On a beautiful long weekend Sunday, I decided to make a trip out to North Van to finally try Loam,…read morewhich had been on my list for months. I arrived around 930am without a reservation and although it was pretty empty inside, most seats were reserved. Luckily they were able to squeeze me in before the next group came. There were a couple dishes I wanted to try and on the server's recommendation, I went for the lobster eggs benedict. It was served in a beautiful presentaiton of bright colours and a generous serving of lobster meat. The spring salad was the perfect side as it cut through the richness of the hollandaise and the perfectly poached runny egg. One of the previous reviews noted that the poached eggs in the shakshuka were overdone, which made me hesitant to consider that dish, but next time I might try that since the benedict eggs were perfectly cooked. Parking was super easy at the time of day, pay street parking in the surrounding blocks. Will definitely be back to try the other dishes!

This is a cozy restaurant with not a lot of space. You will probably be chatting with the table…read morenext to you, it's that close. I had a tomato concoction that had 2 eggs inside. It was good and very filling. My companion had the French toast. Both items were fresh and made to order. The menu isn't huge, so just pick something. It all looked good and I'm sure tasted good.

My bestie and I ate dinner there recently. I live on the Island and she lives in Vancouver so we…read morecelebrated our visit together by dining at Absinthe. Everything was beyond wonderful; the service, the food, the choices (had Sable Fish) and everything was perfect. For those only choosing restaurants in the proximity of downtown I advise: drive across the Viaduct to Commercial Drive and go to Absinthe - you will NOT be disappointed!!

Was taken to Absinthe Bistro for a surprised dinner and loved every minute of it. The last time I…read morevisited Absinthe Bistro was years ago at their old location also on Commercial Drive. Been wanting to go back (guessed I mentioned it too many times so got taken!). Absinthe Bistro is my favourite French Restaurant in Vancouver. Love this family-run restaurant and the chef has no qualms coming out from the kitchen to serve, checking on his guests or clearing plates. Down-to-earth, home like vibes here which is so reflective of small Bistros in France. Food is amazingly delicious, portion size is excellent, and offers fixed price menu which I recommend. As there were three of us, we ordered 3 fixed price menus. We got to sample three dishes in each section of the starters, mains and desserts. Loved it all but my favourites are chestnut mushroom soup, escargots, pork cheeks, AAA steak, lemon tart and chocolate lava cake (it's their classic and been on the menu forever!). Reservation recommended, pay street parking out front but there is free side street parking if you come early to look.

Ambience: Nice, with plenty of seating both inside and outside…read moreFood: 4/5 Service: Staff were sweet and welcoming Price: Decent, though a little expensive for a café We stopped by Gumboot Café for breakfast and had a pleasant experience. There wasn't much of a crowd, and there was plenty of seating available both indoors and outdoors. The service was quick, and everyone was friendly. We ordered eggs, coffee, a breakfast platter, and a peanut butter pastry. The eggs were well made, and the food overall was good. While it wasn't quite a 5/5 for me, it was definitely enjoyable, especially considering the limited breakfast options in the area. The café has a very cute small-town vibe, which adds a lot to the experience and makes it a nice place to relax and enjoy a meal. I also have to give them extra credit for something that meant a lot to me personally. I had accidentally lost my bag during our trip near this cafe, and some kind strangers turned it in to the café. The staff kept it safe until we came back looking for it. I was incredibly relieved and grateful. This act of honesty and kindness is something I will always remember, and it definitely earns this place a few extra points in my book. Overall, I would definitely go back again for the friendly service, cozy atmosphere, great location, and the kindness that helped turn a stressful situation into a happy ending.

Great and comforting food options, funky vibe, fave place to go for a good and affordable meal…read more Staff is awesome!

What a hidden gem. It's located at end corner of Artisan Square and have nice view both from…read moreinside and outside. I stopped by around 3:40pm for lunch. They told me they starts closing in 20 min and I might see some cleaning. 4pm closing!? Yeah that's island time and something new for me. Thank you for letting me know. They prepared my panini pleasantly and free water server was so helpful after walking. I had Godfather panini. Several different hams, cheese, basil mayonnaise combination was delicious. FYI, they have meal combo special, breakfast special and lunch special but all have specific time slot.

