At Viewpoint Vancouver we have been highlighting those wonderful eating places that are not necessarily where you think they would be. We have featured #1, The Northern at 1640 East Kent Avenue. This wonderful kitchen is run by the Mahs and has a Red Seal chef. The hamburgers are made from sirloin that is hand ground, and the breakfast eggs benedict are worthy of an ovation. This is an existing non-conforming restaurant tucked atop a lumber yard and hardware store, originally set up to feed the employees decades ago who had no other alternative to tuck into a hot lunch. We do need to thank those employees.
We have also covered the #2, Fraser Park Restaurant located in Burnaby’s south industrial area that makes great pancakes and home made schnitzel-you can hear the cook preparing it in the kitchen. There’s also a hobby horse outside for kids, and big picnic tables to eat al fresco at 4663 Byrne Road beside other industrial warehouse storefronts.
This year the Viewpoint Vancouver culinary team has added a third industrial area restaurant to the retinue, the Truck Stop Cafe located at 1046 Clark Drive. This restaurant is open six days a week and offers dine-in and take-out options, and has a list of “regulars” who come in for the tremendous Truck Stop Cafe Special Breakfast or Trucker’s Special.
That is the eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns and toast, with the add-on of three pancakes for the Trucker’s Special.
Located on a corner at Clark and Napier, this cafe looks relatively innocuous from the outside. And in the inside, you are stepping back in what is classically a diner interior from the last century, with brass accented chairs and upholstered benches that would not look out of style in the 1970’s. You will be welcomed and seated and offered a coffee which is actually well worth having. There is also a real porcelain green milk shake machine on the counter just like in the Hollywood movies. If the rest of your table guests do not arrive in a timely fashion you can sneak a milkshake in before your friends show up.
The booth seating is comfortable and you will find that many of the “regulars” have their own tables. While the menu looks straight forward, the presentation of the omelet wrapped neatly on the plate would not be out of place in a fine restaurant. The pancakes come hot with butter and syrup, and there are daily lunch specials-and a few surprises.
This is a family run business and there is a secret-Hui Chiang Huang who is running the kitchen used to work for Mushashi Sushi on Denman and ran a great noodle shop, Fu Ramen in the Marpole area of the city. Turn over the menu and you can sample some great culinary treasures including gyoza with daily soup, chicken or beef udon, or wonton soup.
The service is friendly thoughtful and efficient, and before the Viewpoint Vancouver culinary team left, they were already discussing when they would next eat at the Truck Stop Cafe. You can follow the Truck Stop Cafe on Facebook
look at their website here or follow on instagram at @truckstopcafevan.
Welcome to our latest industrial area find-it’s much more than a truck stop.
images:paintingTruckStopCafe, sandyjames
