I write this review as I am listening again and again to the song "Who Knows" by Natasha Bedingfield (by the way, I just found out that the song is not included in the soundtrack, which totally sucks - this song would be the sole reason why I'd buy the soundtrack). Anyhow, this afternoon (just before meeting J for dinner and a movie), I had brunch with L, M and A after our volleyball game at a nice little cafe that has one of the cheapest brunches in town ($3.50 for breakfast is hard to beat).
Cafe Seto (on Commercial Drive) is located pretty close to JJ Beans and near 6th and Commercial (if I'm not mistaken). It only takes cash and debit, so that's a bit of a problem for those like me, who totally love plastic (e.g. credit cards). But the price is almost unbeatable. And the food is REALLY good.
It was very nice to spend some time with L and M (two of my best volleyball players) outside our customary environment (e.g. a volleyball court). I have to say that I am pretty damn proud. My volleyball team this term is super solid, and we get along famously. As S put it very truthfully, "we are freakishly laid-back".
Back to the review. I had their All Day Breakfast (actually I ordered the ADB but they gave me the 2-2-2, 2 eggs, 2 sausages, 2 pancakes). Awesome, very filling. I think that the only issue I am having with brunch at the moment is that I do need coffee with my toast and a soft drink (e.g. Pepsi) with my eggs. Call me weird, but I can't really fathom a brunch without those two drinks. Anyhow, I highly recommend Cafe Seto. Cheap brunch - almost unbeatable!
Showing posts with label Commercial Drive. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Commercial Drive. Show all posts
Monday, January 28, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
Coffee shop review - The End Cafe (Commercial Drive)
There is a gazillion reasons why you should mosey over to Commercial Drive. It's a vibrant and diverse community that has managed to create a mosaic of exciting and fun events. If you want to be up-to-date on the comings and goings on The Drive, I'd recommend the blog "Commercial Drive - Live!".
I'm writing this post as I sit at The End Cafe (corner of N Grandview Hwy and Commercial Drive, pretty much at 6th Avenue and Commercial). I have met friends of mine here on our way to dinner or a movie. However, this is the very first time I actually have spent any time at The End Cafe.
I have heard rave reviews of the place, particularly jazz nights on Sundays (7-9 pm). Admittedly, that kind of clashes with my evenings with J, but I am sure I can convince him to come and listen to jazz (he wasn't very keen on acid jazz when we went to the Fairview pub, but hey it's all about having an open mind, don't you think?)
The coffee is pretty good, and I have to say that the layout is very conducive to doing everything: from doing work on your laptop (there are two side bars with plenty of jacks to connect to the electrical energy, and free wireless internet) to having a relaxed evening reading a book and having a coffee (comfy couches) to doing school homework (plenty of tables with enough seating to entertain a small army of school brats) to having a drink (they're licensed to serve alcohol until 11.45pm).
I read on the Girlports website that there is an informal queer women group every second Wednesday at the End Cafe.
I'm writing this post as I sit at The End Cafe (corner of N Grandview Hwy and Commercial Drive, pretty much at 6th Avenue and Commercial). I have met friends of mine here on our way to dinner or a movie. However, this is the very first time I actually have spent any time at The End Cafe.
I have heard rave reviews of the place, particularly jazz nights on Sundays (7-9 pm). Admittedly, that kind of clashes with my evenings with J, but I am sure I can convince him to come and listen to jazz (he wasn't very keen on acid jazz when we went to the Fairview pub, but hey it's all about having an open mind, don't you think?)
The coffee is pretty good, and I have to say that the layout is very conducive to doing everything: from doing work on your laptop (there are two side bars with plenty of jacks to connect to the electrical energy, and free wireless internet) to having a relaxed evening reading a book and having a coffee (comfy couches) to doing school homework (plenty of tables with enough seating to entertain a small army of school brats) to having a drink (they're licensed to serve alcohol until 11.45pm).
I read on the Girlports website that there is an informal queer women group every second Wednesday at the End Cafe.
Another habitual haunt for the lesbian set, the End Café is especially helpful for travelers with their free wifi access. They’ve got a nice loungey feel and serve coffee, soups, fresh organic sandwiches, burgers, breakfast and desserts. Every other Wednesday there’s an informal lesbian meet’n’greet you may want to keep your eyes open for.[Girlports website]I can't praise enough the management of End Cafe for being this queer-positive. Of course, this is one of the most diverse and culturally-aware neighbourhoods in Vancouver!
