Last weekend, I went out for brunch with my friend, Peter. He wanted to check out a restaurant called the Red Wagon which received a rave review from the Globe and Mail. Unfortunately, Peter wasn’t the only one who had read the article. There were a bunch of patrons waiting to be seated when we reached the restaurant. Neither of us want to waste at least half an hour just to get a table. So I told Peter to drive a few block north and turn left onto Powell Street where I remembered seeing a couple of cheap breakfast joints before. And sure enough, they were there.

Luckily, we got a rockstar parking spot right in front of the restaurant called J’s Grill and Pasta. So we walked right in and didn’t even bother checking out the other breakfast joint located a block away. I felt like I was transported back into the 70s. The décor was outdated. The floor was covered with hunter green carpet. But thanks to the big windows in the front and the back, the shabby joint didn’t look dingy.

The big windows at the back also feature a ringside view of the passing by trains. They were so close that you could almost touch them. This breakfast joint is definitely a heaven for the trainspotting enthusiasts.

According to the menu, J’s Grill and Pasta offers all day breakfast. However, the $3.95 breakfast special can be ordered between 7am to 11am Monday to Friday, or 7:30 am to 3 pm on Saturday and Sunday. After the special hours, the same dish is priced at $5.79.

Since we were there during the special hours, we both ordered the Breakfast special ($3.99 plus HST). Each comes with two eggs (any style), hash browns, 2 pieces of toast and your choice of 3 strips of bacon, ham or 3 links of sausage. I chose the bacons and a cup of hot chocolate ($1.95 plus HST); Peter went for the sausages a glass of orange juice ($2.79 plus HST)

J’s Grill & Pasta also offers veggie breakfast for $6.49. It comes with two eggs, hash browns, 2 pieces of toast and your choice of breakfast strips or links (I assumed they were made of soy)

Soon after, the breakfasts was served. The portion was quite impressive. The sunny side up eggs were perfectly cooked. The runny yolk complimented the salty bacon very well. But the bacon strips weren’t as crispy as I would have hoped for. The toasts were hard to mess up. Peter seemed to be happy with his sausages. The hot chocolate was quite weak. And the orange juice was also watered down.

Overall, J’s Grill and Pasta $3.99 breakfast special was decent. You pretty much got what you paid for. But I won’t spend $5.79 for one after the special hours.

J’s Grill and Pasta $3.99 Breakfast Special ©©©1/3

J’s Grill and Pasta is located at 1901 Powell St, Vancouver, BC (T) 604.253.6600

©2011 Tana Kosiyabong and CheapAppetite.com™. All rights reserved.

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I was so busy last week. Before I knew, it was already Saturday. I had to find the next Cheap Appetite mission fast. So I walked out the door, strolled around the neighbourhood and somehow ended up in front of the SuperWok. Even though it was close to my place, I had never checked it out before.

SuperWok sounded to me like one of those typical North American Chinese food court vendors at the malls. Moreover I was confused by the varieties of cuisines it offered, from North American breakfast and sandwiches to Korean and Taiwanese dishes. That was why I couldn’t take the restaurant seriously. However, it was getting late in the day and the beautiful sun light would be gone in a few hours. Time was running out. “Screw it! I’m going in,” I mumbled to myself.

SuperWok is a mom-and-pop restaurant located at the five hundred block of Dunsmiur Street, just East of the BCIT downtown campus. Since it caters to students, the prices are very reasonable. The interior was clutter and dated. During my first visit, I felt overwhelmed by the menu choices scattered around the restaurants. So I focused only on the left wall where food photos with English names posted. After a quick chat with one of the restaurant owners, I decided to order the Taiwanese Fried Rice Stick ($6.79) because she told me she was originally from Taiwan.

Ten minutes later, the dish was served. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the rice vermicelli were perfectly cooked and well-seasoned with soy sauce and black pepper. Even though the noodles were stir-fried, they weren’t greasy at all. The dish was not only infused with fragrant flavours of the Shitake mushrooms, dry shrimps, onions and celeries, but also full of contrasting textures. The veggies (onions, celeries, carrots, cabbages and bean sprouts) were crunchy and the mushrooms were chewy and fun-to eat. SuperWok Taiwanese fried rice stick reminded me of a similar home-cooked noodle dish my dad used to fix for our family. It was simple yet full of flavours, just the way I like it.