This place is on the list of recommended food spots on Bowen Island, offering breakfast foods,…read moresandwiches and light bites. Nice view, friendly service, yummy foods and cozy ambiance makes for a relaxing cafe. Many locals come here to enjoy a soup and sandwich or simply to get a coffee and chill. It's nice & warm to sit by the fireplace to catch up with a friend. And it's a reasonably quiet space where you may find a spot by the window and work on your laptop. I enjoyed their soups and I also liked their pastries and breads. The Godfather sandwich was yummy and their focaccia breads are to my liking. They also have weekend specials which I would recommend trying as they are usually delicious. One of my favorite food combo here: lentil soup and quinoa salad. I find their healthy dishes here are quite good and I am not a huge fan of their "not so healthy" items or fried foods such as fries or chicken fingers. Their menu features a variety of drink options from hot teas to bubbly drinks, or you may choose to add a shot of Bailey or Kahlua to your coffees. Do budget ample time to dine here because they make your foods fresh to order plus there's usually a small line up. This is a cute spot to stop for a bite when visiting Artisan Square and worth the hike on a nice day. Approximately 5 min drive from Snug Cove and can park for free in the Artisan Square parking lot.

Just had brunch here recently and I think it's one of the best brunches I've had in a long time. My…read morefriend and I decided to take a drive and I remembered Blvd Bistro was on my list of places to try for a while now. Traffic wasn't too bad, so we arrived in good time. We parked on a side street not too far away and noticed how friendly people were as we walked to the restaurant. Everyone said hello and smiled as we passed through. You certainly don't get that same experience in many other areas of the Lower Mainland. Because it was spur of the moment, we didn't have a reservation. We put our name down with the host and waited about 10-15 minutes for a table. The restaurant was a little noisy but not overwhelmingly so. We both had coffee, which was really good. I should've asked what kind of coffee they serve because it's not very often the regular drip coffee is this good. I was having a hard time deciding between the Blvd Blackstone Benny with maple bacon and the Smokey Brisket Benny. I ended up choosing the latter with a side of avocado and my friend had the Huevos Rancheros - he added a side of fried potatoes when he saw how good they looked on my plate. I took one bite of the brisket and I was instantly so glad I chose it. The meat was so tender and flavourful and I didn't even need my knife to cut it. It was phenomenal. My eggs were overcooked but immediately replaced with new eggs when I mentioned it to the server. The replacements were soft with perfectly runny yolks. She also brought extra hollandaise sauce. My friend's meal looked amazing, in fact I now have to come back just so I can have this dish. I wasn't able to finish my meal so I boxed it up to finish later. I will definitely come back here to try more of the menu items, especially when the coffee is this good. Makes me wish I lived closer!

The food here was amazing and very flavourful! It was sunny so we sat on the patio and it was…read morepretty nice. The food and drinks arrived to our table at a good amount of time although, it took a little bit for the server to come take our order or to re-fill our waters. Maybe it was because we were in the patio area but the server was very nice. The food itself was really good. I got the breakfast sandwich. The brioche bun was soft yet crispy and the flavours were nice. My friends got eggs benny. They said it was good although the egg was not runny, rather a soft jammy egg yolk. If you like a runny yolk, be sure to let the waiter know. On the table they have a hot sauce, and that was delicious. It was sweet and tangy and had a good amount of spice. Overall, it was good and I would come back again

A very cute and homey restaurant. Lots of neat little decorations scattered around the restaurant…read moreand an enormous menu of Dutch pancakes! Amazing hollandaise and great service.

Unlike many brunch places nowadays, Dutch Wooden Cafe exudes traditional and quirky decors with…read moreguests' pictures, wooden shoes, and other Dutch home decorations. Food portions were huge, we ordered 3 dishes for 5 people and couldn't finish. Everything was just okay, didn't really match my expectations. Bali Bali Pannekoek ($16.95) 4/10 Yeah, this one didn't quite work out the way I expected. I am usually a fan of sweet savoury combo, and coming from Indonesia, this seems like an obvious choice, but the combination was just all over the place. The truly bizarre thing was the banana, really didn't go with anything else. Mixed Fruits and Chocolate Pannekoek ($15.95) 6/10 Our table agreed that this one was the best out of what we ordered. They did give us a lot of fruits but the chocolate syrup tasted like it was bought straight from grocery store. Poffertjes ($12) 5/10 Another letdown with how tough the dough was. I also saw that the poffertjes was quite burnt.

