I made a visit to the Vancouver Flea Market (web site, map, 703 Terminal Ave. Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604.685.0666) and tried their cafeteria.
In case you haven’t heard of the Vancouver Flea Market before, here’s a little description from their web site:
The Vancouver Flea Market is a thriving environment where all kinds of dealers and sellers propose their treasures. Here you will find all kinds of things from collectibles and memorabilia to everyday household items as well all the things you thought you didn’t need!
The market is a 5 – 10 minute walk from the Main Street Skytrain station. Admission to the market is only 75 cents, and that lets you into the main showroom where you can browse all the tables of endless cool stuff (I picked up a piece of fools gold crystal for $8), and into their busy cafeteria which serves filling, hot American-style food at very low prices.
Speaking of the food, we tried the Traditional Burger (an amazing deal at $3.85, shown in video below) and the T.O.C. Omelette ($4.50, also shown in video below), which was a 3-egg omelette with tomato, onions, cheese, toast, and a small coffee. I opted to get an apple juice instead of the coffee and it only added about 40 cents to the price. The food is quite similar to Denny’s restaurant but is cheaper, and the atmosphere is not as fancy as Denny’s.
Calhouns Bakery and Cafe (web site, map, 3035 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone 604-731-7062) is a large barn-like restaurant in the Kitsilano neighborhood that is open 24 hours and serves a variety of pre-prepared entrees such as the Perogies (around $7.00, pictured below), desserts, coffee, and alcoholic beverages.
At Calhoun’s, pick out an entree from the deli-style refrigerated display case, and then pay first before eating. If they’re not too busy they’ll bring the food out to your table once they heat it up, or else they’ll put it on the counter beside the espresso machine.
Calhouns also offers a catering service (more details) to the Vancouver area. My office uses them sometimes for catering lunch meetings.
Calhouns has a bakery on site, and their sourdough bread is incredibly fresh. They make some of the best sandwiches in town, and I usually order the Shrimp Sandwich with Avocado ($7.50, also pictured below). Every month I look forward to eating the shrimp sandwich after an evening of performing music with the Sybaritic String Band. Calhoun’s has live jazz music on Tuesday and Sunday evenings, and Latin dancing on Thursday nights.
Located near the University of British Columbia, Calhoun’s is a popular hangout and studying place for UBC students. They have Wifi internet access available.
For another photo of the shrimp sandwich, please view Part 1.
Perogies with bacon, sour cream and salsa ($7.00) from Calhoun's Bakery and Cafe in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Shrimp Sandwich ($8.00) from Calhoun's Bakery and Cafe in Vancouver BC Canada.
I made another visit to The Templeton (web site, map, 1087 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-685-4612) and enjoyed their Mangled Eggs ($8.00, pictured below) which are cheesy scrambled eggs served in a croissant with your choice of veggie bacon or real bacon, and some tasty hashbrowns (potatoes).
My friends who were dining with me both ordered the Templeton’s baked macaroni and cheese entree (not pictured), which looked incredibly delicious and healthy too: with some creative ingredients like aged white cheddar, gorgonzola, Italian parmesan, fresh tomato salsa, and side organic mixed greens – a huge step up from good ol’ KD (Kraft Dinner).
The Templeton is also a cool place to check out because it has the original furnishings of a classic 1950’s diner, complete with swivel bar stools and a functioning mini jukebox at each table. They show cartoons or movies on the projection screen above the stainless steel bar, and the food is not what you’d expect from a diner: it’s surprisingly modern and updated for healthy lifestyles. They have a good selection of organic and vegetarian entrees as well as some non-vegetarian choices. Serving breakfast until 3pm, the Templeton is open late for dinner too!
For more info and photos please visit Part 2 and Part 1.
Mangled Eggs ($8.00) for Breakfast at the Templeton restaurant on Granville Street
