Have you checked out Story Story Lie yet? In case you haven’t heard about this fun event, it is now a regular monthly gig at Café Deux Soleils on The Drive. Their next performance is Friday, March 10th and for this one Story Story Lie is doing something a little bit different in honour of International Women’s Day. They will be featuring all female performers and the line up, well we have to say folks, this is going to be good! First up, we have local East Van icon Mary Jean Dunsdon known to many as Watermelon. Mary Jean, was until recently a very regular sighting on Wreck Beach during the summer months. These days the Licorice Parlour on the Drive keeps her fairly busy. We are fairly sure Watermelon is going to have some good stories for this event. Next up, we have Kathleen McGee, local stand up comic and host of the popular podcast Kathleen McGee is A Hot Mess, Fatima Dhowre, Reema SH, Burcu and Maia Gibb, past Story Story Lie winner and humorous blogger. The aim of the evening is figure out of course who is telling the truth and who is the stand out liar. Can you spot the liar? Come out March 11th to find out. Tickets are $10 and available in advance through Eventbrite. All proceeds from this event will be going to The Chrysalis Society which is a local grass roots organization providing assistance to women overcoming abuse and addition.
Story Story Lie Is Back March 10, 2017 Café Deux Soleils Celebrating International Women’s Day
1 Mar
Disney On The Drive February 19th At Café Deux Soleils
13 Feb
You are invited to a family friendly event at Café Deux Soleils on Sunday, February 19th called Disney On The Drive. A group of local artists will be featuring songs from popular Disney movies like Let It Go from Frozen and Kiss The Girl from The Little Mermaid. Some of the artists performing at this event include Julia Spitale, Shera Kelly, Michael Averill, Joseph Spitale, Ross Christopher Fairbairn and Matt Langill. Cover is $5-10, but we hear no one will be turned away for lack of funds. The show kicks off at 7:00 pm and although it may be a bit late for some very young children, kids of all ages are welcome.
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Let’s Do Brunch On The Drive
20 Jan
We are often asked where is a good place to go for brunch, coffee, dinner, live music or drinks in East Van. We started our brunch series with setting out some of our favourite spots in the Hastings Sunrise area. Next up we’d like to feature some very delish spots along Commercial Drive, some we’ve tried and some we’ve heard great things about through our grape vine.
Bandidas Taqueria, 2781 Commercial Drive
Brunch 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
We confess we have not tried this spot. We have noticed that it is a rare occasion that this spot is not busy, no matter the time of day or night. Bandidas Taqueria serves brunch daily from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm as well as breakfast all day. Most of their items are gluten free and we like that they get their gluten free bread from local fav spot, East Village Bakery. Eggs, beans and guacamole are featured heavily on their brunch menu, but we have our eye on the Cornbread Muffin Tops with honey butter. Bandidas Taqueria will make any breakfast vegan. This spot is certainly on our list to try not only because of the food, but their focus on minimal impact to the environment and their of support local smaller distributors. Bandidas Taqueria is located just North of 12th Avenue on Commercial Drive. Just a 5 minute walk from the Broadway Skytrain Station if you are travelling from elsewhere in the City.
Café Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Drive
Breakfast 8:00 am – 3:00 pm Weekdays + 9:00 am – 4:00 pm Weekends
You can’t miss this spot for the colourful mural outside. Cafe Deux Soleils is a long standing business on The Drive having been there for over 20 years. Here you will find eggs, but you won’t find meat if that’s what you are looking for. You will though find Veggie Ham or Veggie Sausage and lots of other great items as well as a kids menu. It’s a popular spot day and night as this spot includes a stage where you will find many local performers whether comedy, music, poetry and much more.
Havana is a great spot for many reasons, people watching from their patio is certainly one of them. It’s always a busy hopping spot that offers modern Latin fare and Caribbean cocktails. It is another long standing business that has been on The Drive for 20 years now. Havana serves breakfast 7 days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 pm with some great offerings including a Pulled Pork Breakfast Taco. Another thing we love about Havana Restaurant, is they are a great supporter of local arts. They have a small gallery in the back next which is situated next to a small theatre which features some great local theatre groups. It’s a great intimate space if you haven’t checked it out already. We recommend it.
