Wheatberries: Welcome to the Sechelt Safe Haven

When you walk into the Sechelt Wheatberries, you get the feeling that this is the nice cafe in the small town that locals take all of their guests to. It is probably listed as one of the top three places that visitors can go to if they are staying in a B&B nearby. It is still a locals cafe. It just happens to be conveniently located along the tourist route. The clientele is the real tell tale sign of the place. Everyone from the young college students on a study break to the spunky seniors in the neighbourhood seem to flock here. Everyone is friendly and is willing to talk to you about the sites that you have to be sure to check out nearby. Because the clientele here is so friendly - almost to the point of being a little bit too Stepford for my liking- the place has an instant homey feel which just reels in the tourists.

As the name of the place states, Wheatberries is a bakery. They make all of your many of your baked goods needs. On the display table, the food is packaged up and displayed in only the way a small town can: cellophane wrapped goodies tagged with raffia and a hand script font printed label or freshly baked loaves in baskets or on shelves carefully displayed. All of the furniture has that honey waxed rough pine look and there is a bright golden hue that seems to take over the place. It is in a sense the safe haven for those tourists who do not know any better after they have lost sight of the last Starschmucks or Timmy's. It has country style details with the artisan flair, and the clean cut teens working the counter could not intimidate even the shyest of shy violets passing through town.

The coffee here is from a Sunshine Coast local roasting company called Straight Coffee Traders. I thought the americano was decent with a tasty deep roasted initial flavour but then the flavour seemed to fall flat in the finish. The baked goods were tasty and the fact that you could get a panini or a slice of pizza for a little lunch break makes the place that much more inviting. There is plenty of seating for people to come on in for a cuppa and enough space for the line up of people who want to get there caffeine fix to go.

As much as I think this cafe fits the small town of Sechelt very well, and is great sanctuary for the weary coffee deprived traveler, I feel like it is a great place to visit, but I certainly wouldn't want to permanently drink there.

Out of 5 Tourists

Grub: 4 You can't beat freshly baked goods. The fact that they offer something outside of baked goods to fill the travelling lunch void, makes what they have to offer even better.

Scene: 4 To clarify, I would give it a four as a tourist. It is a great little place and is conveniently located for the people. It has a few locations I believe (Sechelt, Gibsons and Langdale) and it seems to have a neighbourhood following. If I was a resident, I'd give it a 3. I would still go there, but because I feel there is no edge to the place or that the design is just too country cabin with no other real option, I think I would be convinced to start roasting my beans at home and drink my coffee in the solitude of my own dwelling.

Coffee: 3 The coffee was good. It wasn't great. It didn't blow my mind away. It did however, fulfill my caffeine fix and it was a notable step above utilitarian coffee.

Not a Fair Trade: Tim for Jim

Once again it has come up in conversation: The UnFair Trade of Main Street. Which trade am I talking about? Timmy for Jimmy. This past November, a fire broke out in Kishu Island Restaurant on Main near Broadway and took out the neighbouring businesses. These businesses included Slickity Jim's, a hipster hangout where we enjoyed lovely breakfasts like the Mean Teen Queen and the Cheesy Fungi, Zokalo's, The Militant Penguin and our Canadiano mugs at Lugz.

Whenever this fire is brought up, the banter usually begins with, "I hear a Wendy's and Tim Horton's is going into the old Bank space on the corner." This is usually followed by groans, disgruntled protests and a whole lotta cryin' shames. No, it's not fair that our choice of coffee houses will be traded from our beloved Jim and all of its eclectic mounted collectibles to sterile fluorescent backlit signs with all of the calculated packaged consumables from Tim. We will be going from being called darlin' at Slickity Jim's or being given a coffee inferiority complex by obnoxious service from the coffee freak at Lugz to being called sir or madam with indifferent service by the 15 year old who is anxiously waiting to get back to texting her friend under the counter. Sure we will be able to access all of the food we expect on a cross Canada Road trip right in our own backyard, and yes we will include it on the coffee rotation when you really only have time to get a double double, and perhaps we may be able to have some indie Main street movie maker come up with their own hilarious version of a warm hearted Sidney Crosby commercial. However, the fact that we are trading all of that for places that helped make Main Street the cool part of town seems like a major rip off. Having Tim and Wendy move into town is like having a gateway from the westside where timid kids from Kits pop out to see what it looks like on the other side of Ontario Street.

Perhaps that is the real crime. The dilution of cool from a place where a coffee doesn't come in the form of an espresso, but rather a drink that is an express-on-the-go.

