Dining in Vancouver at Chill Winston

Bike Launch 2012
April marked the start of our 2012 bike season. Yes – we are soft and do not bike through the Vancouver winter. We were actually quite proud of ourselves because we have set a minimum 10 degree rule to break out the bikes and decided to wave the rule for a sunny 8 degree Easter weekend on Saturday. (It was 10 degrees by the time we got home). Our ride also had a purpose – looking at an apartment on Keefer Street. We are looking for a change to a more vibrant neighbourhood but so far have realized that our apartment is pretty good.

Chill Winston
All of our weekend bike rides always end with brunch. Given the temperature we were looking for a patio that was blocked from the wind and had lots of sun. Chill Winston fit the bill and we parked our bikes beside quite a few others just before the patio got full and the line-up started. Chill Winston has another one of Vancouver’s great patios (see previous blog about Provence Marinaside) but instead of looking at views of the seawall and marina this patio is terrific for people watching and getting into the vibe of Gastown. Chill Winston has been on the ‘Gassy Jack’ corner of Gastown for quite a while and more restaurants have developed around it. We could count seven from our seats on the large, sunny and busy patio.

Menu, Food and Service
The brunch menu has changed since our last visit and features a smaller selection of breakfast items and a larger selection of tapas and lunch items. We were interested in breakfast (as we usually are). Jeff ordered the Sweet Jesus French Toast and I ordered the Huevos Pan-cheros. The french toast featured egg dipped white chocolate bread, apricot jam and bourbon maple syrup. It was delicious and very rich. I ordered poached eggs for my dish instead of the standard sunny side up and was impressed with the presentation which came as what I would call deconstructed typical Huevos Rancheros in a cast iron skillet – pan fries, salsa and black beans covered with melted cheese topped with a smashed avocado and two poached eggs. Yum!

We have liked Chill Winston every time we have been. Bring on summer so we can get a tan while we eat brunch next time!