While I was enjoying my meal, I had more time to look at the other menu items. The crispy pork sandwich ($2.75, or $3.75 with egg) had caught my eyes. I will definitely check it out on my next visit to SuperWok.

SuperWok Taiwanese Fried Rice Stick (vermicelli) ©©© 3/4

SuperWok: 505 Dunsmiur Street, Vancouver BC (T) 604.569.2558

©2011 Tana Kosiyabong and CheapAppetite.com™. All rights reserved.

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A few months ago I came across O’Tray Noodles, a food court vendor located at the President plaza in Richmond. The stall attracted a steady stream of hungry patrons during the lunch hour. I wish I could give it a try, but my stomach had already been filled with my favorite Wo Fung chicken wings and other dishes from the Aberdeen Centre food court across the street. So I made a mental note hoping to check it out next time I’m in the area.

Last week, my crave for Wo Fung wings had become so outrageous I started to see my pet bird turning into flying chicken wings. Before an “unplanned tragedy” happened to him, I jumped on a skytrain to the Aberdeen Centre to get my fix.

The surroundings had gone blurred until I swallowed the last piece of the highly addictive chicken wings down my throat. My mind started to clear up. The mental note then reminded me that I had to check out O’Tray Noodle. So I walked across the street and got on the escalator to the second floor of the President plaza. O’Tray is the first one on the right. After a quick glance at the menu, a couple of items caught my eyes: No. 1–Tian Jin Wrap and No. 3 Tian Jin Burger. Unable to make up my mind, I asked one of the owners for her advice. “They both are good,” she replied. “Gee, thanks for your help lady” I thought to myself.

Eventually I chose the Tian Jin wrap ($3.75 tax included). While I was waiting, the owner told me that most people normally ordered it with the No. 2 soft tofu soup ($3.75 tax included). Both dishes complements each other well and they both are vegetarian dishes. Great, I just realized then that there were no meat in the wrap! But since she had already started cooking it and I saw that she cracked an egg on top of the crêpe-like wrap, I didn’t bother asking for a switch. However, I decided to hold off on the soft tofu soup because I just ate some wings earlier and I wasn’t sure about eating two vegetarian dishes in a row.

Shortly after, the wrap was ready. The egg beautifully covered the exterior of the wrap. The first bite was heavenly. The soft crêpe and crunchy deep-fried flour sheet were perfect together. Chili paste added a nice kick to each bite. Green onion and cilantro freshened up the overall flavor profile. However, after half of the wrap went down my throat, the oily stuffing started to bother me. I felt an urge for a bowl soup to ease up the queasy feeling I had. Even though I was almost full, I couldn’t help but order the soft tofu soup. I should have listened to the lady at the first place.

A few minutes after, the soup was served. The contrasting colors of chili oil and cilantro made the dish looked delightful. Some salty peanut sauce was also added to the top as well. To eat this dish properly, you must stir them up together first. Although this would ruin the mouth-watering appearance of the soup, it helped the flavors commingle better. The soft tofu soup was simply delicious. It was perfectly salted and had a little kick of chili oil. However, I didn’t really taste peanut flavor even if I tried to concentrate. Perhaps it supposed to be subtle the way it was. At this point my stomach had swollen up like a big balloon. I couldn’t possibly try even a bite of the Tian Jin burger during this visit, but I took a photo of its photo on the wall for you.

After the meal, the owner also told me that the wrap and the soup has been a part of Tian Jin’s traditional breakfasts for over a century. They are widely available at street food stalls and restaurants. The city of Tian Jin is located 70 miles South East of Beijing.

O’Tray Noodle’s Tian Jin Wrap: ©©©1/2
O’Tray Noodle’s Soft Tofu Soup: ©©©1/2

O’Tray is located at President Plaza Food court, 2285 – 8181 Cambie Road, Richmond, BC (T) 604.267.0571

BUDGET BREAKDOWN:

Remaining Budget: $39.55

Budget Spent: -$7.50

Budget Available: $32.05

©2010 Tana Kosiyabong and CheapAppetite.com™. All rights reserved.

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You may wonder what the hell “Sando” is. No worries — you’re not alone. I didn’t know either until I learned the answer, thanks to Miura Waffle Milk Bar’s take-out menu. According to said menu, “Sando” is derived from a Japanese word “Sandoicchi” which means “Sandwich.” Therefore, Bulgogi Waffle Sando is basically a Korean-style barbecued sandwich that’s made with waffle instead of bread. Sounds weird yet intriguing, doesn’t it? In fact, it made me so curious I had to check it out.