Aeropress: the other way to espresso

Last summer a friend of mine gave me a gift. When I opened it, I saw a package which contained what looked like to be a giant syringe. After thanking him, he took one look at me and he realized that I had no idea what the apparatus was. He told me it was an Aeropress - as if that meant anything to me. He went on to explain that this little device was the latest trend in the world of coffee connaisseurs. Groups of coffee loving experts walk around tasting different coffee beans at coffee conventions toting their little Aeropresses under their arms. These folk no longer take the standard coffee brew. Instead, all they need is about half a cup of boiling hot water, fresh medium ground coffee and two minutes.

You can youtube Aeropress and watch a demonstration, but let me try to explain it to you. Within what one would imagine to be the chamber of the syringe, you would place your coffee grounds. The grounds are held in by a plastic mesh lined with a paper filter. You then add your hot water to the labeled amount. Taking what looks like a small mixing paddle, the grounds and water are stirred together for 10 seconds. You then remove the mixing paddle and insert the plunger which creates an air tight chamber. As the plunger is pushed further in, the increased air pressure within the chamber forces the coffee goodness through the paper filter and into your cup. To clean, simply remove the plastic mesh cap, and pop out the coffee puck in a single push. The inside of the chamber is clean, the paper filter can be reused, and your espresso is ready. You only need to determine how much hot water you want to add to make an Americano. The Aeropress can make up to 4 shots in one press.

The Aeropress essentially makes an espresso shot using drip grind which means those relegated to drink standard preground coffee can enjoy the luxury of espresso anywhere. The taste is surprisingly flavourful. It is far superior to drip coffee and even French press, but it is still not the perfect device. You still have to have boiled water on hand which means that along with the Aeropress, you need a kettle and heat source. Because you pour, mix and press your hot water through, a lot of heat is released which means that if you like your espresso hot, you may have to drink it immediately. Someone also needs to work on the design of the equipment because the mixing paddle, the coffee scoop, and the funnel do not fit neatly into a single self contained unit. And lastly, not unlike a stove top espresso maker, the Aeropress does not make that lovely crema.

The Aeropress makes an impressive shot of espresso. If you were to perform this little ritual in public or amongst friends, you really would look like a caffeine addict which may raise a couple of eyebrows, but if that doesn't bother you I would say get it. I would take this over a stove top espresso machine any day of the week and twice on Sundays because you can control the amount of water used, the coffee grounds can't be burnt and the ritual is far cooler.

The Bamboo Cafe - Panda or Tiki or Both?

When I think of the Bamboo Cafe I can only think of two things: a panda bear sitting quietly in the corner of a room surrounded by people sipping on some hot beverages, or a tacky restaurant lit up bit tiki torches where people wear serve food in floral patterned hawaiian shirts. I don't know why, I just do. However, just as those images are puzzling so is the direction of where this little cafe is headed. It is located across the street from the Joyce Sky Train Station and has an eclectic collection of individuals who frequent the place. Over the years, it has been undergoing a bit of an evolution. It started as a coffee shop where people could run in, get a coffee and perhaps a baked good and head out on the next bus leaving the station. It then turned into a cafe that served hamburgers and french fries. Now it is a licensed cafe where locals can hang out, watch a bit of the game on the ol' tube and start up a tab. The food is fair enough considering that it is a restaurant by a skytrain station where people want their food by the time their bus is scheduled to leave. I sometimes see the place in the evening as I drive by, and there are still people passing through the place.

But what about the coffee? Since the beginning, the coffee seems to have been lost in the mix. Yet it is still hanging in there. The coffee is a better alternative to the drip coffee that I suffer through at work. They still make an americano with too much water no matter what I say. Some people just don't understand the concept of too much water in an americano.

Despite its scattered focus on what it is, the place still seems to be able to do brisk business. Perhaps it has actually found its niche. For the number of different people in the Collingwood Neighbourhood and the types of folks who flow through the station, perhaps The Bamboo has answered their calling: A cafe that does a little bit of everything. It's not my idea of a great business model, but hey, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Out of 5 Faresavers

Scene: 1 I find it difficult to be in there. You get everyone from neighbours to commuters. The lay out is a little bit better since they've expanded but somehow I find it a bit more on the tiki side of things rather than the panda - and I mean this not in a good way. I still go every once in a while, but I try not to linger.

Grub: 2 The food is fair, but it does feel a little bit like highway robbery. You pay for the convenience of being able to get something while in transit.

Coffee: 2 The coffee is at best inconsistent, but I will still go there because it is still better than the utilitarian coffee I am slugging back around the corner.

Agro Cafe Not so Agro

Typically when I see the colours of brown and orange in any decor I can't help but think of A&W restaurants in the early 80's. However when you throw in a few paper light fixtures and spot lighting into some cleaned up industrial venting and some exposed wood, mix in some stainless steel appliances and some white tile, you get a rather stylish little cafe. Agro Cafe located on Granville Island is tucked away in Railspur Alley. It has a great industrial loft feel with an open kitchen concept. There is a steady flow of people coming and going, but strangely you feel like you have escaped the busy crowds of the market place. The crowd ranges from False Creek residents to young families to artsy students who actually have money for a fancy coffee.

