Looking for a great breakfast or brunch spot in the Mt. Pleasant / Main Street area on the East Side of Vancouver?
Check out Seb’s Market Cafe (map, website, 592 East Broadway, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, phone: 604-298-4403).
Owner operator Francois Godbout found success in the Vancouver film industry catering business before deciding to open a home-style, family-friendly breakfast and brunch place in a neighborhood that is growing and becoming more “happening” by the day.
A friend of mine is a regular customer here, and he recommended that we try it one Saturday morning. The food was fantastic – I had the Smoked Salmon Scrambled Eggs (pictured below, $9.00) which were made with smoked salmon (of course!), red onions, and cheese, and served with homecut potatoes, toast, and homemade preserves. I also enjoyed the freshly squeezed orange juice (also pictured below) which was the real thing (and had no sugar added so it was a little bit tart, but very refreshing nevertheless).
My friend is a bit worried that if more people discover this secret amazing brunch place, it may get too busy! But that would be a sign of success for Seb’s and in the event they needed to expand, I’m sure they could handle it quite well.
Smoked salmon scrambled eggs ($9.00) from Seb's Market Cafe in Mt. Pleasant area of Vancouver BC Canada.
Freshly squeezed orange juice from Seb's, a great breakfast and brunch place in East Vancouver.
An Ikea Restaurant is located in both Ikea stores in the Vancouver area: Richmond (map, 3200 Sweden Way, Richmond, British Columbia, phone: 604-273-2051) and Coquitlam (map, 1000 Lougheed Highway, Coquitlam, British Columbia, phone: 604-636-1000).
IKEA is famous for the clean and modern design of their reasonably priced home furnishings and accessories. Their stores are “family friendly” which means there is a room filled with balls for kids to play in (one of my favorite places to go when I was a kid), and a bunch of kid-friendly items such as hotdogs and meatballs on the menu at their restaurant.
I went on a visit to Ikea on a Sunday afternoon, mainly to try their restaurant. The food at the restaurant is fairly inexpensive, because they know if people feel comforted by good food, they might be more inclined to spend hundreds of dollars on that new couch, table, or desk. It sure worked for me – I really only intended to visit the restaurant and then have a quick look around the store, and I ended up spending over $300 on various items. Yikes!
Being a Swedish company, Ikea features some Swedish items on their menu including the meatballs (pictured below) which cost around $7 for 15 meatballs with potatoes or fries (or $6.49 for 10 meatballs, potatoes, fries, and a soft drink). They also have some really tasty cold smoked salmon dishes such as the Gravlax with mustard and dill (also pictured below, around $5.00). For dessert they offer some nice pastries and cakes, such as the one pictured below (around $2.00).
If you like pasta, you can get a plate of Organic Pasta for $1.99. Their menu describes this dish as, “organic pasta with organic vegetarian tomato sauce” and says the pasta is available after 11am. But if you go before 11am you can get a $1.00 (yes, that’s one dollar) breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausages, and home fries. Their hope is that you’ll spend much more on the home furnishings and accessories. After all, you are already there, so why not pick up a TV stand, lamp, and chaise lounge or two?
Ikea Swedish Meatballs from Ikea in Coquitlam (a suburb of Vancouver BC Canada). Around $7.00.
Ikea Swedish Gravlax with Mustard and Dill (smoked salmon, delicious!). Around $5.00. From Ikea in Coquitlam BC Canada, a suburb of Vancouver.
Swedish Dessert pastry from Ikea restaurant in Coquitlam BC Canada (a suburb of Vancouver). Around $2.00.
Chill Winston (web site, map, 3 Alexander St., Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-288-9575) is a hip, young restaurant in Gastown with upscale and contemporary Pacific Northwest style food.
Great place to “chill”. I’ve come here a few times before (always during the dinner hour) and have likened each experience. It’s decorated like a lounge with large (and comfortable) low chairs. […]the dishes are prepared impeccably well. I will return to try out their brunch/lunch menus.
The crowd is mostly well-heeled twenty and thirty-somethings, who get together to have a good time. The low-light atmosphere is happy, relaxed, and at times boisterous, with much cavorting, indulging, romancing, and “chilling” going on.
To start, I had the Duck Bacon Unwrapped Scallops ($13, pictured below) which their menu describes as “Baja scallop and citrus ceviche topped with coffee and molasses cured duck bacon on brioche”. Phew, that’s quite a description, but my interest was piqued by the creative combination of ingredients. Fusion at its best, I thought while munching contentedly on every last bit of the Ceviche.
The main course I tried was the Sea Tiger Prawns ($25, also pictured below), which are grilled prawns in a lemon basil oil with a spinach and almond risotto. My dining companion commented that the chef had presented this dish differently on a previous visit (my serving was more “aggressive” looking, kind of like an angry crab). An angry crab made of risotto and prawns is an angry crab that I would like to meet again!
Sea Tiger Prawns ($25) from Chill Winston in Gastown, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Duck Bacon Unwrapped Scallops from Chill Winston in Gastown, Vancouver ($13)
13,493 views - Posted Wednesday, December 10th, 2008
