VanFoodies.com

As you all can figure from my posts, I love meat. Even my coworkers are fully aware of it (and sometimes make fun of me for that). So when our beloved, vegetarian friends JG and BD visited Vancouver from Toronto, it pained me a little that DV and DH chose a vegetarian restaurant — The Acorn — for our brunch together, instead of a regular restaurant with good vegetarian options. But hey, how else would I get to try The Acorn?! I’m game!

Food

The brunch menu at The Acorn isn’t big, but there are some interesting items that even a carnivore like me was intrigued. For beverage, I ordered a non-alcoholic Citrus + Spiced Iced Tea. It has grapefruit, Vermouth reduction sherbet, and mandarin spiced tea. It’s refreshing, herbaceous yet borderline medicinal. It’s quite light in the spiced flavours, but it would make a good summer drink.

As for my main, I opted for the Fried Egg. What caught my eye? The fried poached egg. Yes, a poached egg battered with cornmeal then fried. You would think that the egg would be over-cooked. Impressively, my egg was cooked perfectly — I cut it open and the yolk just oozed out. The smoked chanterelles were in the place of meat; they were earthy, hearty, and they tasted so good. I wished there were more! Overall the plate was well composed. The soft polenta and parsnip puree were creamy, and the fried poached egg and roasted parsnip added some texture. Everything tasted very good, but it wasn’t very filling for me.

Mr., DV and BD all ordered the Skillet, and this was a hearty dish! There was roasted eggplant, potatoes, asparagus, mushrooms, mustard greens, etc. The tomato jam was sweet yet acidic. The potato chips were sliced thinly, fried nice and crispy. If I were to order it, I think I would feel quite satisfied finishing it. Mr. paid extra $3 to add a fried poached egg to his plate, but his was over-cooked. Nothing oozed out, unfortunately.

JG and DH ordered the Eggs on Toast. It looked a lot bigger in portion, and with the toast it definitely seemed more filling than my plate. No picture here, though, since I didn’t try it. DH and JG both really enjoyed it.

For dessert, DV and DH ordered the Marshmallow to share. It’s a play on s’mores. Boy, was the marshmallow good. It was ooey-gooey and made a perfect match with the chocolate and hazelnut spread underneath. The almond biscuit was a miss for me. It was a bit hard and chewy; perhaps missing some butter in the dough. That said, having the dessert just hit the spot, filling what was left after finishing my plate.

Service

The brunch was just on a regular Saturday. When DV made reservations, he was asked to provide credit card to secure the reservation — I’ve seen that done for Dine Out or special occasions like Christmas, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, but it’s not too common on a regular weekend. We were told ahead of time that an 18% auto-gratuity would be charged for our party of 6. I guess they are really that busy for weekend brunches!

Once we were there, our server was friendly, patient with us as we waited for the whole party to show up. She was also super excited and enthusiastic about the food there, which is nice to see.

Final Thoughts

Initially I was skeptical about going to The Acorn, thinking it may be over-rated, over-hyped. Turns out the food was delicious, well-executed and well thought out. Perhaps the portion size may not satisfy all, but it’s definitely worth a visit from the carnivores.

The Acorn
3995 Main St, Vancouver
604-566-9001
theacornrestaurant.ca