Came here for a romantic anniversary dinner and it was amazing! Cocktails are tasty and I loved…read moretheir comments to them. We had a good laugh at The Kinky's comment: "so dirty that you might seek god afterwards." All the food was great, and the oeuf mayonnaise was the best tasting deviled egg I ever had in my life! Would also recommend the beef tartar, escargot, oysters, and steak frites. We sat at the bar (via reservations), but our bartender Troy was still very attentive and great at recommending the food! I was also impressed they wished us happy anniversary and gave us some complimentary stuff because I usually feel no one reads those comments, but they did!!

birthday dinner with the parents at this cozy, french bistro that's semi-tucked away. it can get a…read morelittle tight inside the restaurant but i think that's what adds to the homeyness vibe. my parents arrived early and were seated RIGHT by the window so i couldn't miss them when i got to the place. there's 2 entrances so make sure you enter in the right one - nbd if you didn't tho. our server was wonderful and attentive - there was a little hiccup with my wine order, and he was able to fix it right away (i wanted the bottle not the glass). this was also my parents' first time trying french cuisine and safe to say - they enjoyed it! we started with the classic french onion soup - the gooey cheese made it a little hard to share but the soup was one of the best ones that i've had. the onions were caramelized to perfection to the point where they were essentially pureed in the bowl. that was devoured rather quickly. we also had escargots - the parsley garlic butter that they were sitting in, i wanted to drink it - and tarte flambe alsacienne (flakiest tart base ever). then we're onto the mains! the standouts were the clams and mussels (daily feature - the sauce/soup that was on the bottom, my parents drank that up!), and the canard confit (the meat fell off the bone). steak frites were a little too well-done but not bad - the other two dishes just shone too much! finally dessert - my mother HAD to get the creme brulee as that's her fav and i snuck a bite - the vanilla shone right through! the chocolate terrine was great as well - i loved the salted, candied pecans that added a nice crunch to the dish. my mother has already said that we need to go back again LOL

Old school Moosewood style vegetarian…read more With an additional kicker. There is nothing "light" about this vegetarian food. This is hearty fare that will stick to your bones. A cold rainy city needs to have hearty fare that sticks to your bones. And if the cooking is fine and the raw ingredients are first rate, I will take that hearty fare in a summer heat wave too. * * * Naam has blueberry milkshakes to die for. Granted, all of the Pacific Northwest has amazing blueberries. Plenty of places make blueberry milkshakes. Blueberry milkshakes in season are just good. Most places in Vancouver do not make blueberry milkshakes. The 5% that do deserve all the loving you can give. * * * I ordered a Veggie wrap off of the "light" side of the menu. That "light" veggie wrap could have fed a lumberjack for an entire day. A heavy deep rich whole wheat tortilla was filled with potatoes (!!), homemade green salsa, homemade red salsa, and five or six other kinds of vegetables. The tortilla was burrito sized. This was way more solid eating than a Texas egg and potato taco. Or a plate of Texas egg and potato tacos. Fresh vegetables and fresh potatoes taste a heck of a lot better than driven-in-a-truck eggs and driven-in-a-truck potatoes. Green or red salsa is used in Texas to cover for the ho hum egg and potatoes that are in your Texas wrap. Green and red salsa on top of vegetables that don't need any help at all, but sure like to make friends? Sign me up. And a tortilla that packs a pow is always welcome. * * * We left Naam feeling healthy, The way your grandmother makes you healthy by giving you seconds on meatloaf, gravy, mashed potatoes and candied carrots. Your grandmother doesn't want you to go hungry, right? We felt as well taken care of as if we had just gone to visit our grandmother. And yes ... eating at Naam is a great source of personal growth.

I love the Naam. I am typically not fussed to have to wait to get in, or not the best service. The…read morefood has always been delicious and it's comfort for sure. I really wanted breakfast and didn't think of the Naam. It's not a go to spot for brunch. Until now. First off, I didn't have to wait in a line. You have access to their lovely patio! And the food was delicious, and very reasonable. I got their Spinach & Feta Omelette (sautéed mushrooms, onions, spinach, red pepper, cheddar, feta & mozzarella cheeses) and I made it a platter by adding their potatoes & miso gravy + Veggie Sausages. The food came hot and fast. And HUGE. I loved that you had plenty of mushrooms and a ton of cheese. I didn't even touch the sausage and still came home with half of the food! You know their miso gravy slaps and accompanies a potato! Service was fine. Again, I'm coming for the food and feeling like I'm at home! I really appreciate this place and can't wait to try more of their breakfast items (I got their dinners down!).