Extreme Coffee Freak

A while ago I read an article about this café that was going to be opening in Vancouver. Once I seen the photos, I told my wife we had to go visit this place next time we were in Vancouver. Wait until you see the photos, this place is unlike no other café you been to. Trust me.

Laurence & Chico is a Canadian based womenswear and accessories brand founded in 2015 by Laurence Li and Chico Wang. The duo met while studying at the prestigious Parson’s School of Design.

Laurence & Chico Cafe is located on the West End in Downtown Vancouver just off Robson Street. Just out front of this café is a community piano where anyone can play. While we were there, this older gentleman was playing beautifully.

The Interior

Not sure where I should start??? Wow is where. This space is the most unique and funky spot with the most amazing interior I have ever seen in a café. How do I put it? It’s where Dr. Seuss and Tim Burton come together. These guys’ artwork and fashion designs are way out there. I do however, applaud the imagination.

The cafe was filled with their inspiration – from chairs, tables, walls floors, to even the water closets and the peak-a-boo ceiling.

If you look at the artwork on the walls, you see eye balls everywhere. You see nothing but plant based characters. Totally crazy visuals and with so much attention to detail. I read that you will only see Laurence and Chico drawn in the human form, whereas their families and friends are drawn as animals, plants, fruits and vegetables. Even the mannequins are not normal, they are 7 feet tall and weird looking. (Alien if you will). This just adds to the senses.

The tables and chairs are whimsical, and freaky at the same time. The stools appear to be made out of a huge exercise ball, which I was told were a little interesting to sit on. I loved the monster-like chairs and the pearl bead work on the inside of the creative balloon chairs is amazing.

There is also a little section at the back where you could buy things such as cellphone cases, t-shirts, sweat shirts and jackets. The clothing was very expensive, T-shirts were $125.  One thing I wanted to note was that the actual seats were quite limited. However, there was a bar-like table that you could drink/eat while standing up that looked like a whimsical snake.

This is a great place for Instagrammers. So much to take in.

The Drinks

When we were there I ordered a Vanilla Latte, my wife had the Oolong Milky (their version of the London Fog) and my daughter ordered the Place St Marc Tea.

Laurence and Chico’s roaster of choice is 49^th Parallel. My wife and my drinks were pretty good, no real complaints to speak of. I appreciated getting out drinks in ceramic mugs. I am not a fan of paper cups. They do serve a purpose but not when you are staying in house for a drink. My daughter got hers in a to go cup only because she wanted the design on it, even the cups have their eyeball art on it.

Overall, I felt the prices were very reasonable considering that you get 2 shots in a regular size latte. My latte was $5.45 and the teas were about $3.50 each

They also serve an assortment of teas and fresh juices if you’re into that.

The Food

As for the food, there was quite a selection of tiny sandwiches, desserts and pastries. All of the food looked really good. On this day we went with the Black Forest Mousse Tart and the Honey Bee Lemon Tart. The tarts were also very good and looked almost too good to eat. If I had one complaint, it would be that it was a little pricey. I think both tarts were about $5.50 each.

The Service

All in all the customer service was super friendly. All personnel were smiling and very helpful. They encouraged us to wander around and take pictures. We definitely felt the baristas had a sense of pride at this café.

The cashiers were wearing hats with lace that almost looked like hair, which was pretty cool. The experience to have coffee in such an environment was very pleasing and fun.

The Bathrooms

I don’t normally write about my washroom adventures but I had to this time. When you are there, check out the washrooms, they are very interesting. One of them has a funky mural and a million yellow rubber ducks on the ceiling and the other one has hydrangeas hanging on the ceiling, neon lights changing color and mirrors on all the walls. The sink, soap dispenser and paper towel dispenser are built into the wall as well. I had to really look for it. See the pictures below.

Never in my life have I ever seen bathrooms like these. Incredible attention to detail is the only word for it.

 

The Hours

Monday to Thursday they are open 11:00am – 8:00pm. Friday and Saturday they are open 11:00am – 11:00pm. On Sundays they are open 11:00am – 8:00pm.

Parking

There is some paid parking on the street. I parked in a parking lot behind the shop, still had to pay, after all this is Vancouver, no free parking anywhere.

Last Words

I now have been to over 150 different cafes in the past few years and this was the most unique one so far. I would highly recommend this place to anyone, the staff are terrific, and the atmosphere is really cool. I will be going back to Laurence and Chico’s again, just to see what they have come up with next.

 

Certain retail spaces always seem to stay what they were in their previous lives such as a coffee shop stays a coffee shop, and a gas station stays a gas station. As if the space can harbor no other type of business.

