed!

The chicken strips came piping hot and crunchy too. I love my chicken strips and IHOP does them right. Crispy and flavourful.

Breakfast sampler: The fiance ordered the breakfast sampler, which came with eggs, hash browns, sausage, pancakes, ham, and bacon. A bit of everything for the indecisive people, hence the name!

The breakfast sampler was very filling and hearty. Sometimes you just need a good, greasy breakfast to start the day and this definitely hit the spot.

All in all, we left IHOP very full to the point that we had a later dinner than usual. I’m glad that we came back!

I know that IHOP is not the trendiest place, and that other food bloggers may stick their nose up at chain restaurants. But personally, IHOP hits the spot with breakfast food, even without the nostalgic value it holds for us personally.

The Boathouse – White Rock

August 22, 2019

It’s been a few years since I have been to White Rock! My parents wanted to go, so the fiance and I took them there for an afternoon. On that particular day, it was cloudy so it was quite dead. Adding to it, the boardwalk has been closed all year since it was destroyed in the storm.

I had a restaurant in mind but like most restaurants that day, it was closed. Probably only half the restaurants were open along the main stretch which was disappointing.

Picking a restaurant and having it fall through is hard for someone like me who has digestive problems and needs to look up the menu and plan what to eat beforehand. The Boathouse seemed suitable enough and we were hungry so we came here despite the horrible reviews on Yelp.

The Boathouse is probably one of the most popular restaurants along the main beach stretch, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell that day because the whole area was so dead. The restaurant spans an impressive three floors, with the top floor being a patio that has amazing water views. The third floor patio was closed so we got a seat outside on the first floor.

Tuna poke: I found my poke to be overpriced, but I really didn’t have any other option on the menu with my digestive problems. The tuna was cut in tiny cubes and tasted really fresh, so that was a relief considering the price and how dead it was in here!

It also came with some fresh avocado, mango salsa, wonton crisps, rice, and salad. I personally would have liked more rice than salad but it wasn’t a big deal. Overall it was good, but not worth $25.

Wild salmon BBQ burger: My parents split the salmon burger and said it was delicious. The wild salmon had a healthy, nice red colour to it and flaked off nicely.

Clam chowder and salad: The chowder was a bit smaller than we were expecting, but my parents didn’t have any complaints about the taste. For $7, you could upgrade to a Caesar salad which they did.

Smoked salmon hash: The fiance’s dish smelled amazing when it came to the table! The hash came with poached eggs, hollandaise sauce, potatoes, and cooked smoked salmon. We both thought it would be the cold smoked salmon but he enjoyed this version of it as well.

He was pleasantly surprised with this dish and would get it again. It was super filling to the point where he decided to not get gelato afterwards!

Overall, we came with low expectations due to the bad online reviews. But the food ended up being pretty decent. I did read a few saying that the fish and chips were bad so I’m glad none of us ordered those. This would be a restaurant that you come more for the patio views and people watching.

My only complaint would be that service was slow, especially considering there were only 3 other tables that afternoon.

Yay!

Earls – Brunch

August 16, 2019

For Macaroni’s birthday, we had a surprise birthday brunch at Earls Bridge Park! I’ve been to this location many times in the past for birthday dinners or happy hour.

Throughout the years, I’ve found it to be quite hit or miss as mentioned in my previous posts. However, Earls is making a tremendous effort on revamping their menu offerings because the menu seems to have new items that I don’t remember seeing in previous visits.

We came for their brunch happy hour, which was a really great deal!

Tuna poke bowl: I ordered the tuna poke bowl without the sauce, because it had dairy. Even without the sauce, I was very pleasantly surprised and found it to be delicious.

The rice had some sort of sesame oil/soya sauce mix, which was delicious. In addition, the tuna was fresh and also marinated with sesame oil. The poke bowl also came with some ripe mango and avocado.

I’ve gotten the tuna poke bowl in the past here but forgot how good it was for a Western restaurant! For comparison, I had one at Joey’s and it was not comparable to this one at Earls.

Chorizo & mushroom hash: Macaroni and Cocoa both ordered the chorizo and mushroom hash that day. Normally, it would have been $16, but it was a great deal during happy hour at the price of $9.75.

It was good, but could have used more chorizo.

Southern fried chicken and waffles: A brunch classic, fried chicken and waffles. It looked delicious and Macaroni’s mom did not have any complaints about it!

Country breakfast: Macaroni’s sister ordered the country breakfast, which came with 2 eggs, toast, bacon, sausage, and beans. Most places make you choose between bacon or sausage, so it’s nice that Earls gives you both!

