I love you, Vancouver! It was a perfectly sunny day yesterday, hot and cloud-free, and it’s looking to be the same today. My only frames of reference for Van weather were 3 weeks here in 1986 (soggy, I do recall…) and then a weekend in November last (also soggy), so I don’t know how normal this absolute perfection is—but I’ll take it! I’ve even found the house I’m moving into in my fantasty future—check it out here! It’s only about $800,000 more than I could afford in this lifetime, but I’m hoping to negotiate them down to my range. No problem!

Yesterday’s food glory was really atypical for me: I usually know exactly what I want and when I want it. But I was feeling strangely ambivalent (from the heat?) and happy to go with the flow… and it all began with an offer: I got home from walking the d-o-g and my friend Tara texted: she was off to an appointment in Kitsilano, did I want to come? Once she said the magic words—”it’s near Elysian!”—I was SOLD!

So let’s talk coffee for a mo:

I’m a big espresso drinker. I like my coffee “as black as my soul”, I used to joke, but I’m not really joking about strength. I’ve walked away from so many mediocre cappuccinos that I will sometimes *choose* Starbucks over independent houses, because I don’t want to waste money and not get to my happy place—Starbucks is Starbucks, but at least I know what to expect and how to modify. I’ve also now abandoned cappos for espresso macchiatos, and I’m much happier overall.

A knowledgeable scientist of my acquaintance (who worked in coffee quality control before becoming a prof) derided me for my “gutter palate”. He says that Starbucks is roasted to death to cover inferior quality beans, and that my preference for very dark coffee (Starbucks’ darkest, in fact) means that I really don’t appreciate true coffee flavours—which only come out with a lighter roast, because there’s nowhere to hide!

Well, maybe. Elysian’s coffee is roasted by 49th Parallel Roasters here in Van, and I think 49th Parallel’s espresso is stronger… so for a straight espresso or espresso macchiato, I’d prefer 49th P. But when it comes to a mocha, oh, Elysian!

(that was a little play on words: elysian means “a characteristic of paradise or heaven”. I had to look it up. ha ha. ha. heh. mmhm…)

In my version of Elysium (“a place or state of perfect happiness”), mochaccinos are not drowned in milk, so you can still taste the espresso flavour, which is complemented with a whiff of chocolate instead of being so sweet that it’s a liquid milk chocolate bar with a mildly lingering aftertaste of “was there coffee in that??”.

Elysian Coffee seems to be working on the same principle. Deeeee-vine!

After that, we hit West 4th Street, where Tara had heard a good buzz about Refuel. They had a great lunch special (3 courses for $25), so in we went!

I wanted the tuna! the gnocchi! the salmon! Denied, denied, denied: oh, the curse of dietary restrictions on a foodie’s wants and need! I “settled” (poor, poor me!) for the Hangar Steak Salad, at left, with some little modifications for my cholesterolly self: no blue cheese (and not ever, thank you!) and minus the “crispy” in the “crispy dressing”—they dress the salad for non-troublemakers with vinaigrette, in which there are deep-fried shallots, garlic and… something I don’t remember. I nixed it, and rewarded myself with a glass of NZ Sauvignon Blanc to make for a thrilling lunch…

Tara had the 3-course deal: for starters, the chilled English pea soup with ricotta… and I wish I’d taken a pic. It was a gorgeous green, and it was INSANE! I’d go back for the soup alone—they brought me a little taster so I wouldn’t be left out. Isn’t that nice? The ricotta had a hint of lemon to it, and the garnish was clover. Clover! So, so, SO good!

For the entree, she had a meatball sandwich with a side of fries… sorry for my poor quality shots, but the light was low inside and my flash, overbearing. And dessert was the albion strawberry tart with lemon sorbet and cream. She definitely had her happy face on at that point…

About the whole event, I’ll say this: the service was fantastic and the ambiance very pleasant. The starter was beyond delicious, and I was very happy with my salad, but I did feel a bit limited in healthier options. Had I been able to partake of the fish it would have definitely opened up a lot more meal possibilities, of course, so I hardly blame Refuel for my own ridiculousness.

In the end, I had a delicious lunch, but I wouldn’t rush to go back there when there are so many more fantastic foodie experiences left to enjoy in Van!

Classic case in point: Tara texted again this morning and said “we HAVE to go to Thomas Haas”.

Well, if we MUST. *Sigh*.