Biercraft Tap & Tapas, 1191 Commercial Drive
Brunch Saturday, Sunday & Holidays 10:00 am – 3:30 pm
On the Drive since 2005, Biercraft Tap & Tapas is another long standing business on the Drive. Everyone has their own unique spin on brunch on the Drive, as does Biercraft with Bangers and Mash, and Stovreji Hash browns topped with Belgian beef stew, blue cheese crumble and two poached eggs for those with a hearty appetite, but we like the Eggs on Cornbread and for those coming with kids, they have a kids breakfast menu for $6.00.
La Mezcaleria, 1622 Commercial Drive
Brunch Wednesday to Sunday Until 3:00 pm
This is a fun lively spot at any time serving delish Mexican fare including breakfast as well as a great selection of mescal and tequila should you wish to go there. They have some creative dishes, but what we have a hankering for is the Pan Frances which is Brioche French Toast topped with bananas, dark rum, salted caramel sauce, candied pecans, strawberries and gooseberries. If that doesn’t sound like a bite of heaven, we don’t know what does.
Tangent Café, 2095 Commercial Drive
Breakfast 8:00 – 3:00 Saturday – Tuesday & 8:00 am – 2:00 pm Wednesday to Friday
Although this spot is home to great live jazz music on Thursday and Sunday evenings, they also have a good breakfast menu. If you are a meat lover, you will find several options here, but if looking for vegan options, they have that too including a Malaysian Vegan Scramble.
The Dime, 1565 Commercial Drive
This is not a spot we’ve tried, but local historian Jak King and long time resident of The Drive swears by this spot. He says “it is nothing much more than a bar with background music, TVs on most walls, heavily tattooed staff (giving great service), and good cheap food.” Seems they offer a breakfast menu during week and a brunch menu on the weekends we couldn’t locate the latter, but Jack tells us Chorizo Hash Skillett is a good way to go. “It is a good plateful of potatoes and onions and peppers, a fried egg, with enough chorizo to give it a kick, and served with a form of hollandaise that is to die for.” Kicker is all dishes on the menu are $5.95.
Prado Café, 1938 Commercial Drive
As of Monday, June 19th the purveyors of kick ass coffee, have launched a full brunch menu at their Commercial Drive location. We’ve seen some pics on social media and have to say the dishes look great. If you head one block up the street North, you can also check out their sister restaurant Spade at the corner of 3rd Avenue. They have a small breakfast menu but are open at 8:00 am daily.
While you are in this part of East Van, there is so much else to see, do and taste while on The Drive. Whether it’s coffee, gelato, pasta, art, bookstores, cheese, licorice or chocolate. If it’s cheese you are after, La Grotta Del Fromaggio is our go to spot. We recommend one of their sandwiches to go, or if you’ve built up an appetite wandering, they are delish. If you love licorice, a stop at the Licorice Parlour is a must. If you aren’t a licorice fan, they also have handmade chocolates. If you are looking for beer after a wander, Biercraft offers quite the range of Belgian beers. If it’s whiskey, then a stop at Fets Whiskey Kitchen would be in order and side note they do serve brunch as well.
For coffee, well we can’t just pick one, there are so many places offering great coffee, you can’t go wrong whether it’s Continental Cafe, Joe’s Café, Moja’s, The Drive Coffee Bar (you will find Cartem donuts here though) or any other café. If it’s a muffin and coffee you are after, JJ Bean at 6th Avenue. Their muffins are legendary. Gelato, there are a few offerings which you can’t miss if you are walking The Drive, but if are looking for pastries, our personal favourite is Fratelli Bakery which an amazing selection of sweet treats. And more recently, there are so new delish offerings including The Bench Bakehouse in the Il Mercato and Livia Sweets at Kitchener Street. If you find you’ve done a fair bit of walking on the Drive and want a light bite such as pizza, take your pick, Famoso Pizzeria, Lombardo’s, Marcello’s or a quick wander over to Via Tevere on Victoria Drive. Of course, if you wish to pick up some pasta to cook later at home (fresh or frozen), we recommend Bosa Foods just off Commercial Drive at 562 Victoria Drive. We could keep going as this area has so much to offer from Venables to 12th Avenue and a bit beyond on either side of that. If we missed your favourite brunch spot that you think should be included, drop up us a line ILiveInEastVan@gmail.com and tell us why it should be included.