Agro serves up their own house roast. It has a deep full bodied roasted flavour and your coffee is usually served the way you ask for it. Agro serves up a variety of baked goods (usually organic and sometimes vegan friendly. Agro also has a light lunch menu but everything is made when ordered which takes a little longer but you know it hasn't been sitting in a display case for a few days.

Out of 5 Papa Burgers

Scene: 4 The location is great and the decor is tasteful. There are just enough chairs to seat people although they need to figure some things out with managing the line up entry and exit people flow.

Grub: 4 The food is quite good, but it does take a little bit of time to arrive, and for the time you wait you would expect there to be just a little bit more.

Coffee: 4 I do enjoy the coffee. They do serve a nice americano and will make it to your specifications, but the flavour still doesn't blow me away. It definitely gives me a nice little buzzy feeling that makes one warm inside, but just not that full blown crackling campfire complete with marshmallows and a blissful starry night kind of coffee.

Elysian Room: doesn't necessarily mean exceedingly delightful

The Elysian Room can be found right around the corner from the 5th Avenue Cinemas right on 5th avenue off of Burrard. Many movie goers frequent the little cafe before or after their movies. Whenever I have gone there off show time hours, I have noticed that this little cafe attracts a more mature and quieter crowd that is there more for a little afternoon tea than anything else. Even the decor kind of screams out to a certain crowd: large cloths draped from the ceiling that look like they were bought from a street vendor in a foreign country; a colour palette that seems like it was made to match terra cotta; lighting that might have once been very cool around 1995; and furniture that kind of forces you to sit properly and not linger too long. I am not slamming this place by any means. It serves some tasty coffees (fair trade and organic), it has a nice variety of loose teas (although inconsistent in leaf shred and includes some small twigs and branches), and even serves clover coffee and a couple of other coffee preparation alternatives. The baked goods are tasty even though the prices seem to be set to a bit more of an upscale market.

This is not a place that I would frequent often, but I would go there if I was waiting for someone to see a movie. I don't know if this place would be very kid friendly. It's kind of like going to that aunt's house who is more mature and who likes to have everything the way she likes it, and there is certainly a particular way of doing things when visiting her place - if you know what I mean.

Out of 5 Movie Review Stars

Scene: 2 I would rate this higher if I had guests coming into town and didn't want to scare them with to many hip folk. There really seems like there is a " no lingering" feel to the place.

Grub: 3 It is the taste of the goods that saves it here. I just don't know if the taste matches the value. It really is more of a cafe. Light pre-portioned meals available.

Coffee: 4 It is good coffee, and the fact that you can get your coffee prepared in more ways other than an espresso machine is also something to look forward to if you want to experiment. I am still a little bit leery of having them add too much water to my americano, but as long as you say so, it is good to go.

Kicking Horse Coffee Beans

I am still learning about the different coffee beans from around the world, and how they are roasted. I once saw an article (in MacLeans, I think ) on how coffee fiends were buying unroasted beans and trying their hand at roasting beans by altering an old school air blowing popcorn makers (the kind you could probably find in your parents basement stored away in a dark corner) and plugging it into a fifty foot extension chord. It told you to listen for the first and second cracks, how to adjust the heat and how you could change the flavour by adding different ingredients to the roast. It sounded so easy, but I have yet to try it. Until that point, I am stuck buying whole beans like everyone else.

My favourite bean without a doubt is from 49th parallel. It is the bean to beat so to speak in Vancouver. It has a beautiful full bodied flavour with a smooth finish. The crema is thick and lovely shade of honey brown. In short it is a beautiful thing. It is sold in many locations around Vancouver but at about $15 a pound, I can't help but look around for a more economical option. There is no way that I would go so low as a supermarket name brand at about $7 a pound. I have tried several supermarket brands and I have thought that the flavour was flat, bitter or burnt. The beans were old and stale and probably pretty unevenly roasted.

I have tried other beans that could be considered the micro-roasters of coffee beans. The brand I most commonly buy is Kicking Horse Coffee.It is an independent company roasting since 1996 from Invermere BC and uses Fair Trade Organic coffee beans. My favourite roast is the Espresso roast (followed closely by the Kick Ass - and that not just for it's name either). The flavour is a little bit tangier and sharper and has a deep roasted flavour in the finish. It is still about $14 in stores, but can often be bought for $10 when on sale.

If you get a chance buy a bag, grind it up and pull it through your machine.

Kicking Horse Espresso Roast whole bean coffee - 4 shots out of 5 not just for the flavour but also for the value when you get it on sale.