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.