So I walked into Miura Waffle Milk Bar at around 3 pm last Wednesday. Perhaps it was a post-lunch downtime, but there were no other customers there. However I didn’t let that bother me; I walked straight to the counter and ordered a Bulgogi Waffle Sando ($5.99) from the Savory Waffle Sandos Menu. I then found out that I could add a bowl of soup and a small coffee/tea for an extra $2. Since it was freakin’ cold outside, I decided to make it a combo ($7.99 total).

As I checked out Miura’s clean and modern décor my bulgogi waffle sando combo was served. At first glance I was somewhat disappointed by the soup and coffee portions, as shown on the above photo. I got only half a bowl of the cream of mushroom soup and about 2/3 cup of coffee (pre-milk). I felt like I was cheated out of my food portion.

Fortunately however, the bulgogi waffle sando is a good snack size. The waffle was thick, soft and fluffy. A couple strips of bulgogi were strategically baked into the waffles. In between the two pieces of waffles there were egg salad sauce, kimchi and parsley. The first bite was unique yet disappointing. Although it was yummy, the sando didn’t have enough of the bulgogi taste I was expecting. The flavor of egg salad sauce overpowered the Korean barbecued beef. I wish the sandwich had more meat and much less egg sauce. As it is, they should change the name to the egg salad sando instead. When I tasted the bulgogi strip by itself, it was garlicky and beefy; too bad the restaurant didn’t try to showcase it more.

The cream of mushroom was really creamy and delicious. It tasted like fresh homemade soup to me. The mushrooms were thinly sliced giving the illusion of chunkiness. I much prefer that style over small cubes of mushrooms, and I wished I could have had more of it. The coffee, on the other hand, was nothing to write home about.

My Cheap Appetite mission to Miura was a unique experience. It was my first time trying a waffle sandwich. I’ve gotta give props to Asian people who make all these crazy yet tasty concoctions: Teri-mayo hot dogs from Japadog; Bulgogi Waffle Sandwich from Miura. The sky’s the limit. Who knows what they’ll come up with next.

Miura’s Bulgogi Waffle Sandwich: ©©©

Miura’s sweet and savory waffle sando prices are ranged from $4.00 to $6.99. Miura also sells plain, flavoured milk (maple, strawberry and mango), and yoggy milk (flavoured drinking yoghurt—blueberry and pineapple.)

Miura Waffle Milk Bar is located at 829 Davie Street, Vancouver, BC (T) 604.687.2909

Restaurant Hours: Mon-Fri (9am-7pm), Sat (10am-7pm) Close on Sunday & Holidays.

BUDGET BREAKDOWN:

Remaining Budget: $59.49

Budget Spent: -$7.99 ($HST not included)

Budget Available: $51.50

©2010 Tana Kosiyabong and CheapAppetite.com™. All rights reserved.

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I first heard about Evelyn’s Cafe & Grill a few weeks ago from Grant, a good friend of mine. He is very supportive to my blog, and once in a while, he even helps editing my Cheap Appetite stories. Although I didn’t remember Grant’s exact word, he basically told me that he found another cheap breakfast joint for the Cheap Appetite. Evelyn’s is a bit more expensive than Yummy Sushi, but at least it is nice and clean.

Grant distastes Yummy Sushi, a cheap breakfast joint I wrote about last year, even though he has never set foot in that dingy place. In fact, I don’t think he will even touch it with a ten-feet pole. The guy always pokes fun of me about my dining experience at the run-down joint, and my dust-collecting Bowflex which occupied a quarter of the four hundred square feet bachelor suite I lived in.

It’s true that Yummy Sushi exterior is pretty shabby. And the interior is not any better. But it doesn’t mean that the food tastes horrible. I personally ’t care much about the décor as long as the food is good and cheap. And that’s why I am a fan of Yummy Sushi breakfast.

Since Yummy Sushi, I haven’t written about any breakfast joint for almost a year now. That’s enough reason to declare Evelyn’s Cafe and Grill as this week Cheap Appetite mission. Therefore, a couple days ago, I hopped on the No. 16 bus and got off at the Southwest corner of West Broadway and Arbutus Streets; then heading west about half a block to the breakfast joint.