Friday, January 11, 2008
Eatery review - Uncle Fatih's Pizza (Commercial and Broadway)
Since I got back to Vancouver, I've been working at the office and doing lots of errands. Thus, by the time I head back home, I'm totally exhausted. As it often happens to me when I take the 99 B-Line home, I ended up sleeping and missing my stop. So I had to go back from Commercial and Broadway (good thing the 99 B-Line wasn't one of those 'Boundary' ones or else I would've been royally in trouble).
On my way back, a nagging feeling and a slight headache started to bug me. Having just shopped at Safeway, I figured that it was nothing, but by the time I crossed the street west over to Commercial and Broadway, the lion inside me woke up and started to demand food. Being the case that pizza is the only thing with cheese that I allow myself to consume (just because I can't even taste the cheese with all those toppings), I stopped at Uncle Fatih's Pizza.
Since I started hanging out on Commercial Drive, I had promised myself that one day, I'd make a quick stop at Uncle Fatih's. The line-up is always long and there's all sorts of people (from men in suits to young guys in rags) consuming pizza. Determined not to let this opportunity pass, I stopped and ordered a full dinner (2 slices and a pop for a whooping $ 3.50, even cheaper than a latte at Starbucks).
Admittedly, my definition of cheap eats is substantially different to that of Andrew Morrison from Urban Diner (I just read his weekly West Ender column on cheap eats, and he suggested that he could do dinner for $20 or so - my definition of cheap eats is dinner for less than 7 bucks). This is most definitely a place for cheap, affordable, tasty and satisfying pizza. I'll be back, for sure!
And apparently other reviewers agree with me :)
On my way back, a nagging feeling and a slight headache started to bug me. Having just shopped at Safeway, I figured that it was nothing, but by the time I crossed the street west over to Commercial and Broadway, the lion inside me woke up and started to demand food. Being the case that pizza is the only thing with cheese that I allow myself to consume (just because I can't even taste the cheese with all those toppings), I stopped at Uncle Fatih's Pizza.
Since I started hanging out on Commercial Drive, I had promised myself that one day, I'd make a quick stop at Uncle Fatih's. The line-up is always long and there's all sorts of people (from men in suits to young guys in rags) consuming pizza. Determined not to let this opportunity pass, I stopped and ordered a full dinner (2 slices and a pop for a whooping $ 3.50, even cheaper than a latte at Starbucks).
Admittedly, my definition of cheap eats is substantially different to that of Andrew Morrison from Urban Diner (I just read his weekly West Ender column on cheap eats, and he suggested that he could do dinner for $20 or so - my definition of cheap eats is dinner for less than 7 bucks). This is most definitely a place for cheap, affordable, tasty and satisfying pizza. I'll be back, for sure!
And apparently other reviewers agree with me :)
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Restaurant review - Addis Cafe
This will probably be my last blog post of the weekend as I have a gazillion things to do (unless I get bored with work in which case I might blog again). But I can't leave this one out of print (or online publication) because I had been wanting to go for Ethiopian food at Addis Cafe on Commercial Drive for a long while.
My good friend NW and I hadn't seen each other in a few years (unbelievable considering that we live in the same city and very close neighbourhoods -- but bear in mind I had been away from Vancouver for a couple of years too). N and I share very similar views, and in some ways, there's a lot of work that we do that is similar.
Anyhow, we agreed to meet here for lunch. Ethiopian food is very social and I've become sort of the "guy to ask about where to eat Ethiopian in Vancouver" with my friends and colleagues, so I am pretty confident that I know almost every place that serves this type of food.
The staff were super sweet (I am not sure if they're the owners, but definitely had the feeling that they were). The great advantage: they take credit cards, debit or cash. N was kind enough to treat me to lunch which I really appreciated, but more than that, it was the opportunity to catch up that made the occasion special.
We ordered a vegetarian combo with chicken (5 veggie items and the chicken in the middle). I absolutely loved it. I found the veggie portions a little smaller than I have tried at, for example, Red Sea Cafe and Fassil on Broadway and Fraser but the flavour was great. I couldn't finish eating simply because I was so full.
The great thing about NW and I is that we're able to synthesize what has happened in our lives in a few minutes. We both have MBA training and thus know the value of transmitting our ideas across within a very short time frame. It pretty much took an hour and a half to catch up on the last few years and we both promised we'd get together much more often now.
