A Sunday Brunch

I have been an Old Hand Coffee stalker for a couple of years now – like I will drive 30 minutes out of my home town, just so I can enjoy a cup of jo there… it’s that good.

So when the same owners of my favourite cafe opened up a new brunch spot just down the street – Little Brother Brunch, – I absolutely could not wait to enjoy a Sunday morning there…

Last Sunday I finally had the opportunity to check our Little Brother with a girlfriend, and boy oh boy did they take my breath away.

I think we all kind of have an idea in our minds of what our ideal brunch spot would look like – and of course we are all different in what that might look like.

Vancouver has so many incredible spots to dine for Brunch, and being a lover of food, I am always trying to find new hidden gems. For I get excited about a new brunch spot when a combination of things come together to form something magical. My brunch spot criteria are honestly pretty simple – and yet, somehow I have found it quite hard to find spots that can absolutely nail all three.

My brunch criteria are as follows;

1. First and foremost; A calm & cozy atmosphere. I don’t want to feel rushed in any dining experience, but particularly over a lazy Sunday Brunch. When I go to brunch, I want to take my time to smell the roses, you know what I mean? I don’t want to feel like the staff are staring me down, while I slowly sip my coffee and enjoy some quality face to face time with the person I am brunching with. And I want to feel at home; to feel welcome; like no matter what I fit in here.
2. Excellent coffee; The quality of drip coffee that is freshly brewed to order or espresso that is poured by an actual barista is something that is not lost on me. I love coffee. I love good coffee and I will wait the extra time it takes to make it right, because I appreciate that it is honestly an art. When it comes to brunch, good food and good coffee are not separate; they absolutely go hand in hand. Which leads me to my next point…
3. A unique & delicious menu; I want to see options, that I don’t see everywhere else – dishes that are distinct and that reflect the chef’s intense passion and love for food that they create for people to enjoy. That said – I still want the dishes to feel down to earth; something that will spark a moment of nostalgia – like an elevated spin on a classic my grandma used to make… That is the kind of food I get excited about.

So for me… Little Brother was kind of my ideal; the brunch spot of my dreams.

From the moment we sat down, I felt like I was at home. The quaint, casual, atmosphere was warm and inviting right from the start, and the smells wafting from the kitchen were enough to make me want to just sink into a chair and spend my entire morning there.

Greeted by smiling faces, we were seated in the sunshine and promptly brought two lattes – the best around as far as I’m concerned.

I think what I loved most about Little Brother, is that the menu kind of encourages sharing – which I absolutely loved, because there is honestly nothing I love more, than to share good food with friends.

One glance at the Little Brother menu, and you’re immediately left wondering how you could possibly choose just one dish to enjoy. My friend Rosie and I looked up at each other and we both knew we were thinking the same thing… let’s share a bunch of plates – because we want to taste everything.

From their menu, we ordered the Potatoes, the Yogurt + Cereal, the Steel Cut Oats, the Sauteed Kale, the Mushrooms + Toast and the Gravlax. Yes, you read that right; we ordered all that for just the two of us. We had absolutely no regrets…

I am not embellishing when I say that absolutely every dish was outstanding. There was a moment when the owner came to our table and asked us what our favourite dish was, and I honestly couldn’t even make up my mind. They were all incredible in their own special ways, and I would order all of them again without hesitation.

The Potatoes. These were roasted to absolute perfection; a little bit crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, and tossed with the most delicious fresh herbs and garlic… honestly does it get any better than that?

The Gravlax: I mean wild BC Sockeye, creme fraiche and crusty sourdough… need I say more? This was a brunch staple that they absolutely nailed and took to all new heights with their pickled cedar cones. An absolute must order.

The Steel Cut Oats. I mean call me weird, but I could wax poetic about this oatmeal all day long… I love oatmeal – I am kind of a connoisseur of oatmeal. Most people look at me like I’m crazy when I order a bowl of oats from a restaurant because they are under the impression that oatmeal can’t be impressive – But I beg to differ , and so does Little Brother; If you are not an oatmeal fan, just let them change your mind.

The Yogurt & Cereal: I mean homemade crispy buckwheat cereal over a bed of creamy house made yogurt – that’s right house made yogurt... are you kidding me? The yogurt was just downright incredible – Oh and the Quince Molasses… I have no words. I would gladly eat this dish everyday.

The Sautéed Kale: To be honest, we mostly originally ordered this one to fool ourselves into a false sense of comfort that our Sunday Brunch choices were “healthy,” what with the superfood Kale and all… But what we weren’t expecting was that we would love this dish just as much as the others. The Kale was so fresh and crisp; paired with a celery root puree (um YUM) and sourdough bread crumbs… it was so unexpectedly refreshing and delicious.

The Mushrooms + Toast: Okay so, If you want to have a foodgasm… this is the dish that is going to take you there. Every bite I took of this, I couldn’t help but make allll the nom, nom, yummy noises. The Mushrooms; the creamy ragout; the crispy sourdough… this dish is literally EVERYTHING, and more. Seriously, just thinking about it is inducing drool…

Ughh, seriously talking about all these dishes is just making me wonder… “when am I going back?” I’m so ready for round two.

You need a Little Brother brunch in your life; Please treat yourself to it. I promise you won’t regret it.

Happy brunching lovelies.

KP