I really wish more businesses would think outside the box to create something amazing. La Foret is that place. Once you see the pictures, you won’t believe this space used to be an auto body shop. I applaude what they have fashioned with this auto shop.

The Interior

The interior of this place is amazing with high ceilings and very modern décor. We showed up as they were just about to open so they let us roam around and really look at the space. We were expecting what we seen. Huge windows, large skylights and lots of seating. Did I mention the garden. They call it their forest (“Foret” means forest in France). Incredible.

The coffee bar is long and open. They have a huge display case with all the baked goods for viewing and to drool over. The kitchen is also open for all to see. No hiding in this kitchen.

For the space being so large, they have made it very interesting. We haven’t even mentioned the gabion walls. In case you were wondering what gabion walls are, they are built with a cage filled with rock.

The Drinks

We ordered a Vanilla latte, a Spanish latte and a Darjeeing tea. All drinks were terrific.

As for the coffee, they offer Timbertrain as their day to day roaster of choice, which is one of my favorite roasters. It’s unfortunate that I can only get Timbertrain at one shop in Calgary. So when I am able to get it, I like to take advantage of it.

The Food

After seeing the pictures of their waffles, we decided to grab some breakfast while we were here. Decisions, decisions, what type of waffle to order.

We ordered a couple waffle platters and I ordered the Mango waffle platter, I also ordered a side of potatoes and a side of bacon.

My wife and daughter’s only comments were that their potatoes were not too hot. They thought that they should serve a thick cut bacon, as the bacon they served lacked flavor. Both my wife and daughter thought the small salad on the plate was a great idea and tasted terrific.

Waffle Platter had a Fresh waffle, some eggs, bacon, a side salad, and potatoes

My mango waffle platter was outstanding. If you love mango, order this. When I go back to Burnaby, I will be going back there for another.

Mango Waffle platter had a Waffle, chunks of mango, blueberry, mango ice cream, almonds, mango syrup, and whipping cream

Not into breakfast, check out their baked goods. Everything looked amazing, everything is fresh and made in house.

The Service

All the staff we dealt with were very friendly and helpful. Just to let you know that once you order you get one of the light up coasters that lights up when your food and drinks are ready. No table service here.

The Hours

They are open 7 days a week, and they have great hours.

Monday to Friday: 8am to 11pm

Saturday, Sunday and Holidays: 9am to 11pm

 

Parking

They do have about 6-8 parking spots in the front and more parking behind the building. There is also some street parking available.

 

Last Words

I love to see these independent coffee shops thrive and survive. I would think that La Foret will have no problem doing that, they have quite a few office buildings close by as well as they sit in amongst houses in the community. After we sat down, the place was busy right until we left, which was great to see. Delicious food and great atmosphere. Definitely make a trip here if you are in Burnaby. Absolutely amazing!

Many people love their local coffee shop for no other reason than it provides a pleasant place to congregate. Most people naturally look for a communal gathering spot and a spacious coffeehouse is probably the best place to do this. It’s no wonder that people flock to such spaces.

Next stop in our journey on our way to Vancouver was Kamloops. Today we decided to stop at a place in downtown Kamloops called The Art We Are.

 

The Interior

This space was quite large when it comes to coffee house sizes. The ceiling height had to have been 15-20 feet high. The large walls were filled with local artist’s paintings and pictures. There was also an area they were selling local artists jewelry and other crafts.

There is a ton of seating, mismatched tables and chairs, which we thought was pretty cool. I would call it eclectic rustic décor.

When we were there, Pride week had just finished and they still had a huge display in their front window showing their support.

The Drinks

First off, as you can see by the pictures that the menu is huge and not just the size of it on the wall. They have a huge assortment of drinks to choose from. Myself personally, I found it too much to look at and had trouble deciding what I wanted to try.

We ordered a Matcha Lemonade, a Vanilla Latte and a Pina Colada Smoothie. All prices were pretty reasonable except for the smoothie which was $8.95. The smoothie was served in a small mason jar. The smoothie had a more banana flavor instead of the coconut we were expecting.

All the other drinks were good, they served Kicking Horse Coffee. A local vendor from Invermere.

The Food

First off, they like to support the local community, by sourcing items such as produce, baking, cooking supplies, and milk from local farmers.

We had ordered a Chai Lemon Loaf and a Coconut Apricot Pineapple Muffin. All were reasonable priced and  had terrific flavor.

