Cafe Chase by a Coffee Cup Snob
by Amanda on October 31, 2009
Back in Sydney, one of my favourite things to do was to sip coffee in one of the many cafes at my door step. The Canadian and I would go for a cafe breakfast on many Saturday mornings and our favourite place in Sydney was Max Brenner: Chocolate by the Bald Man.
I have read that Vancouver has a big coffee shop culture but I am yet to find it. I realise I’m not residing in the right area at the moment, but my hunt for these coffee shops is on. I have been into a few restaurants where cappuccinos and lattes were not on the menu, so I figured I just needed to go to proper cafes.
Last weekend, The Canadian took me to one of his favourite places on Broadway. It has big, sun filled windows with tables begging you to sit in them and was packed with UBC students on their laptops sipping various drinks. I thought to myself, “OK, I found it! I am going to be able to get a delicious cappuccino served in a proper cup and saucer with chocolate sprinkled around the edge of the cup.”
I approach the counter to see only giant, fat, mugs staring up at me. Giant, fat mugs with ugly handles which looked like they’d been moulded out of clay by a 10 year old. I kindly asked the bar boy if I could have a cappuccino out of a regular cup. He looked at me strangely. I tried to clarify by stating that I wanted my coffee in a normal cup.. “you know, like a cup and saucer?”
He seemed puzzled and then proceeded to grab one of the fat, pottery style mugs and placed it on a saucer. At this point, I must have looked like a snobby foreigner with too many demands. Was I really asking that much? They had photographs of cappuccinos in normal cups on the walls!
I ended up with a hot chocolate.
I will find you Vancouver cafes.
p.s. I know my lovely readers have told me about Main St and Commercial Drive and I’m sure 4th Ave has them too. Right? I’m just yet to get there.
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Oh, those first two pics make me want to get out of my pjs and go out right now and find a place like that! Looks divine!
Those are some really lovely images. Your cup and saucer story made me smile. Some places that I like in the city are the Epicurean Caffe on West 1st, Coco et Olive on W. Broadway, 49th Parallel on West 4th and the Prado Cafe on Commercial. And Thomas Haas just opened his new shop on W. Broadway this week. Chocolate heaven! I hope you find your favourite place soon.
How terrifying. So they serve American style coffee mostly? Like the black watery ‘bottomless cup’ style that you see in diners?? Ewwww.
It’s true, Sydney’s coffee culture is a different breed than Vancouver. I remember when I arrived in Sydney and was so confused by what a ‘flat white’ was!
No guarantee it is what you are looking for in a coffee shop but check out JJ Bean on Main St @ 15th and Liberty Bakery on Main @ 21st (ish). And of course there is Cafe Artigiano’s mmmmm (various locations).
Wow wow whee wha, cappu drizzled with liquid choco….oooh
Looking into relocating to Vancouver (from Toronto) myself, I’m wondering what’s out there! Though if Toronto has cafes with proper cups and saucers Vancouver must too. It’s a wonderful city full of secrets. :)
There is a great coffee place on Broadway, maybe a block or so up from the fabulous Kids’ Books. It has huge garage style doors, mismatched tables and old wooden chairs. I can’t think of the name of it, but they have delicious baked goods, tasty sandwiches and a lovely variety of hot beverages, including the coffee kind of drinks you’re talking about…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/princessinboots/4085599427/ I took this last night and felt you may approve of the bottom. :) This is at Williams though I’m not sure if it’s in Vancouver. It’s in Canada, we know that much!
Bronwyn, that’s the stuff!
I commented on your photo. :)
Oh my goodness I didn’t make the connection! But now I have you added and will be able to follow at a much more timely rate. :) Thank you!
My favourite place for coffee in the morning is on Beatty Street near Stadium Skytrain station called Medina Cafe (next to Chambar Restaurant). They are such lovely people and have these amazing real Belgian-style waffles to accompany your coffee. Another wonderful place is called Little Nest; it is a ‘kid-friendly’ cafe (so is filled with adorable babies and small kids, but it is not in any way a zoo!) located on Charles St. just east of Commercial Drive. They have great food, (their scrambled eggs are amazing!) but their coffee is unbelievably good. We go there around 3 PM once their kitchen is officially closed (so it’s a little quieter then) and savour their delicious lattes together with a piece of one their wonderful cakes (the owner is a pastry chef from New Zealand, so you can be sure it is good!).