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.

Sunshine Diner Remains on the Sunny Side

The Sunshine Diner is one of those places that people love when they find it, and it soon becomes a destination spot when one thinks of breakfast or an old fashioned milkshake. The place is set up like a 50’s diner that sticks to the theme of Elvis, Marilyn, Coca Cola and American cars. It has a little patio area, tables and booths where people can meet and eat comfortably. Despite the fact that Sunshine is located in Kits and is frequented by people in the neighbourhood, it does get play from all kinds of folks. Everyone from construction workers to business people will go there. It kind of looks like Sesame Street when they sing the, “These are the people in your Neighbourhood” song.

The food is good, not profoundly terrific, but it is a diner after all. It serves up all the usual breakfast goodies served as a dish or a la carte. You have your picks of Eggs Benedicts, omelets, and assorted breakfast specialties. Our favourite is the 2 BIG Pancakes, if not for the ability to fill but the fact it has a fun name. Mind you, in our minds Bert’ still has the most buttery Pancakes to date. The servers are nice to you even if you loiter as long as they are not too busy.
If you haven’t already tried the Sunshine Diner, then you had better make your way over. Even though they moved into their newer fancier building up the street from their old location, they have still managed to maintain their feel good friendly neighbour appeal.

Scene: 3 – Despite the range of visitors who are there and that if you live in Vancouver, you have to know that this place exists, there really isn’t any good people watching. Ultimately you are in a diner with 50’s décor, which would be great if you were filming a scene from Happy Days. Unfortunately there is no Arthur Fonzerelli to provide that level of cool.
Grub: 3 – The food is diner food. It’s greasy but it’s good. I wouldn’t say that I would go there if I were a vegan or on a Weight Watcher’s – unless of course you were going for the high score.
Coffee: 2 It’s utilitarian with no chance of an espresso – I don’t think. Even if they did, the servers ain’t no baristas. The coffees, however, are bottomless.

La Petite Patisserie Francaise Avec Saveur

This little Café along the Arbutus corridor has that little flavour of a French Patisserie where the bakers are French and the flakey pastry melts on your tongue like warm buttery snowflakes. We ordered a couple of coffees and pain au chocolats and sat down to take in the people watching We witnessed several people wander in, who were obviously French, ordering away their daily baked breads and sweets, bien sur en francais. The coffee was a deep dark roast with the right amount of water, but what made this coffee special was the cream. When asked if I wanted cream the lady behind the counter reached into a refrigerator and poured out a dollop of cream into a small creamer. As I poured the cream into my coffee, the cream was slow and smooth and swirled in my coffee like a white mist creeping through a midnight sky. I dipped my finger into the creamer and a tasted a buttery goodness that made me wonder why anyone would have ever imagined of making margarine. The coffee was good, but the cream made it better.

Out of 5 Dollops of Cream

Scene: 3 – It is a location that is made for the locals which does make it a little bit more difficult to visit if you are driving to it. The décor is plain and the seating is not that conducive to lounging for very long, and the people watching is sporadic and brief, but the French language does give a slight feeling of pretending you are in a foreign country.
Grub: 4 – Everything looked tasty and tasted even better. Everything is a little bit pricey for a bakery but I suppose that is the price of having everything made by a Boulanger Francais.

Coffee: 4 – It was the cream that made it. Need I say more.

True Confessions of True Confections

Cake and Pie. What more is there? Why would there have to be? True Confections offers a smorgasbord of mile high cakes and deep dish pies. There are the odd assortment of other desserts but I don't really know why they bother. I have to say that I am a pie person. A Chocolate Banana Cream pie to be precise. The layered creamy goodness over a layer of bananas topped with chocolate shavings. Yumness on a plate. The cakes and pies can eat like a meal so if you decide that your are going to visit the join on Broadway and Alma or their downtown location, make sure you eat light dinner. Something to note with the Alma locale is to bring a sweater in the event that you sit near the windows as it can be quite cool in there. It's pretty hit and miss with how busy it is in there. It can be filled with anyone from university students to a little family outing. The place is plainly set up with the display case as the main focus of decoration.

Out of 5 Layers of Cake

Scene: 2 - I have to say that I never really go there for the atmosphere or to even people watch. It's great for the catch up time with a friend, or just to eat a slab of pie.

Grub: 5 - When it comes to this kind of food, there are few dessert places that offer this kind of quality and variety. It has found its niche.

Coffee: 3 It serves up all the regular coffee types, but don't really make it to order. Their coffee is too watery, the milk seems scalded and they charge for refills. In other words stick to serving the cakes and pies. They do however, serve a nice variety of teas, and they can't go wrong with boiling water.

A New Coffee Thought

Although we have a Facebook page, I thought that I would make the executive decision of recording different reviews and reports of the different coffee houses that we visit for our own purposes and those of our viewers. Coffee, Things 'n' Stuff will enter a coffee house, order a caffeine beverage and a tasty looking treat and then proceed to the immediate seating area and discuss anything and reviews the week or anything that comes to mind. In that time the hosts then take in the ambience and decide what they like, and sometimes what they don't like, about the place. Sometimes it takes a few visits to really give the coffee house a fair shot at the frother. The show is always open to guests, family and friends. Each episode takes place on Fridays, however, the secret location is determined at the last minute. We at CTnS hope you like the reviews and if you feel compelled to add a post and tell us your opinion, please feel free to do so. Enjoy.

Goodshoweverybody.