 

The Service

The service overall wasn’t too bad, the only negative I had was that we asked for all the drinks to be put into to-go cups. The drinks showed up in mugs and mason jars. Staff were pretty friendly, nice to talk with. For their table identifications when you order food, they give you an animal or character. That day we received a donkey, earlier that day we had drove past Turtle Valley Donkey Refuge just outside of Chase, my daughter really wanted to stop but we had to keep moving. She was so excited to see we received a donkey. After they had messed up on our beverages, not being in to-go cups, we wrote a ransom note, left $2 and we decided that we would take the donkey on a little adventure to the ocean. Later that day we decided to name the donkey Poncho.

 

The Hours

Monday- Saturday 9am to 9pm and Closed on Sunday

 

Parking

Street parking is available, we ended up parking about a block away from there.

 

Last Words

After sitting down with our drinks, my family and I enjoyed a delightful hour of good coffee and conversation in their shop. After leaving the coffee house, I can easily see why The Art We Are holds a solid place in this community.

Poncho’s adventures became a big part of our trip throughout Vancouver and to continue following his adventure in Calgary, follow extremecoffeefreak on Instagram.

 

 

I once said it’s no secret that everyone loves going to old diners. Listen to some tunes and eat some good old fashion diner food. On our way to Vancouver, we decided to stop and check this place out. A co-worker recommended us to visit. First appearance from the road, it looked alright, a few burnt out neon lights. Then you walk in and it is a totally different experience.

 

The Interior

The inside was truly modeled after an old diner. It looked like they hadn’t done any upgrades since the 50’s. Numerous neon lights on the inside of the diner were burnt out. Overall the whole place looked a little run down and could use some help.

The Drinks

My wife and I split a Chocolate Strawberry Milkshake. Chocolate was the dominate flavor in this milkshake, with just a touch of strawberry flavoring. It came out in the metal cup they mixed it in. I wish it would have been a little thicker, but overall wasn’t too bad.

The Food

We order a couple of bacon cheddar burgers with crinkle fries. We loved the bun, fresh and soft. Great bun-to-burger ratio. I only wish the burger could have been a little thicker. The burger had good flavor. We also ordered a side of gravy, it was very flavorful and thick.

My daughter order a pizza, overall the pizza was very good. She wished they had used a different cheese as it was a little greasy. She did mention the crust was really good.

The Service

The waitress was very friendly and helpful. She did come back a few times and check on things. When we were leaving, we came across an older lady at the till. She wasn’t the friendliest and really didn’t say much.

 

The Hours

They are open seven days a week, 7:00am to 10:00pm

 

Parking

They have lots of parking for cars and trucks and there is street parking if you are pulling a trailer to driving a big rig.

 

Last Words

Overall, I am not sad we stopped here, food was pretty good, just wish the place looked better and cleaner. The place was fairly busy, just not sure if they were locals or tourists.

Would I stop again, probably not.

After driving late into the evening on our way to Vancouver, we stopped in Revelstoke for the night. We woke up fairly early and I needed a coffee, so we headed into the downtown area of Revelstoke. What a fantastic place. Before I could get my coffee, we walked through a little farmers market on Main Street. We are always a sucker for a good farmers market. While we were walking around I also came across a local coffee roaster called Stoke Coffee, so naturally I had to buy some beans. But that’s another story for another day.

Conversations is a locally owned coffee house and restaurant in downtown Revelstoke.

 

The Interior

When you walk into this café, you instantly feel at home and comfortable, We were very welcomed like we lived there forever. They don’t make you feel like a stranger, that’s for sure. They have lots of artwork on the walls. They support local artists and talent. Exposed brick walls, wrought iron shelving and lots of seating which is very common for most shops. Unfortunately, we didn’t have tons of time, so we couldn’t sit around and enjoy the coffee house. Maybe next time.

While we were there, we met a dog named Yuna, very friendly. This café is definitely laid back and I can see us visiting again our next time through.

The Drinks

We ordered a Vanilla Latte, a salted caramel latte, and a London fog. All the drinks were really good.

They also offered an assortment of teas, Specialty coffees, smoothies, and cold drinks.

Conversations proudly serves Doi Chang Coffee. It is Beyond Fair Trade which means Doi Chang offers beyond Fair Trade premium prices and then partners with the farmers by returning 50% of their profits to the producers in Thailand. How awesome is that.

The Food

When you walk in you smell fresh baked good coming out of the oven. I wished I hadn’t just had breakfast because I would have been all over these treats. All the baked goods looked amazing. They also do soups, sandwiches, wraps, paninis. Everything is made fresh in house.

The Service

The service was outstanding. Both ladies that were working were very friendly and answered all of our questions. I thing that I thought was very cool is when we asked the older lady what the shops Instagram was, she asked what Instagram was. We had a little chuckle.