I also should credit NW with a few lessons (I am not sure she knows I learned all this from here but here they are...
My good friend NW and I hadn't seen each other in a few years (unbelievable considering that we live in the same city and very close neighbourhoods -- but bear in mind I had been away from Vancouver for a couple of years too). N and I share very similar views, and in some ways, there's a lot of work that we do that is similar.
Anyhow, we agreed to meet here for lunch. Ethiopian food is very social and I've become sort of the "guy to ask about where to eat Ethiopian in Vancouver" with my friends and colleagues, so I am pretty confident that I know almost every place that serves this type of food.
The staff were super sweet (I am not sure if they're the owners, but definitely had the feeling that they were). The great advantage: they take credit cards, debit or cash. N was kind enough to treat me to lunch which I really appreciated, but more than that, it was the opportunity to catch up that made the occasion special.
We ordered a vegetarian combo with chicken (5 veggie items and the chicken in the middle). I absolutely loved it. I found the veggie portions a little smaller than I have tried at, for example, Red Sea Cafe and Fassil on Broadway and Fraser but the flavour was great. I couldn't finish eating simply because I was so full.
The great thing about NW and I is that we're able to synthesize what has happened in our lives in a few minutes. We both have MBA training and thus know the value of transmitting our ideas across within a very short time frame. It pretty much took an hour and a half to catch up on the last few years and we both promised we'd get together much more often now.
I also should credit NW with a few lessons (I am not sure she knows I learned all this from here but here they are...
- How to itemize my work into discrete units (she's great at it).
- The value of good writing (she's an excellent writer).
- The value of good people skills (she's fantastic to network with!)
Monday, September 03, 2007
Restaurant review - Bouzyos
As I had mentioned before, Commercial Drive is highly underrated. There are few places in the world where I feel more at ease than walking on the Drive. It's a real mosaic of multiculturalism. On the Drive, you will find just about any type of food you want (Ethiopian, Tunisian, Greek, Nepalese, Mexican, and of course, Italian).
I had the pleasure of going out for dinner with H and C and we quickly settled on Greek (given my absolute dislike for cheese, Greek food is relatively cheese-free, with the exception of feta cheese - but that one is easily removable). So we headed to Bouzyos, a Greek taverna where I had previously had dinner with my brother a couple of years ago (ah, good times! -- that was perhaps one of the best dinners I had had in ages).
Bouzyos is Greek-owned, and it shows in the food. We ordered dolmathes and tzatziki for appetizers and in my case, I had lemon chicken with the works: rice, potato, tzatziki and Greek salad. In C and H's case, they ordered moussaka and souvlaki respectively. Of course, by the time we were done, we basically were so full it was almost impossible to walk. But we had such a good time!
I would strongly recommend Bouzyos, the food is excellent and great service. I would say, though, that the atmosphere is relatively un-Greek. We were listening to 80's music (extremely well chosen, quite frankly, but it was kind of weird to listen to former top-40 pop hits while eating Greek food).
It was great to see C again (we had brunch a few months back at Paul's but now C is here to stay for a longer period of time), and it is really heart-warming to see H and C behave like total lovebirds (*giggles*). Their relationship does give me hope that LDRs (long-distance-relationships) can work out if you put the effort into them.
I had the pleasure of going out for dinner with H and C and we quickly settled on Greek (given my absolute dislike for cheese, Greek food is relatively cheese-free, with the exception of feta cheese - but that one is easily removable). So we headed to Bouzyos, a Greek taverna where I had previously had dinner with my brother a couple of years ago (ah, good times! -- that was perhaps one of the best dinners I had had in ages).
Bouzyos is Greek-owned, and it shows in the food. We ordered dolmathes and tzatziki for appetizers and in my case, I had lemon chicken with the works: rice, potato, tzatziki and Greek salad. In C and H's case, they ordered moussaka and souvlaki respectively. Of course, by the time we were done, we basically were so full it was almost impossible to walk. But we had such a good time!
I would strongly recommend Bouzyos, the food is excellent and great service. I would say, though, that the atmosphere is relatively un-Greek. We were listening to 80's music (extremely well chosen, quite frankly, but it was kind of weird to listen to former top-40 pop hits while eating Greek food).