Evelyn’s Cafe and Grill was nice and clean just like Grant described. It felt quite cozy as I stepped inside. Definitely way better than the dingy Yummy Sushi. Breakfast price here starts at $3.50 for two eggs, hash browns and two pieces of toast. For $1 more, I could add either 3 pieces of bacon, ham or 3 links of sausages. After a quick contemplation, I opted for two sunny-side up eggs, hash browns, two pieces of whole wheat toast, and asked if I could have one piece of bacon and two pieces of sausages instead. “Sure, no problem,” the cashier replied.

I also ordered a medium cup of coffee ($1.67) to go along with the breakfast. Evelyn’s Cafe serves Far Coast coffee which was quite flavorful compared to the dishwater-like, one dollar coffee at Yummy Sushi.

Less than fifteen minutes later, the breakfast had arrived. At first glance, I could tell that the portion was smaller than Yummy Sushi breakfast. There were also fewer pieces of bacon/sausages. Yet I had to pay $1.50 more. (As of a few months ago, Yummy Sushi breakfast was still $2.99).

Once I looked beyond the portion size, I noticed a great feature that Evelyn’s breakfast had to offer. The meal appeared much less greasy than most breakfast I ever had. And the taste test confirmed what I saw. The eggs were beautifully cooked, yet not oily. The hash browns, which looked more like country fried potatoes, were crispy on one or two sides yet not covered with fat. The potatoes were diced in big chunks with skin on and seasoned with, perhaps, Old Bay spice; then sprinkled some chopped green onions on top. I did love the kicks in Evelyn’s hash browns.

The piece of bacon I had was crispy all the way through and yet again not greasy. I love to dip it in the runny bright orange yolk before popping it in my mouth. Hmm…  so good and full of saturate fat and cholesterol in every bite. Well… at least there was very little added fat. The sausages, however, were slightly oily. But it was more likely because of the fat content in the sausages themselves, not the added oil. Moreover, the sausages were of better quality than those of Yummy Sushi.

I was impressed with the breakfast enough to walk up to the cashier and ask about the non-greasy breakfast. He told me that the secret was the big metal sheet grill which allows the cook to use minimal amount of oil to prepare breakfast. This is preferred by most customers in the neighborhood.

After the meal, I felt full and satisfied. On top of that, I didn’t feel greasy inside as I normally do when eating too much oily food. Even though Evelyn’s Cafe Breakfast is not as cheap as Yummy Sushi’s, I will definitely go back there again when I feel like a good hearty, yet not-so-greasy breakfast. However, this doesn’t mean that I will stop visiting Yummy Sushi. There is a time and a place for everything.

Evelyn’s Cafe & Grill Breakfast (2 eggs, hash browns, toast, bacon and sausage: ©©©© 1/4

Evelyn’s Cafe & Grill is located at 2176 W. Broadway, Vancouver, BC, Canada. (T) 604.7317117

Evelyn’s Cafe & Grill Restaurant Hours: MON-FRI 7:30 am to 5:30 pm. SAT 9:30 am to 4 pm. Closed on Sunday

BUDGET BREAKDOWN:

Remaining Budget: $127.42

Budget Spent: -$6.17 (not included HST)

Budget Available: $121.25

©2010 Tana Kosiyabong and CheapAppetite.com™. All rights reserved.

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Canada will become an even perkier country in the next two weeks, thanks to McDonald’s Canada free coffee promotion. Starting November 16th to 29th, during breakfast hours only, your neighborhood Mickey D’s will transform into coffee drinkers’ paradises. Though some franchisees may guilt the customers into purchasing extra items while they’re there, please be strong. Keep your poker face on. No need to buy anything else unless you want to.

McDonald’s had given away coffee during their premium roast relaunch back in April. It was a huge event for a cheapo like me. I sure enjoyed many cups of joe during those two weeks. Perhaps the promotion was a great success, McDonald’s brought it back a mere seven months later.

However, since I needed to write about this fantastic deal one day before it’s actually happened, I had to pay the full price for mine ($1.19 for small size which is equal to Tim Horton’s medium size). But you’ll get them free during the promotional period.