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Story Story Lie Back At Café Deux Soleils Friday, January 13th
2 Jan
If you have yet to catch Story Story Lie, you are in luck it now has a regular monthly gig at Café Deux Soleils on The Drive. Story Story Lie happens every second Friday of the month at 8:00 pm with the next show happening Friday, January 13th. What’s it all about? The show is part storytelling and part game show. You will hear five embarrassing and intimate stories and one lie. Through some interrogation of the storytellers the audience gets to guess who the liar is. First one to guess wins a prize. Organizers have a great line up of storytellers for the first show of 2017 including local comedian, Ivan Decker, who has been featured on The Debators along with Zain Mejhi of the Daily Hive, as well as comedians Mufaro Mbudzi and Alison Ogilvie and poet, Andrew Warner, Now if you have a strange story to tell or a lie you’d like to see featured at Story Story Lie to make things more interesting, you are invited to submit it by email storystorylie@gmail.com in advance of each show. Each evening will be hosted and produced by Jo Dworschak and gets under way at 8:00 pm with doors at 7:00 pm. Tickets are available via Eventbrite for $6 in advance and $8 at the door. Can you spot the liar?
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Story Story Lie Is Back At Café Deux Soleils December 10th
28 Nov
If you have yet to catch Story Story Lie, you are in luck it’s back at Café Deux Soleils on Saturday, December 10th. Are you good at reading people? Do you think you can spot a liar a mile away? Well now you can find out, in a rather fun way. The show is part storytelling and part game show. You will hear five embarrassing and intimate stories and one lie. Through some interrogation the audience gets to guess who the liar is. First one to guess wins a prize. Storytellers for the upcoming show include Jayson MacDonald (Famed Fringe Performer), RC Weslowski (Waxed Poetic Radio), Yumi Nagashima (International Stand up comedian), Nyla Carpentier (Poet, Actor and Powwow Dancer) and Steve Allen (Komedy at Kino). The evening will be hosted and produced by Jo Dworschak. The show gets under way at 8:00 pm. You can purchase your tickets in advance on Eventbrite for $6, or at the door for $8. Come out and see if you can spot the liar.
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Story Story Lie Is Back At Café Deux Soleils September 28th
12 Sep
Are you good at reading people? Do you think you can spot a liar a mile away? Well now you can find out, in a rather fun way. Story Story Lie is back by popular demand. It’s a new monthly show taking place Café Deux Soleils that is part storytelling and part game show. You will hear four stories and one lie. If you can spot the liar, you will win a prize. Storytellers include TJ Dawe, Andy Cañete, Riel Hahn, Justin Ö’Hearn and Maia Gibb. The evening will be hosted by Jo Dworschak. The show gets under way at 8:00 pm and cover is a very reasonable $5. Come out and see if you can spot the liar. Note, this show is being recorded for a podcast.
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The Story Story Lie Show At Cafe Deux Soleils July 27th
11 Jul
Are you good at reading people? Do you think you can spot a liar a mile away? Well now you can find out, in a rather fun way. A new monthly show is coming to Café Deux Soleils on July 27th called The Story Story Lie Show. This event is being billed as part storytelling and part game show. You will hear four stories and one lie. If you can spot the liar, you will win a prize. Storytellers include Dylan Rhymer, Sara Bynoe, Jesse Daniel, Megan Phillips and Alex Biron. The evening will be hosted by Jo Dworschak. The show gets under way at 8:00 pm and cover is a very reasonable $5. Come out and see if you can spot the liar.
