Bel Café (Georgia Hotel)

I literally set off in the wee morning hours on Remembrance Day trying to avoid waking up my son after he had a late night of gaming. Thus far, I’ve been fortunate in getting ready and not disturbing him too much. I have no problem sacrificing some precious sleep to go check out some more cool coffee shops. On Sunday, I was on a mission to head to Bel Café on West Georgia Street in the historic Hotel Georgia in Downtown Vancouver.

 

The Interior

First off, when you walk inside this old hotel, the décor is amazing. There is a mix of old and new in the lobby. When you go to enter the café through the door from the lobby, you are met by this single door with some huge windows around it. The café has a décor which has an old vibe with a modern flair that uses lots of wood, then throws in some more industrial pieces, and also incorporates lots of lighting.

The Drinks

I ordered a Black Sesame Latte – 8oz – $4.00

Today I went way out of my comfort zone and ordered a drink that my wife would normally order. I ordered the Black Sesame Latte. The drink contains: Japanese black sesame, honey, steamed milk, served in a double wall clear glass to show it off, which I thought was very smart. It had a very interesting flavour, with just a hint of sesame after each drink. There was a lady sitting next to me who ordered the Lavender Latte, again another very pretty drink, it has a nice purple/blue color to it.

Bel cafe has their coffee specially blended for them by 49th Parallel.

The Food

I ordered the Fruit Danish – $4.50

Plum, quark cheese, vanilla crumble. The Danish was outstanding. Very flaky, nice crumble on top, terrific flavours. I know what you are asking, “What is Quark Cheese?” that was my question, unfortunately the girl at the till could not tell me either.

The dictionary says it’s Farmers Cheese or a proper cheese, quark is drier and grainier than cream cheese but lighter. They say it makes a great cheesecake filling.

Plain quark tastes like a cross between Greek yoghurt and cottage cheese. No real surprise given its texture. High-fat varieties are very creamy and smooth, making them easy to enjoy on their own. Low-fat varieties on the other hand are very thick and firm, more like a spread. 

 

The Service

Service was just ok. The girl working the till struggled with my questions. She really didn’t go out of her way to find me the answer either. This was unfortunate.

The Hours

Weekdays 6:30 am to 5:00 pm

Weekends 7:00 am to 5:00 pm

 

Parking

I found street parking but it was very early, it was Remembrance Day, and nobody was working downtown. A regular day would have been a different story.

 

Last Words

While I didn’t spend too much time at the café.  Altogether, it was a good stop at the Hotel Georgia and the Bel Cafe. It was a very relaxing atmosphere in this historic old hotel.