Central Bistro. Denman. Vancouver
A hunt today. A nice, cozy restaurant in downtown Vancouver that served a slightly different breakfast, something hip, something fun, something popular without a lineup.
Easy, right?
Well, it’s almost too easy and at a certain point, I found myself thinking, hmm, there is a gentleman sitting at that table who looks like my 12th grade English teacher and I hated him so we’re not eating there. Oh, look, the doors open inward and I like doors that open outward so we’re not eating there.
My goodness, is it ever easy to be so damn picky. If this was just a one-restaurant-town with a place called Ma’s Diner and all they served was what Ma made that day, the choice would be simple. But no, there are fancy bakeries and cool looking coffee shops and little hallway-sized café’s serving $2.99 breakfast all day and bistros serving all-you-can-eat buffets.
Fortunately, I wasn’t alone. I had my foodie expert with me and ended up at one of her favourite places and went in. Even though the door opened outwards. It was the funkiest little place near the seawall that had, I think, a house on the roof.
It was perfect. Not too big, not too small, only a few minutes wait for a window table. It had a vibrant feel to it (despite the dark interior) and it had a chalkboard. Seems I like chalkboards.
We were seated and our order taken promptly and we even learned something new. HP sauce. HP stands for Houses of Parliament. Even if it’s not true, it’s cool and I loved that the waiter teased us about it when he brought the bottle to our table. He even teased us when we asked what eggs benny he would recommend, the West Coast one or the Central one and he said neither, recommending the Portabella benny.
The breakfast was fantastic. I ordered thick-sliced French bread with fruit and berry compote, and yogurt. Totally yummy. And warm. And squishy but not soggy. My foodie expert loved her Portabella benny.
Which creates a whole other problem. Aren’t I supposed to find something to complain about? To say that the bennies were not perfectly centered on the plate or that the owner did nothing to stop the rain outside? Aren’t I supposed to be critical? Mean?
I blame my foodie expert. I could probably have found a crappy place and ragged on it. But no, she found another neat little place to eat that I would highly recommend to anyone in that area.
About A Stepdad 
It’s interesting how one’s location makes a huge difference to what one sees. I’ve only been to this place twice. The first time, I sat on the patio. This last time, I was sitting inside at a corner facing the windows and minding the cute doggie outside. So interestingly, I never even saw the chalk board. Good thing that I’m not blogging! One thing I did notice regarding the food was this: Having had bennies at probably a dozen restaurants in downtown, this place has the smallest and least runny poached eggs, albeit still yummy 🙂 (If you have a pic of the portebello mushroom benny, that can be Exhibit A to show my point!)
Now that I know about “HP”, I wonder if the waiter knows what “A1” stands for.