Forty Ninth Parallel Café & Lucky's Doughnuts (West 4th)

Being the food trend whore that seems to represent Vancouver, Reuben was very excited to see all of the different doughnut opportunities the city has presented us with.  We've tried Voodoo (not local I know, but famous), Lee's, Cartem's, etc....

One of the places we hadn't yet tried was Lucky's Doughnuts, and on a beautiful June day a stroll to Kits was a great reason to give it a try.  Neither of us had been to either location, so this was our first time getting lucky.

Veggie Girl was exhausted from the walk/heat, as she did not grow up in the Okanagan desert.  Also, she was rehabing a broken bone, and starting to gain more mobility.  This meant that she would be in charged of finding a table in the packed restaurant while Reuben ordered.

A few things to mention about this Kitsilano location:

• Busy
• Nice patio with stools outside
• Tables really close together
• Fast paced ordering, service was friendly, but rushed
• Sitting spaces are at a premium

With the decision to choose two good doughnuts Reuben had his work cut out for him.  Being nuts for peanuts, the PB&J doughnut ($3.50) was an obvious choice.  This came with unconventional geometry with flat sides and a circular hole.  The doughnut was topped with Peanut Butter icing and crushed peanuts.  The inside was filled with a from-scratch jam.  This was both of our favorites, and the doughnut was huge and dense.  The flavours were well represented without being too sweet, and not being dry.

The other option took a little bit more decision making.  Split between the Salted Caramel, French Cruller, or the Apple Bacon Fritter ($3.50), Reuben went with his heart (or against it) and took the bacon.  This was not quite as big as the first doughnut, and was not nearly as sweet.  The doughnut was as expected dense, but also had good moisture once again.  We were however not blown away by the flavours.  In fact we were somewhat underwhelmed.  Despite a decent amount of toppings we could not really distinguish any of the apple or bacon.  Perhaps the PB&J numbed our tastebuds.

Overall we enjoyed our visit to Lucky's, and we hope to take advantage of some of there coffee and doughnut deals which sounds like a good deal at $4.  The interesting flavours, and cool atmosphere were worth the hype.  It does get busy, and not everyone likes the bustling dining room but I think it is a great option for doughnut cravers in town.  Both of us agree however that it is not quite at Cartem's level.

Summary:

+ Great location

+ Large, moist doughnuts with great variety

+ Good combo deal (we didn't try this)

- Expensive

- Can get busy

Marmalade Cat Cafe

A long hungover drive to Reuben's old stomping grounds of Kelowna yielded good weather, beach visits, and senior citizens.  As this was one of Veggie Girl's first visits to the sunny okanagan, Reuben wanted to show off the beauty of the valley.  This started with a beach day in Peachland kayaking and swimming, followed the next morning by a bike ride in East Kelowna through the orchards and vineyards.

After working up an appetite on our orchard velo tour, we had a short time frame to eat before heading to the pool (lots of swimming in the Okanagan eh?)  With Reuben's keen sense of direction, and knowledge of his hometown he suggested the quaint Marmalade Cat Cafe, which has become a local landmark in the Pandosy neighbourhood.

Reuben, being powerless to the combination of chicken and cranberries went for the Oven Roasted Chicken Breast Sandwich (8.25).  This came on your choice of bread with sliced chicken, cranberry sauce, honey mustard, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, peppers, red onion & cheddar cheese.  This also came with a mixed greens salad.  The sandwich was good, but not as flavourful as would've been expected.  Overall, it did hit the spot though, and was a decent value in an area not known for cheap food.

Veggie girl opted for the Grilled Pesto Chicken Panini with Cat Coleslaw (9.25).  This came with oven roasted chicken breast, artichokes, roasted red pepper, monterey jack cheese & pesto mayo.  This was tasty, and savoury, but the portion did not impress.  The value of the sandwich did not seem to extend to the panini. The slaw was simple, yet good, but again was not as much as we expected.  

Overall we would not rush to go back.  The Marmalade Cat Cafe is a really cool place in a nice area, but I feel the forte is on the pastries, snacks and drinks.  I feel that for a better meal I would venture elsewhere, perhaps Soy, or Hector's Casa nearby.  It should be mentioned that we were both very hungry when we arrived, and this may have influenced our opinions of the cafe.

Summary:
+ Patio is perfect in the Okanagan Summers 
+ Good for a light meal
+ Cozy, and good ambience

- Small portions
- Food was basic, and seemed like a side show