When Yolk’s food truck opened almost two years ago, a little frisson went through Vancouver. Breakfast — at any time of day — is not normally something one stands outside to eat, but owner/chef Steven Ewing proved it can and should be. People lined up around city blocks to chow down on free range eggs with bright orange yolks, poached and sandwiched between English muffins or gluten-free buns with real Hollandaise, or organic fried chicken with waffles, or even the fairly awesome house granola.
Fast-forward to December of last year and a bricks-and-mortar location was ready to open. Originally more commissary than café, the space was a result of Ewing’s insight into what was lacking in Vancouver.
“There weren’t enough commissary kitchens [at the time],” explains Ewing. “At the same time, food trucks and farmers’ markets vendors all were required to work out of commissary kitchen, so [the existing commissaries] got overwhelmed. I found this space, renovated it and rented it out to La Tacqueria and others.”
The popularity of the café, however, necessitated growing the service operation, and the space now seats 80 and impressively handles almost 400 covers on a weekend day.
Ewing is an industry vet, having worked on the Sunshine Coast as a restaurant consultant for eight years and opened 11 restaurants before going into business for himself. He credits a friend in Portland, the owner of The Big Egg food truck, as a major influence, but chalks up most of the inspiration to his own lifestyle. “I’m an early riser and like to keep active with snowboarding and other sports, so breakfast seemed like a good idea.”
And, it is that. Those free-range eggs from Abbotsford are poached to runny, creamy perfection. Lemon-truffle hashbrowns are big, flavourful chunks of potato roasted to golden crispness. “I wanted to make hashbrowns the star of the show and this was my go-to salad dressing from my days working in hotels.”
Go-to is what these have become, judging by the tables around me on my last visit, a menu item that can be ordered on its own or as a side. Throw in a side of the excellent bacon or hand-carved ham (sourced from a Quebec smokehouse), and breakfast really is a complete meal.
Deep-fried chicken with waffles Is slightly on the salty side for my taste, but the flesh is moist and tender, and the waffles are chewy and have a pleasant texture. Dip them in the white gravy for good times. And don’t miss the beignets, served with salted caramel dipping sauce and dusted with confectioner’s sugar.
Despite the high numbers (no reservations here), the lines move quickly and the service is highly efficient and, best of all, not pushy. Guests are allowed to linger over their meals, no matter how long the waitlist is, and the bill comes only when you ask for it.
All ratings out of five stars.
Food: ★★★1/2
Service: ★★★★
Ambiance: ★★★
Overall: ★★★
Open Monday-Friday 8am-3pm, Saturday-Sunday 9am-4pm.
Yolk’s | 1298 E. Hastings |
604-441-9655 | Yolks.ca
Anya Levykh has been writing and talking about all things ingestible for more than 10 years. Hear her every Monday on CBC Radio One’s On the Coast and find her on Twitter @foodgirlfriday and Facebook.com/FoodGirlFriday. FoodGirlFriday.com
