#fairview slopes

[rickchung]

Marché Mon Pitou x Fairview Slopes.

If you cannot already tell by strolling by it, Mon Pitou is such a cute little coffee shop meets bistro nestled within a sort of nexus of intersections of some quaint residential streets just aways away from the entrance to Granville Island.

Americano and espresso tonic.

Croque Madame: ham and cheese sandwich topped with béchamel, gruyère, and a fried egg.

[pasttensevancouver]

Burnt houses, 1000 block West 7th Avenue, Wednesday 14 July 1971

The Fairview Slopes area used to be filled with old wooden houses like this. At the time, a lot of them were being bought up and replaced with low-rise apartment buildings. A number of mysterious fires helped clear the way.

Source: Photo by Ernie H Reksten, City of Vancouver Archives #2010-006.194

[rickchung]

Marché Mon Pitou x Fairview Slopes.

[rickchung]

Marché Mon Pitou x Fairview Slopes.

I was simply enamoured with the small variety of freshly-made dishes available to dine-in alongside a nice selection of espresso drinks, pastries, and other goods.

Croque Madame: ham and cheese sandwich topped with béchamel, gruyère, and a fried egg.

“Mon Pitou”: two eggs, double-smoked bacon, Two Rivers Meats breakfast sausage, roasted potatoes, and sourdough toast.

Americano and espresso tonic.

[rickchung]

Beaucoup Bakery & Café x Fairview Slopes.

Seasonal spring treats made with Hives for Humanity honey.

Honey banana double baked croissant.

Miso honey roasted eggplant flatbread.

Grapefruit honey tarragon cheesecake.

Rutabaga mostarda prosciutto croissant sandwich.

[rickchung]

Beaucoup Bakery & Café x Fairview Slopes.

Seasonal spring treats made with Hives for Humanity honey.

Honey banana double baked croissant with almond frangipane, fresh banana slices, rye crunch, honey caramel, and crushed banana chips.

Miso honey roasted eggplant flatbread with onions, roasted sesame seeds, fresh zucchini shiso salad and sansho.

Grapefruit honey tarragon cheesecake with fresh grapefruit and rye streusel.

Rutabaga mostarda prosciutto croissant sandwich with lamb prosciutto, Chateaux de Bourgogne cheese, and endives.

[ourfoodadventure]

Bump N Grind Cafe (Granville) | Now Open at Fairview Slopes!

Last week, I was invited to a media event celebrating the grand opening of the second Bump N Grind Cafe location! Opened by couple Cheryl and Kyle Wright, Bump N Grind Cafe aims to bring in the best handcrafted coffee beans roasted from across Canada, including Fernwood Coffee from Victoria to Phil & Sebastian Coffee from Calgary. The first thing upon entering Bump N Grind that hit me was how amazing the space looks. It's got an amazing feel that epitomizes hip, warm, modern, and minimal all at the same time. The space isn't very large, having taken over the Tracy Stern Salon Tea store that occupied this space prior. It's amazing how different this places looks! [caption id="attachment_4772" align="aligncenter" width="625"] Seating area by the front of Bump N Grind Cafe[/caption] [caption id="attachment_4754" align="aligncenter" width="625"] Inside Bump N Grind[/caption] In addition to the awesome lighting and wood highlights, Miranda Sam, our media contact for the night, pointed out a really special decor feature here. Cheryl and Kyle, in working with the masterful Tetherstone Construction (these guys worked on Matchstick, Parallel 49, etc), was able to get a crazy bespoke geometric shelving unit that spells out Bump N Grind! [caption id="attachment_4757" align="aligncenter" width="625"] Custom shelving spells out bump n grind![/caption] [caption id="attachment_4766" align="aligncenter" width="625"] Fernwood Coffee[/caption] [caption id="attachment_4753" align="aligncenter" width="625"] Signature loose leaf teas[/caption] In addition to offering amazing espresso drinks, Bump N Grind, in true coffee-aficionado fashion of course offers pour-over, aeropress, and french press as additional brewing options. Plus, they serve hot food! [caption id="attachment_4750" align="aligncenter" width="625"] Official Menu[/caption] Before getting into the coffee though, another standout for Bump N Grind is their pastries. Oh man their pastries! It's hard to believe considering how small this place is, but they manage to make their pastries in-house! [caption id="attachment_4758" align="aligncenter" width="625"] Some mookies in the oven.[/caption] I was lucky enough to get there fairly early, so plenty of their signature pastries were still available.   [caption id="attachment_4751" align="aligncenter" width="625"] Mookies, Earl Grey Shortbread, cookies.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_4762" align="aligncenter" width="625"] Matcha Green Tea Brownie[/caption] Three of Bump N Grind's signature baked goods were the dairy-free Mookie (muffin/cookie, get it? hah!), Earl Grey Shortbread, and Matcha Green Tea Brownie. All three were great, but man was the Matcha Green Tea Brownie good. I wish they sold this in large batches - you can really taste the matcha! Alright, so after stuffing my face full of baked goods (which I really shouldn't have...still on that 30 day fitness challenge thing at work), I snuck my way to the bar to get some drinks. The bar got pretty busy as people started pouring in, but I managed to try all three signature drinks (that aren't on the regular menu btw). Did I mention that I was crazy enough to have coffee at work before coming down to this? Talk about caffeine high. [caption id="attachment_4760" align="aligncenter" width="625"] Spiked Chai with Bourbon[/caption] The first drink I had, which was non-caffeinated, was the spiked chai. A fantastically spiced chai latte with foamy steamed milk finished with a kick from the bourbon. I never thought about having bourbon with chai lattes before, but I now know what to have instead of baileys in coffee on Friday afternoons. The second drink I had was their Duetto, which was an espresso machiato with a shot of maple whiskey. Bloody awesome, but I forgot to take a picture, whoops. After chilling around for a bit more, I finished off the night with a final drink - the beautifully tasty Almond Chocolate Gibraltar. [caption id="attachment_4769" align="aligncenter" width="625"] Almond Chocolate Gibraltar[/caption] I'm not quite sure where the inspiration for the name of this drink came from, but it sure does deserve this fancy name. The glass is rimmed in home-made chocolate sauce and then dipped in an assortment of crushed roasted nuts. Toss in freshly pulled espresso and steamed milk and you've got yourself one heck of a delicious drink. I love the creativity, passion, and attention to detail displayed at Bump N Grind's grand opening, and I think it speaks a lot to the fact that Cheryl herself is incredibly passionate about coffee. Having competed in the National Canadian Barista Championship back before she and Kyle ran the original Bump N Grind, the energy she brings into this venture is plainly visible.     [caption id="attachment_4767" align="aligncenter" width="625"] Cheryl Wright putting on the finishing touches[/caption]   I'm very happy and excited to find a great coffee shop like this now open in the Fairview Slopes area. I've always felt that such a vibrant area was missing a coffee shop like this, and the void has been filled with what appears to be really capable hands. I'll definitely be back often!