PLUG-INS

THE BIRDS & THE BEETS

THE BIRDS & THE BEETS

THE FORMULA OF BOTANICALS, BREADS, AND BARISTAS

Stepping into Powell Street's The Birds & The Beets, you'll enter a bustling shop. On the left are rows of brilliant fresh flowers for purchase supplied by The Wild Bunch Floral Studio and smaller square tables align along the right. If it’s summertime, the large pane windows will be folded open steeping fresh air and sun into the café. There will be a quick moving line, but there’s always a chance to gaze at the day’s enticing goodies in their glass encasement. Before you know it, you'll find yourself wanting to order a hops kombucha, a rhubarb soda, their homemade lemonade, and a macchiato all before even looking at the food options. Once you see a miso barley bowl glide by in an employee's hands, you'll be instantly back to scanning the menu board: the options for deliciousness are endless.

TIMBERTRAIN

TIMBERTRAIN

SERVING COFFEE SLOW-BAR STYLE

Timbertrain is a vignette of two loves: trains and coffee. Entering into the coffee shop is like stepping into a modernized rail car, the world is bustling and quick to pass by, but here you can settle back as a passenger, have a conversation, drink coffee, peruse the newspaper and enjoy the sites (feel free to hop back into the rat race at any time you like). 

CHAMBAR RESTAURANT

CHAMBAR RESTAURANT

WITH AN AMOROUS GLOW, CHAMBAR WILL TAKE YOU AWAY

Located in Crosstown (the ambiguous mid-zone between Chinatown and Yaletown), the remodel of the second location of Chambar was a collaboration between co-owner Karri Schuermans and Carscadden Stokes McDonald Architects, who are also based in Vancouver. Their design goal was to parallel the reach of the restaurant’s ambitions with "exquisite cuisine, exceptional service, and a room that glows", branding it as "an unpretentious fling with fine dining.”

WAY DOWN IN KOKOMO

WAY DOWN IN KOKOMO

CHINATOWN'S NEW BEACH CAFÉ ON GORE

Kokomo is a winsome new addition to the Chinatown/Strathcona neighbourhood. The area has had a significant influx of new cafés and eateries sprouting up over the past couple of years, but none quite as vibrant and refreshing as Kokomo. We’d like to get you excited about Kokomo for two reasons: their robust vegan food (the whole menu is “gluten-free, refined sugar-free, vegan, and largely nut-free”) and our favourite part... they're open early! Finally, our ethereal chow prayers have been heard! Accessible from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm Kokomo grants us early birds the perfect stop for a nourishing breakfast on a quick dash to work. 

DEVOCIÓN ROASTERY & CAFÉ: 'FROM TREE TO CUP'

DEVOCIÓN ROASTERY & CAFÉ: 'FROM TREE TO CUP'

FARM DIRECT ARTISAN ESPRESSO

Becoming enamoured with Devoción coffee starts the minute you enter the Williamsburg Roastery. Design wise, Devoción is a very exciting place to check out and we highly recommend it to anyone in New York. It's the type of coffee shop gem you can only hope to come by when looking for good espresso.

NIGHTINGALE: LARGE SCALE MODERN CANADIAN

NIGHTINGALE: LARGE SCALE MODERN CANADIAN

CASUAL DINING, QUALITY CUISINE

Only recently has the term "Modern Canadian" become so reiterated. It's often offered up as an erudite way to describe a Chef's interpretation of their menu and where they draw inspiration from. Cooks across the country are seeking vision from traditional fare but putting a modern spin on each dish, while respectably trying to "keep it Canadian". The term is rooted in the mass Farm-to-Table movement that has taken restaurant culture by storm, championed by the likes of chef personalities like Dan Barber and famous food journalists like Michael Pollan. But Modern Canadian cuisine has rightly found that a focus on local produce--and a connection to the farmers they source their ingredients from--lends exceptionally to achieving the richest of flavour, texture, and succulence.

ROYAL DINETTE

ROYAL DINETTE

FARM TO DOWNTOWN: TRUE SUSTAINABILITY IN MIND

A restaurant that truly exemplifies its "Farm to Downtown" branding, we first heard about it from Harvey's Organics at the Trout Lake Farmers Market. The menu changes every few weeks, is always seasonal, local, and "99% organic". Each type of pasta is handmade in-house, right in front of your eyes (if you get there early enough!) by one of the unbelievably consistent sous-chefs.