As we were there lots of locals were coming in and out and seemed to know each other.

 

The Hours

Hours are Monday to Saturday from 8:00am to 6:00pm, and Sundays from 8:00am to 4:30pm.

 

Parking

There is lots of street parking but not the day we were there as they were having a Farmers Market in the streets of downtown.

 

Last Words

If you are cruising the TransCanada Highway near Revelstoke and you are thinking you need a coffee, head downtown and find Conversations Coffee House. You won’t be disappointed.

It seems like there is a new trend in the Ice Cream world, rolled ice cream. We were excited to see that there was a local ice cream shop on Edmonton Trail NE just off 13th AVE NE. WE have drove past this little ice cream shop many times and this time we had the opportunity to stop in.

The Interior

The interior is very clean and simple. There is only five tables for seating inside. There was a couple families inside when we walked in, so we got to see what favours they got before ordering ours. It was very bright and friendly inside, I would definitely recommend stopping by if you are in the neighbourhood.

The Ice Cream

There was eight different kinds of rolled ice cream to try. After inspecting the menu we decided to try the Pina Colada, the Cookies n’ Cream, and the Caphe. We were very excited to try these. Watching them make these ice cream rolls was the coolest experience ever.

The Service

The individuals that work there are very knowledgable and very friendly. They really helped us decided what flavours to choose.

 

The Hours

Monday to Thursday: 1pm-10pm

Friday to Saturday: 1pm-11pm

Sunday: 12pm-10pm

Parking

When it is a warm night, you may have issues finding parking close. The night we visited, we had to park a block away and walk in. Others parked further away and walked a while to enjoy this ice cream.

Last Words

If you are wanting to try something new, like rolled ice cream, then you should make your way to Dellor Ice Cream. They have seasonal flavours that would be a great way to finish a long day. It’s never to late for rolled ice cream.

It’s no secret that everyone loves going to old diners. Listen to some tunes and eat some good old fashion diner food. There’s just something very cool about these places. If I am going to sit down and have a great meal, especially a great breakfast meal, I sure want the place to have great coffee as well.

In Calgary, one such diner does that, known for good eats, good coffee and the place is called Diner Deluxe. Located on corner of Edmonton Trail NE and 7 Ave NE. They have a second location in the Aspen Landing Shopping Centre.

 

The Interior

The interior is a classic retro diner. They have lots of seating inside as well as a great patio out front. I really thought the patio would have been a bit noiser from the traffic, but most of the noise was coming from one couple sitting a few tables down from us. They were just a we bit loud. So much so, the couple sitting next to them asked to be moved inside to get away from them. We get it.

The Drinks

Today my daughter and I had the Maple Latte and my wife had a steeped tea. The maple lattes were pretty good, I enjoyed that fact that they were not too sweet. My wife really enjoyed her tea. They use Phil and Sebastian. It’s been a while since I had one.

The Food

As I mentioned in my Instagram post, the food was outstanding. My wife ordered the Breakfast Poutine, my daughter ordered the Wild Mushroom Benedict and I went with the Brisket-Sirloin Burger. The prices were all pretty reasonable.

The breakfast poutine had a basil hollandaise sauce which was very good and served with rosemary hash browns, and Quebec cheese curds. She also added double smoked bacon. Absolutely delicious.

The wild mushroom benedict, also used the same hollandaise sauce and came with the same hash browns. The flavours were all very well put together.

The brisket sirloin burger was served on a brioche bun with an assortment of condiments. It came with crinkle fries, sorry but I wish it had fresh cut fries. I do love me some fresh cut fries. I also ordered a side of rosemary gravy, it was an excellent complement to the fries.

I was really impressed that they source out local and sustainable ingredients for their food. It shows, the food was excellent and it looked great too.

The Service

Our overall experience at Diner Deluxe was outstanding, right from when we walked in the door to walking out. Everyone was very friendly, and made our experience very memorable.

The Hours

Sunday to Wednesday: 7:30am to 3:00pm

Thursday to Saturday: 7:30am to 9:00pm, these night they are open late serving dinner.

 

Parking

I was parked right on Edmonton Trail and was lucky to get the spot I got. I think there was parking on the side and rear of the business.

 

Last Words

After consuming our meal and our beverages, we sat for a while. It was very relaxing just to sit and not be rushed out. If you find yourself driving up or down Edmonton Trail and see a line up at Diner Deluxe, stop and have a delicious meal, a good beverage and a great atmosphere. Stop, it is worth the wait. Trust me.