It was great to see C again (we had brunch a few months back at Paul's but now C is here to stay for a longer period of time), and it is really heart-warming to see H and C behave like total lovebirds (*giggles*). Their relationship does give me hope that LDRs (long-distance-relationships) can work out if you put the effort into them.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Eatery review - Taco Loco
It's really hard to find good, authentic Mexican food in Vancouver. The past couple of years we have witnessed a growth spurt of places that sell pseudo-Mexican food within the GVRD, particularly in the downtown area. There are a few, however, that are fairly authentic. Usually, these are holes-in-the-wall. That would be the case of Taco Loco. This is a small eatery located between 11th and 12th Avenue on Commercial Drive. The food is fairly authentic (with the exception that mole con pollo NEVER has sour cream drizzled and that the actual chicken should be a full breast instead of shredded chicken). For what I ate, I would say it was overpriced (mole con pollo for $7.00?). But we were hungry and needed food. Furthermore, considering that the mole was pretty authentic, I probably shouldn't complain that much. If you need a quick meal that is fairly authentic, you could stop by Taco Loco. However, the service is nothing short of dreadful. At some point, I'll have to compare it with other fairly solid places like Casablanca and Las Margaritas (yes, Las Margaritas has fairly decent Mexican food).
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Commercial Drive is totally underrated
I seem to have picked up a tendency to use teenager-speak ("this is, like, totally cool" or my recent "best patio, like, ever!") and I am sure my friends find it kind of cute. Anyhow, this stage will soon be over, but I want to be able to say that Commercial Drive is like, totally underrated.
I have had the pleasure of helping Copper Lioness pack some of her stuff to send out to the Old Continent and therefore, have spent the past few days hanging around Commercial Drive. Let me just mention a few of the gems I walked by each day.
I have had the pleasure of helping Copper Lioness pack some of her stuff to send out to the Old Continent and therefore, have spent the past few days hanging around Commercial Drive. Let me just mention a few of the gems I walked by each day.
- Addis Cafe and Harambe. -- Ethiopian food. Amazing food that you eat with your fingers. Enough said.
- Wazubee - Cool bar to have a drink and hang out with your buddies.
- Cafe Deux Soleil and Cafe Du Soleil - Similar names, different target markets, both totally cool.
- Continental - Best coffee, like, ever. Well, with the exception of Delaney's.
- Waves on Commercial Drive - Awesome place to use wireless.
- Van East Cinema - the exterior may look crappy but it's showing The Bourne Ultimatum. Sorry, that's just too cool.
- JJ Beans -- Great patio and interesting customers
- And a whole slew of other awesome places ....
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Restaurant review - Memphis Blues
My brother loves BBQ ribs, and he vouches for Memphis Blues Barbeque House all the time. I am not really a rib kind of guy so I always thought I would never set foot in this place. Well, I did and I am glad I did. They have BBQ chicken breast, sandwiches, burgers, etc. So the place really is awesome and caters to every taste. They have two locations that I know of, one on Commercial Drive (for East Vaners) and one on Broadway between Hemlock and Granville (for those Fairview Slopes-South Granvillers).
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Restaurant review - Zesty's
Wow, Commercial Drive... lots of really great restaurants, very few bars (albeit I didn't go south of Broadway - I actually walked in the north direction), wonderful people and a sunny day... what else would you want?
Well, I'd want some service with that, please... I ended up going to a large 'Canadian cuisine' restaurant on Commercial near Venables. Called Zesty's, I can assure you the only thing it didn't have was 'zest'. The service was horrible. The drinks were ok, but I wouldn't have stayed for dinner. The waitress had not an ounce of customer service in her.
Next time I want to roam Commercial Drive I will make sure to check Haremba or the Abbibi Cafe, or Havana, or Memphis Blues... but I am definitely not going back to Zesty's, not even on account of their inexpensive drinks.
Well, I'd want some service with that, please... I ended up going to a large 'Canadian cuisine' restaurant on Commercial near Venables. Called Zesty's, I can assure you the only thing it didn't have was 'zest'. The service was horrible. The drinks were ok, but I wouldn't have stayed for dinner. The waitress had not an ounce of customer service in her.
Next time I want to roam Commercial Drive I will make sure to check Haremba or the Abbibi Cafe, or Havana, or Memphis Blues... but I am definitely not going back to Zesty's, not even on account of their inexpensive drinks.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