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Collide and Conquer Comes To Café Deux Soleils January 27
21 Jan
Curiosity Collider wants to shift how you experience science. On January 27th, they present Collide and Conquer which will be a Pecha Kucha-esque type show that brings together art, science, technology and the business community at Café Deux Soleils. They have 3 speakers lined up which include:
Astronomer Jaymie Matthews
on his collaboration with Chloe Z (shadow puppeteer)
“N-body Pornography! – When galaxies and puppets collide”
Artist Dzee Louise and Roboteer Daniel DeGagne
on their Newreal Pathways BrainBot CC-DD 1.50
Artist Colleen McLaughlin Barlow on her artist residencies at the
Canada France Hawaii Telescope & the Gemini Telescope “Making Art at 14,000 Feet
After which, they will be hosting an open mic portion so you can share your idea on stage for 90 seconds. If you don’t have a creative idea to share, maybe you have a great experience to contribute. You are invited to come out and chat with, collaborate with other art and science enthusiasts for what we expect to be an engaging evening. Cost for the event is $5 at the door, doors open at 7:30 pm with the show getting under way at 8:00 pm.
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Collisions Between Art & Science At Café Deux Soleils August 19
12 Aug
You are invited to Untold Stories of Collisions Between Art + Science hosted by Curiosity Collider on Wednesday, August 19th. What is Curiosity Collider? It is a grassroots organization that is an inclusive community hub for curious innovators from any discipline. Their aim is to foster participatory partnerships between science and technology, art and culture, business communities and educational foundations to inspire new ways to experience science. Their intention is to be a catalyst for collaborations that seed and grow engaging science communication projects. On August 19th, they will be hosting a Pecha Kucha-esque show in which each speaker will provide a show and tell for approximately 7 minutes. The speakers they have lined up for their next event include:
- Emily Smith, Textile Artist. Learning with fibre.
- Graham With, Brewmaster at Parallel 49 Brewing Company. Science with senses – the science of brewing.
- Laura Ulrich, Biological illustrator/animator in training. Finding a balance between art, science and sharing knowledge.
- Omar Dominguez, Sustainability and Community Development Professional. How our city shapes emotions.
- RC Weslowski, Poet. Who will discuss how to find meaning in nonsense.
- Wayne Maddison, Biologist at UBC which discuss the evolution of music.
“Creating Curiosity – come meet curious people, and explore new ways to experience science together.”
You are invited to come out and learn how curiosity can lead to creativity and innovation. Collide with and meet other curious people so you can explore new ways to experience science together. The event takes place at Café Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Drive, on Wednesday, August 19th and gets under way at 8:00 pm doors open at 7:30 pm. Cost is $6.00 at the door. For more information, you can email Curiosity Collider directly at info@curiositycollider.org. You can also follow them on Facebook or on Twitter @ccollider. What makes you curious?
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Creating Curiosity – Curiosity Collider Event at Café Deux Soleils April 15
10 Apr
You are invited to Creating Curiosity hosted by Curiosity Collider on Wednesday, April 15th. What is Curiosity Collider? It is a grassroots organization that is an inclusive community hub for curious innovators from any discipline. Their aim is to foster participatory partnerships between science and technology, art and culture, business communities and educational foundations to inspire new ways to experience science. Their intention is to be a catalyst for collaborations that seed and grow engaging science communication projects. This coming Wednesday, they are hosting their first event which will include speakers doing a Pecha Kucha-esque show and tell says co-founder, Theresa Liao. Each speaker will provide a show and tell for approximately 7 minutes. The speakers they have lined up for next week’s event include:
Dominique & Cindy Duby who create award-winning chocolate masterpieces using food science + food architecture at their cutting edge atelier, Wild Sweets®.
Chris Waltham who merges experimental lutherie (crafting string instruments) with the physics of acoustics.
Erik Zepka examines the space between art and science: What can they learn from each other?
Adam Barlev from Vancouver’s Symmetry Group explores dodecahedral space as both art and science.
Joy Kirkby will speak on alien ecosystems and how they inspired her to encourage youths to take an artistic view of science.
Char Hoyt will share how a curiosity for understanding the shape of the universe took her oil painting into several new dimensions.
“Creating Curiosity – come meet curious people, and explore new ways to experience science together.”
You are invited to come out and learn how curiosity can lead to creativity and innovation. Collide with and meet other curious people so you can explore new ways to experience science together. The event takes place at Café Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Drive, on Wednesday, April 15th and gets under way at 8:00 pm doors open at 7:30 pm. Cost is $5.00 at the door. For more information, you can email Curiosity Collider directly at info@curiositycollider.org. You can also follow them on Facebook or on Twitter @ccollider. What makes you curious?
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