Similar to Tim Horton’s, McDonald’s cashier asked if you’d like to add cream and sugar to the coffee. I found it very convenient this way. The redesigned cup and lid were well thought out. The double-layer cups eliminated the need for coffee sleeves. The high-rise lid and tilt-down top perfectly contoured to the upper and lower lips. The spill proof opening was easy to open and re-close. I wasn’t sure how McDonald’s coffee tasted like before the relaunch, but the new premium roast coffee was surprisingly good for its price. Great if you get it free. (It’s definitely a step up from the free coffee at my office.) According to the new cup, McDonald’s uses Arabica beans in their the premium roast coffee. The beans are more expensive and aromatic than the Robusta beans sold in most grocery stores. I like it enough to even drink them again after this next two weeks, but definitely not as often.

McDonald’s FREE Premium Roast Coffee: ©©©© 1/2

McDonald’s Premium Roast Coffee: ©©© 1/2

Possibly inspired by the BK Burger shots, A&W Canada, for a limited time, offers the Sirloin Baby Burger Twins at $3.49, quite expensive for two tiny burgers. Although the price tag is a bigger eyesore than Ugly Betty, the twin burgers are extremely adorable. And most importantly, the sirloin beef flavor is hard to deny.

The Sirloin baby burger twins came in an aluminum foil bag similar to other A&W burgers in the family. The size of the buns was around 2-inch diameters. The burger patties were slightly smaller. The buns were grilled and spread with yellow mustard. The bottom one was then sprinkled with chopped red onions, topped with a patty, a slice of cheddar cheese and the top bun.

I ate the first burger as is. The mustard flavor went well with the sirloin beef. The burger patty was moist and nicely cooked. This tiny burger was surprisingly packed with big beefy flavor. The chopped onion added a little crunch to the burger, yet not too overpowered. The cheddar cheese was a step up from the process yellow slices used in most burger chains.

I added ketchup to the second burger. Although I normally like the combo of the red and yellow condiments, they started to get in the way of the sirloin flavor. The twin lasted about 5-6 delicious bites each.

Though they were not big enough for a full meal, the A&W Sirloin Baby Burger twins were good for the afternoon snacks. The big beefy flavor justified the hideous price tag. For just 29 cents more, however, I could have got two McDoubles to go with the free coffee. It’s the quality vs. quantity. You decide what’s best for you.

A&W Sirloin Baby Burger Twins: ©©© 1/2

©2009 Tana Kosiyabong and CheapAppetite.com™. All rights reserved.

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I first heard about Yummy Sushi when I posted my Bon’s off Broadway breakfast link on the Chowhound.com forum a while back. Grayelf, a fellow food lover, had suggested Yummy Sushi as an alternative to Bon’s. I jotted down the name in my notebook along with many other suggestions for cheap breakfast joints in Vancouver. Unfortunately, I hadn’t had a chance to check any of them out yet.

As for Yummy Sushi, I wasn’t sure about the North American breakfast in a sushi restaurant at first. (If it were the Japanese breakfast, I would have jumped in head first. And I didn’t even know what traditional Japanese breakfast was.) But a couple of weeks ago, Maggie, my creative writing classmate, enthusiastically told me about her most favorite breakfast joint, Yummy Sushi. Her eyes lit up as she described the breakfast, “5 pieces of crispy bacon, a pile of hash browns, two eggs and two pieces of toast. All for just $2.99.” That was more than enough to convince me —Yummy Sushi, here I come.

Thanks to the new Google maps, I know exactly what the storefront of Yummy Sushi looks even before I stand in front of it. I can now visit places I’ve never been to and virtually walk around the area on my computer. This new technology is so creepy, yet extremely useful. I was totally in awe the first time I saw it unfold.

Yummy Sushi is a small, mom and pop sushi restaurant on the edge of Fairview and Kitsilano area of Vancouver. It is owned by a Chinese couple who moved to Canada over twenty years ago. They have opened Yummy Sushi at this location for seven years now. The storefront is shabby and not very welcoming, but don’t let it fool you. Once inside, you’ll be greeted by one of the most genuinely happy ladies I’ve ever met. I can never be that happy even if the doctor put me on the double dose of Prozac.

The interior of Yummy Sushi is as shabby as the exterior. But the old and dingy interior didn’t turn me off. On the contrary, I took it as a good sign. They wouldn’t be able to keep the restaurant open this long if the food wasn’t good.

There are four choices for breakfast specials. They are all $2.99: Two eggs with you choice of 5 pieces of bacon, 5 sausage links, or ham. Or if you’re in the mood for something European, you can get 4 pieces of French toast. The coffee is $1 with free refill. They also serve sushi and other Japanese dishes.