The finishing touch was a chocolate lava cake! It was super rich and chocolate-y. The vanilla ice cream came in a dried, edible caramel cup which was pretty cool.

Yay!

Scandilicious Cafe

February 20, 2019

Today’s post is a bit special and different, because it features Scandinavian brunch! I’m not sure if we ever had Scandinavian food, and we don’t go for brunch often because there’s not much I can eat with my digestive problems.

But, Cocoa told us about this place and the menu looked friendly enough for me, so off we went.

Scandilicious Cafe is located in a random, industrial part of town just before DTES. There was plenty of free street parking, and not many other restaurants in the surrounding blocks.

Once you get in, you wait to get seated and then you order at the counter. I found the ordering process to be a bit slow, especially when it is a full house.

While in line, a barista/staff first asked customers if they wanted a drink. If not, the customer would then continue to wait for the cashier. Since not many people ordered drinks, the barista was just standing there wiping the counter. It would probably have been more efficient if they could help the cashier write down the order first because I waited in line for about 10-15 minutes.

It seemed like ‘slow’ was the theme of the restaurant, but whatever, we weren’t in a rush that day. Other reviews have mentioned that it is quite slow here too, so you have been warned. We didn’t mind because we weren’t in a rush, but I was hungry! LOL.

Hangover Helper: Finally, our food came! The boyfriend’s egg bennies came with ham, and green onions served on their signature waffle. He enjoyed his dish and in particular, he noted how delicious their Hollandaise sauce was.

Vegan waffle: I’m not a vegan, but I can’t have a lot of dairy these days (yes, I have a lot of digestive health issues, not getting into it here) so these intrigued me. I ordered a plain one just to try it out, and these were really good!

They were thick, warm, and super fresh. The waffles made up for the long wait. Compared to the regular waffles, the vegan waffles had a nutty, almond taste with a hint of cinnamon. I would love to come back and have a sweet (not savoury) version instead.

West coast waffle: After seeing smoked salmon, I was set on trying this dish! It did not disappoint although it could have used a bit more smoked salmon.

For about $14-15 per plate, it would have been nice to have a side of hashbrowns or something… it is brunch, after all! However, everything we ordered was of great quality and you could tell they put effort into it hence the long wait time.

In particular, both the regular and vegan waffles were delicious. I know where I’m going if I want a waffle fix!

Townhall Public House

December 13, 2018

The bridesmaid duties continue! This time, we went with Sangria to pick our her wedding dress! Before we went though, she suggested that we have brunch at Townhall since we were kind of in the area.

The first time I went was with Sangria as well, probably about 4 years ago now? And then I took the boyfriend once after that too. They are pretty popular for their cheap brunch.

Townhall is located just on the border of Burnaby/Coquitlam/New West, before the IKEA Coquitlam. There is also a large, free parking lot which was convenient for us although both cars missed the entrance (it’s kind of oddly situated).

It was cozy and warm, perfect for a rainy December day. You seat yourself at an available table or hightop table. Our server was pretty prompt in greeting us after sitting down, and service throughout was friendly and frequent.

House special, $5: Yup, you read that right… $5! Where are you able to get a $5 brunch these days in the Lower Mainland?! No wonder their brunch is always quite busy.

Anyways, the house special comes with toast, fried potatoes or fresh fruit, eggs, and sausage or bacon.

Obviously I wanted to indulge in fried potatoes, but my stomach is very unpredictable so I played it safe and went with the fruit. The pineapple oddly had no flavour, just texture… we think because it had been soaked in the brine for so long. The oranges and grapefuit were freshly cut and were good though.

For $5, there isn’t much to complain about at all! Definitely worth the price.

Veggie omelette, $8: It was J’s first time here, so she split the veggie omelette and breakfast skillet with Sangria. The veggie omelette came with mushrooms, peppers, onion, and feta cheese.

They also decided to get fresh fruit instead of the fried potatoes, because the breakfast skillet comes with potatoes already.

Southwest skillet, $8: The last time K came here with Sangria, the skillet actually came in a skillet. This time, it was just served in a bowl.

Maybe I’m just comparing it to the White Spot skillet, but it looked underwhelming. But it’s also half the price of the White Spot skillet so can’t really complain about that! I forgot to ask the girls how it tasted but they didn’t have any complaints about it.

Overall, Townhall is a decent option for a cheap, no frills brunch. They did make a mistake on Sangria’s mom’s order, however they were quick to fix it.

Yay!