 

After driving through Olds, we decided to head North towards Sylvan Lake which is a summer resort town with a huge lake. I would think the population triples in the summer. There are some days I think it would be cool to live in a small town like this, but then the city calls me back and holds me there.

One such find in Sylvan Lake is Timber Coffee Co. The main reason I wanted to check this place out, is that it is a non-profit shop ran by Central Alberta Youth Unlimited.

The Interior

Outfitted in a one-story building shared with Central Alberta Youth Unlimited, Timber Coffee offers a spacious cafe with plenty of seating. After looking around, it appears the café is furnished by IKEA products. They have a wall of products and swag that are for sale that supports the youth organization. I did buy a nice ball cap, and my daughter bought a sweatshirt. As I made my way back to the washroom, I noticed that they had an indoor skateboard park inside the building along with more great space for kids to hang out and play games.

The Drinks

They offer several coffees from greats such as Timbertrain out of Vancouver which is a welcome sight outside of Calgary. This shop offers both classic espresso (lattes, cappuccinos) and regular coffee, as well as some hand-crafted specialties (pourovers, macchiatos).

I tried a vanilla latte and was quite impressed. Their vanilla flavouring is made in house and is quite good. The baristas are talented and their latte art showed their skill. My wife had the London Fog and my daughter had the iced vanilla latte.  Both drinks also very good.

The Food

Unfortunately, we didn’t order any food this day.

The Service

The staff are friendly, helpful and overall it was a great place to sit and hang out for a while.

 

The Hours

Monday to Friday: 7:30am to 8pm

Saturday: 9am to 8pm

Sunday: 9am to 4pm

 

Parking

There is lots of parking on either side of the building.

Last Words

After relaxing with my coffee for a short time, it was time for me to start my journey home. I would definitely drop by Timber Coffee again for another great beverage. Lastly, I would like to say that Central Alberta Youth Unlimited has done an outstanding job with this place. If you are driving by Sylvan Lake or there enjoying the lake, please stop by this place and support a great establishment.

When traveling through Alberta, I have usually cruised the same old roads up the number 2 going to Edmonton never venturing off the beaten path. However, this day we decided to change course, create our own path and head into Olds. I found myself on a detour, meandering a less-traveled route along a secondary highway to see some of the beautiful rolling hills of Alberta.  After reviewing a town map, one establishment stood out. We made our way down the street to the other side of the tracks to visit a local café called the Cocoa Tree Bake Shop. This shop specializes in cakes and cupcakes for all occasions.

The Interior

Nestled in an old house, the Cocoa Tree Bake Shop is one of the few coffee shops in the area. Buzzing with activity the morning of our visit, the shop was warm and cozy with a pleasant atmosphere and we were pleased to see that this little shop had a bunch of indoor and outdoor seating. While we were there, there was a group of ladies, I thought were retired teachers, lots of back and forth chatter, talking about a woman named Joyce. After listening to the stories, we would really like to meet Joyce.

 

The Drinks

After reviewing the menu, my wife decided to try something new that she had never heard of before. It was called an Iced Strawberry Matcha Slush, she said it was amazing and there was a strong taste of strawberry. To our amazement there was actual strawberries mashed into the beverage. My daughter had a Toasted Marshmallow Latte, she wished it tasted more like a toasted marshmallow. She was happy that there was a toasted marshmallow on the top of the drink. I enjoyed a Vanilla Latte, it was good. I think there could have been better flavour.

 

The Food

The cakes and cupcakes on display looked absolutely amazing. So we decided to try a few different things. We ordered a 6 pack of different types of cupcakes, a Rootbeer Cupcake, a Carrot Cake Cupcake, a S’more Cupcake, a Banana Split Cupcake, a Maple Bacon Cupcake, and a Raspberry Chocolate Cupcake.  They were moist but some lacked flavor unfortunately.

We also ordered a Lemon Brownie. It was a white chocolate brownie flavoured with lemon. It was delicious and not as sweet as what we thought it would be.  It was perfectly balanced and I would definitely order that again.

 

The Service

Overall, the service was really good. The staff were extremely friendly.

 

The Hours

Monday 9:30-5pm

Tuesday to Friday 9:30-5:30pm

Saturday 10-2pm

Sunday Closed

 

Parking

Cocoa Tree Bake Shop has a few stalls right out front and there is lots of parking on the street.

 

Last words

After polishing off our drinks and treats, we continued on our detour quite refreshed and ready for some more coffee. We were off to Sylvan Lake to see what we can find there.

If you seek good coffee and some treats in central Alberta, definitely check out the Cocoa Tree Bake Shop in Olds.