Since I had my mind set on the breakfast special, I wasted no time in ordering. I asked if I could mix half bacon and half sausage. “Sure, I’ll give you half and half,” the lady replied with a big grin on her face. I couldn’t help but wonder why she’s in such a good mood.

The interior was a bit too dark for a photo shoot, so I went to sit outside. It was a cold day but I’ll do whatever it takes for good photos. A minute later the lady came out with a cup of coffee. And a few minutes after, my breakfast was served. It was much faster than Bon’s. My breakfast was two sunny side up eggs with 3 crispy bacons and 2 sausage links, a big pile of hash browns and 2 pieces of toast.

Then it was time for the most awkward part of food blogging: the photo shoot. It’s like you’re in the middle of a honeymoon. The love of your life is waiting for you to jump into bed, but all you can do is take pictures. So I tried to keep it as short as possible before the food got cold. Once the pictures were taken, I jumped right in.

The sunny side up eggs were beautifully cooked. The orange yolks oozed out as soon as I broke it with a piece of bacon. Oh my delicious piece of heaven. The bacon was so crispy, and tasted lovely with the running yolk. The hash browns had a crunchy crust on the outside. Once you bit into one, you realized just how soft they are on the inside. The sausage was also well-cooked. And toast is hard to mess up. However, it was not the best idea to eat breakfast outside in the fall breeze. But the lady attentively refilled my coffee. It kept me warm while I was there. Before I knew it, the whole plate was cleaned.

After the breakfast, I was in a much better mood than I was earlier. Now I realize why the lady is always smiling.

Yummy Sushi Breakfast Special: ©©©© 1/2

Yummy Sushi is located at 1980 Pine St, Vancouver, BC. Canada. (T) 604.731.7110

For Maggie’s point of view on Yummy Sushi, click here.

©2009 Tana Kosiyabong and CheapAppetite.com™. All rights reserved.

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</a

“Today is a Big Day,” I told myself as I woke up. Though it was not easy to dig myself out of bed at 8 am on Saturday, somehow I did it. As usual, it took me about an hour to get ready and walk out the door. Two buses and an hour later, I found myself at Ikea Richmond. Today, I’ll spend all day eating away 3 meals here and try my best not to buy any more furniture or decorating knick-knacks.

After I got off the bus, I headed straight to the Ikea restaurant on the second floor. I ordered two breakfasts, one dollar each. They came with a good portion of scrambled eggs, fries and two sausages. The eggs were quite weird, but I didn’t mind them. Instead of scrambling them in a pan, I think the cook either baked or microwaved beaten eggs then roughly ground them. I tasted no grease on the eggs at all. The Canadian Heart Association would be so proud. The sausages were well cooked but greasy and the fries were crispy. The meals were simple yet decent.

Once again, my cheap appetite got me in trouble. I could have been satisfied with just one breakfast. However, because it was so cheap, I couldn’t resist ordering two of them. This was my first mistake of the day. I was already full a quarter of the way into the second breakfast. But I couldn’t throw the rest away. Instead, I shoveled them down my throat like it was a subway tunnel. The only problem was that my stomach couldn’t handle a whole train. It felt like Déjà vu from my Starbucks Vivanno Smoothies story. I have to control myself. Fingers crossed.

After the breakfast, or two, I browsed around the store, which could potentially hurt my wallet. Surprisingly, there was no harm done. I ended up sitting on an armchair reading my book. It was a strange yet interesting experience. The display living room was cozy and homey. The Poäng armchair was so comfortable. I was ready to immerge myself into the book, when a family walked in.

“Daddy… DADDY, I want a puppy!” the little girl shouted.
“I think I’d like it better if it were dark brown,” dad told his wife as he ignored the screeching girl.
“But I prefer this color,” his wife disagreed.
“Well… good luck with that,” I muttered.

After about an hour and many living room intruders later, it was almost 3:00 pm. I wasn’t even hungry yet. But I had to eat something if I were to reach the 3-meal goal today.

So, I headed straight to the restaurant. The line was pretty short. I chose the organic pasta with marinara sauce for $1.99. If it weren’t because I already had 4 links of greasy sausages earlier, I would have added 5 meatballs to my pasta for $1.49. The dish, however, looked a bit plain, so I added a piece of garlic toast (50 cent) to my plate. “It makes a better photo,” I told myself. But I wasn’t hungry to start with. And on top of the pasta marinara, I had to eat garlic toast? Oye. I was in trouble again. “Congratulations, Tana! This is your second dumb idea of the day,” I murmured.

