Elbow Room Cafe

For a greasy spoon brunch experience, complete with long wait, shoddy service and servers with attitude, Elbow Room Cafe is the place in Vancouver. A plaque on the wall proudly boasts: "Reader's Choice, Best of Vancouver: Best Place for Surly & Indifferent Service." And yet people don't seem to be deterred - during the weekend, waits are mandatory. Perhaps it's the humongous portions of tasty breakfast fare that keeps them coming back for more.

Consider yourself warned

Mauna Kea: a fruit omelet stuffed with kiwi, bananas, pineapple and apples. Usually topped with mozzarella and pecans, but I had them hold the mozzarella and make mine with egg whites.

The New Yorker: Two poached eggs with mushrooms, onion, tomato, bacon and pepperoni in a spicy tomato-BBQ sauce, served over a croissant and topped with hollandaise sauce. I think it should be renamed the "Heart Attack"

Food rating: ***
Bang for buck rating: 3

The essentials:
www.theelbowroomcafe.com
Location: 560 Davie Street, Vancouver, Canada
Average price of meal for two: $35