“Saturday mornings are for brunch, coffee, and roommate dates.”
I’m Astrid, a senior at UBC and an international student who moved here almost four years ago and absolutely fell in love with Vancouver, every little thing about it. Although I spent most of my first year in residence and hardly left campus, by my second and third year, I was eager to explore everything the city of Vancouver had to offer.
As I would take the bus downtown, passing Kits and other neighbourhoods, I would gaze out the window and lose myself among the many culinary adventures I would see just waiting to happen. There were all kinds of restaurants, coffee shops, supermarkets, produce markets and much more that I wanted to “check out.” I have to admit, coffee shop hopping and trying new restaurants every once in a while could definitely be categorized as one of my hobbies – I can’t even count how many times I would see a new place and say, “Ooh, we should definitely check that place out!”
Unfortunately, as our busy schedules got in the way, my best friend and I never actually made it out to any of these places. After fourth year rolled around, we finally decided to set specific dates for us to actually go to them. I know I would be terribly devastated if I were to leave Vancouver having always wanted but never going to get coffee at a certain coffee shop, or Eggs Benny at Aphrodite’s!
So here we are now! Since time is “running out,” I will be posting my weekly brunch adventures around the city of Vancouver, with my dearest roommate and best friend for you all to follow and perhaps even try it for yourself!
After a very long wait to go to brunch amidst both of our packed schedules – and too many restaurants to choose from – we made it out to Gastown’s Catch 122 this past Saturday morning. We have wanted to explore Gastown’s fancier and more ‘upscale’ restaurants for a while now, so this time, we finally ventured down all the way to Vancouver’s trendy neighbourhood.
Entering the restaurant, I couldn’t help but notice the wide, clean space. It was bigger than the usual brunch restaurant and it gave off a sense of tranquility, serenity, and a very put-together atmosphere. Catch 122’s brunch menu caught our eye right away: among their French-influenced Canadian specialties, we found the traditional Eggs Benedict (one of my favourite brunch dishes), croissants with poached eggs and salmon, the traditional French delicacy “Croque Madame,” and last – but not least – their basket of baked goods.
Now, here’s the lowdown on the good stuff! Since we choose eggs benedict all the time, this time we decided to try something new: their popular “Croque Madame” – and we weren’t disappointed! “Croque Madame” is almost like a French, opened-faced sandwich. It consists of one slice of bread as a base, covered in melted Gruyere cheese, tomatoes, ham, and (the absolute best part) two poached eggs. I am absolutely head over heels with poached eggs. There really isn’t anything better than breaking the warm poached egg open on top of a piece of bread… (I’m drooling just thinking about it!)
Along with our favorite French press coffee, we usually opt to go for a sweet finish to our brunch. The basket of baked goods at Catch 122 couldn’t have been any better! The basket included a white chocolate and apricot scone, a peanut butter cookie, and lemon loaf bread that literally knocked our socks off! On top of it all, everything was warm and baked in -house. This place was literally a magical, gastronomic experience. Five stars and a thumbs up! We will definitely be back!
Stay tuned for next week’s brunch adventure – I wonder where our growling stomachs will lead us to next!