The pasta was overcooked as expected. It sat on a hot tray for a while. The sauce was quite tasty, but not enough of it on the plate. The garlic toast was not very garlicky. I ate about half my plate before my stomach ran out of space. It was no longer cooperating and about to explode like a ticking time bomb. This was the first time in a very long time that I couldn’t finish my plate.

At this point I didn’t see how I could possibly continue eating anything else before the last shuttle bus left at 5:45. So I aborted the 3rd meal plan – 2 hot dogs (50 cents each) and a frozen yogurt cone ($1). But don’t worry, I’ll be back again for revenge.

Before I left, I had a chance to thoroughly explore the Ikea food market for the first time. Normally, this would be an afterthought. There are a wide variety of interesting and exotic products I would love to try. Lingonberry jam and Cloudberry jam to name a couple. Many of them, however, are frozen. I couldn’t take them home with me today. My condo was an hour away. So, I bought a few food items as seen in the photo below. Hey, the man’s gotta eat tomorrow. And they weren’t furniture.

Overall, I gave this Cheap Appetite mission a pass. Even though I didn’t reach the 3-meal goal, it was really fun and I was really full. Besides I was able to refrain myself from furniture or decorative purchases. I also learned a lot about Ikea’s food market and food products. I promise to write more about them in the near future.

Ikea Breakfast Special: ©©© ½
Ikea Pasta Marinara: ©© ¾
Ikea Garlic Toast: ©© ½

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I’m not a morning person. And I normally don’t have time for breakfast. I just drink a glass of milk or soymilk and run out the door. On the weekends, I wake up around 10 am to let my pet parrotlet “Giant” out of his cage for a couple of hours or until he gets on my nerves. It takes me at least an hour to collect myself and be more social. I prefer not to talk to anyone during this first hour.

Since I’m not a morning person, I hardly know any breakfast joints in town. While I was at a video shoot last week, Larry, my client, told me about this cheap breakfast joint in East Vancouver called Bon’s. It sounded really interesting. And cheap. That was how this Cheap Appetite mission started.

It was Saturday morning. As planned, I woke up at 9:30 am and took time to collect myself and do the morning routine. I left my condo at twenty past ten, still a bit grumpy. My bird was mad at me because I didn’t have time to let him out. Then I hopped on the No. 7 bus heading to Bon’s (just off Broadway on Nanaimo Street). When I was there, it was already packed. But luckily I only waited about 5 minutes for a table.

After being seated, I ordered the breakfast special ($2.95 tax included) – two eggs of your choice, pan fried potatoes, bacon or ham or sausage, and two pieces of toast. I wanted scrambled eggs, ham, and a coffee ($1 extra, free refill). It took about 30 minutes before the breakfast special arrived. So if you were going there by yourself, I’d recommend you bring a book or a knitting project with you. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring any. I don’t know how to knit anyway. But it wasn’t so bad. There were tons of people to watch. Plenty of fun characters ate their breakfast at Bon’s. The most unique one that morning was a 70 years old man who thought it was too hot inside. So he decided to take his shirt off in the middle of the restaurant. Not a pretty sight, but interesting indeed.

Once the breakfast arrived, I wasn’t disappointed. Although my scramble eggs looked more like an omelet, it was a damn good one. The pan-fried russet potato was crusty and crispy on the outside, but not too greasy. It was fried with the skin on, which is, in my opinion, the best. Hope they washed their potatoes well though. The ham was also fried nicely. The toast was the toast. The coffee was not a Starbucks fresh brew, but who cares. Bon’s service was acceptable. Though I had to refill the coffee myself, I didn’t expect the same service I would get from a fancy restaurant. Otherwise, I would have to move to La-La Land. It’s a $2.95 breakfast for Pete’s sake. And that brought up an interesting question. Who the hell is Pete?

I enjoyed my time at Bon’s. The breakfast special is a cheap, good eats. It definitely qualifies as a Cheap Appetite. The only problem is it cost me 5 bucks to get there and come back. I could have had a breakfast nearby for $7.95. But I’m glad to know that Bon’s serves breakfast all day. I don’t have to wake up early if I decide to go back there next time. That’s my kind of breakfast joint.

Bon’s Breakfast Special: ©©©© ¼

P.S. It’s about 8 pm now and I’m still not hungry. What a breakfast!

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