The Red Wagon

Today was the kind of Vancouver day that the rest of Canada is jealous of: cool, crisp and sunny. On this installment of  Egg and Soldiers, we take you to The Red Wagon. This was my second and Kris’ fourth visit to this East Van diner and it’s definitely worth more.  I also have to give kudos to the Red Wagon for an awesome breakfast soundtrack: Jimi Hendrix, the Clash and the Cure (and the waitress wore a Ramones t-shirt).

Theresa’s breakfast

My first visit to the Red Wagon was for lunch, I splurged and got the excellent pulled pork sandwich. It was so good I licked both my fingers and my plate clean.  The Red Wagon is not a restaurant that’s afraid of pork. There’s pulled pork, pork belly, bacon (and yes, there are vegetarian choices, but really The Red Wagon is a carnivore’s heaven). I ordered the pork belly breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs, toast, pan fries, and yes, pork belly. It came with a salsa verde and an indifferent hollandaise sauce. The scrambled eggs were wonderfully fluffy, the potatoes were well seasoned and the multigrain toast was crispy and hot. The pork belly was really fatty though so I just nibbled at the meaty bits. Kris chided me for not eating the rest, commenting: “pork belly IS fat,” and then promptly speared a piece and devoured it. That fixed my wagon.

 

Kris’s Breakfast

This was my fourth early morning breakfast to the Red Wagon. I advise getting up early and arriving as close to opening, 9 am, as possible. The Red Wagon gets very busy and the line forms around 9:40 am. I must say that the wait in line is worth it. I had the pulled pork benny this time around. I have been craving this dish since I first had it last month. The pork was so tender with just the right balance of sweet tang and slight spicy heat. The fresh hollandaise gave this southern take on the benny the perfect rich coat of goodness it deserves. The homemade potatoes were fresh with the right amount of crisp and rounded out this much enjoyed breakfast. On all my visits the service and the food have been top notch. I highly recommend The Red Wagon for a great weekend breakfast.

Breakfast for two cost us $29.79

Theresa’s rating: 3.5 eggs out of 5

Kris’ rating: 4 eggs out of 5

 

 

Save on Meats

Save on Meats is the reincarnatation of Save on Meats, meaning this East Side landmark has changed hands. It’s still an excellent butcher shop but now has the added bonus of a diner and lunch counter. This part of the DTES is slowly gentrifying and it can be challenging trying to meet the needs of this diverse neighbourhood. And you know what? Save on Meats is doing a pretty good job. Despite the cold and wet weather, the diner was a hoppin.’

James’s brekkie

We took advantage of Remembrance Day, and as the hour of note approached, we were building on the things to be grateful for with a delicious breakfast. The diner is bowling-alley long, booths on one side, counter and stools on the other, and a shared table at the back where my breakfast mate and I sat. Service was quick and friendly without being gooey. Now, the food… I had the corned beef hash, (a stunningly reasonable $8). The best breakfast potatoes I’ve ever had – hard to call them hash browns (‘though the menu does) because they had the sweet succulence of freshly dug baby spuds. They came topped with the oniony beef hash, a poached egg, and a rosemary and cheese biscuit – all rated high on the Yum-O-Meter. The menu claims the hash comes with a side of hollandaise, which was MIA, but it wasn’t missed.

Theresa’s Breakfast

The cold and damp has been getting to me lately, and breakfast at Save on Meats was a good antidote. I ordered the Eggs Benny with bacon and tomato (and yes, it too was reasonably priced – $8!!). At that price point, there’s a lot that could wrong, but the bacon was thick sliced and plentiful, the eggs were perfectly poached and the potatoes were awesome. I had a couple of small beefs: my earl grey tea had an odd flavour, and the menu promised a biscuit, instead I got an English muffin. It wasn’t a big deal until James shared a taste of his biscuit with me, then I was really disappointed. It was excellent!

The details:

Breakfast for two cost us $22.

James’ rating: 4 eggs out of 5
Theresa’s rating: 3.5 eggs out of 5

 

Brioche Urban Bakery and Cafe

Today was a red letter day: I had a rare Saturday off and the sun finally came out. The best thing? My pal Vivi and I had breakfast together (have you guessed? it doesn’t take much to make me happy!). On this fine day we visited Brioche, a sweet spot located in Gastown.

Theresa’s breakfast
I ordered the “Create your breakfast your way” option. Brioche offers a good selection of different choices to add to either scrambled eggs or an omelette. I went with an omelette made with spinach, chorizo sausage and avocado. Toast and fruit salad rounded out the breakfast. Brioche racked up some serious points with me. First they offered a good strong black tea. Secondly, the fruit salad was beyond what other restaurants offer. It was fresh cut and consisted of cherries, grapes, pineapple, blueberries, strawberries and melon. Most places offer cardboard melon and maybe a slimy grape or two. What didn’t go over so well? The cooked the omelette in olive oil and drizzled a bit on the toast. While I applaud the use of a healthier fat option (and it was a good quality olive oil), they used too much of it on the omelette, leaving it greasy.  We didn’t sample any of the gorgeous desserts in the case, but that just means another visit to a decent breakfast spot.

Vivi’s breakfast

I opted for an omelette also, but went with a menu selection and had the version with goat cheese and vegetables. Very tasty, but I’d agree with Theresa that the olive oil rendered it a little greasy. Not sure what I expected to be contained within, but the carrots were a surprise and not a vegetable I’ve ever seen make it to the breakfast menu. The bread was sliced from baguettes, so they were somewhat on the small side, but very fresh. And you know, I’m Italian and think olive oil is a good thing, but in the right place and time. I like butter and jam (gobs of it) on my toast, and no jam was offered – so that was another downside. I’ll agree with Theresa that the fruit side was nice, a good mix of fruit and fresh above all. The coffee was not great – although freshly ground, a decaf especially made for me. I’m not quite sure how that went wrong. I’d go back for dinner, their menu looks great, but I won’t return for brekkie.

The details

Brioche Urban Bakery and Cafe
401 West Cordova St. (at Homer)
T: 604-682-4037
www.brioche.ca

Breakfast for two cost us $26.00

Theresa’s rating: 3.5 eggs out of 5
Vivi’s rating: 3 eggs out of 5