British Columbia: Sophie's Cosmic Cafe Vancouver

My search for the best breakfast in Vancouver kept coming up with one name, Sophies Cosmic Café. After a visit to their website, I was tempted with the promise of a fabulous dish of waffles with fruit and whipped cream. How could I resist?

The four or seven buses from Granville will get you to Sophies. If you are coming on a weekend, come early. The line has been known to snake around the building by 9 a.m. We arrived at 8 a.m. and had no wait. After you get off the bus, take the time to enjoy the view down the side street, as it is quite spectacular.

Sophie's is a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. The walls are covered with an eclectic collection of memorabilia: pennants, lunch boxes, and coke advertisements all clamor for your attention. My attention, however, was not to be diverted. I was here to try the waffles I had seen on their website.

As we sipped our coffee, we perused the extensive breakfast selections. Bear in mind that custom dishes are not an alternative. You must choose one of their many choices. We began with a glass of grapefruit juice. It is fresh-squeezed and so chunky that you will be tempted to chew it. It is worth the cost of admission even if the rest of the food was terrible. Rest easy, the rest of the food was good, but not terrific.

I ordered the waffles with cream and fruit. I could have chosen butter and syrup. I also ordered a side of bacon. The side of bacon was the biggest I have ever seen, but it wasn’t even warm and the taste was just okay. The waffles themselves were flawless, but, frankly, I was expecting better than frozen fruit and canned whipped cream.

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Al had scrambled eggs and bacon with marble-rye bread. The toast was cut thick and half the plate was covered with homefries. Good eggs, but undercooked, and uninspired homefries.

The special of the day was a smoked salmon benny. All around us, people were obviously enjoying their meals and, truly, I did too. The service was wonderful and when I told the server I had come all the way from Connecticut. to eat breakfast here, she brought me butter and syrup for my waffles in addition to the fruit and cream.

Would I come here again? Yes, I would. It is a friendly place, and I would love to try their French toast. Would I have the homefries again, no, they were not worth it? But keep in mind, Al and I have very high expectations of homefries. Everyone else seemed to be eating and enjoying theirs.

One problem with planning where I am going to eat is that I have preconceived notions about the restaurant. Sophie’s fell short of my expectations, but, as breakfasts go, it was quite exceptional; I had just hoped for fantastic.