$3.99 Breakfast Special and a Ring Side View for the Trainspotters

All day breakfast, Breakfast Special Vancouver, Cheap Breakfast, Cheap Eats Vancouver, Good Eats Vancouver, North American Breakfast

$3.99 Breakfast Special and a Ring Side View for the Trainspotters

In breakfast, cheap eats vancouver under $5, cheap lunch, north american cuisine, restaurants on May 16, 2011 at 12:04 am

By Tana Kosiyabong

Last weekend, I went out for brunch with my friend, Peter. He wanted to check out a restaurant called the Red Wagon which received a rave review from the Globe and Mail. Unfortunately, Peter wasn’t the only one who had read the article. There were a bunch of patrons waiting to be seated when we reached the restaurant. Neither of us want to waste at least half an hour just to get a table. So I told Peter to drive a few block north and turn left onto Powell Street where I remembered seeing a couple of cheap breakfast joints before. And sure enough, they were there.

Luckily, we got a rockstar parking spot right in front of the restaurant called J’s Grill and Pasta. So we walked right in and didn’t even bother checking out the other breakfast joint located a block away. I felt like I was transported back into the 70s. The décor was outdated. The floor was covered with hunter green carpet. But thanks to the big windows in the front and the back, the shabby joint didn’t look dingy.

The big windows at the back also feature a ringside view of the passing by trains. They were so close that you could almost touch them. This breakfast joint is definitely a heaven for the trainspotting enthusiasts.

According to the menu, J’s Grill and Pasta offers all day breakfast. However, the $3.95 breakfast special can be ordered between 7am to 11am Monday to Friday, or 7:30 am to 3 pm on Saturday and Sunday. After the special hours, the same dish is priced at $5.79.

Since we were there during the special hours, we both ordered the Breakfast special ($3.99 plus HST). Each comes with two eggs (any style), hash browns, 2 pieces of toast and your choice of 3 strips of bacon, ham or 3 links of sausage. I chose the bacons and a cup of hot chocolate ($1.95 plus HST); Peter went for the sausages a glass of orange juice ($2.79 plus HST)

J’s Grill & Pasta also offers veggie breakfast for $6.49. It comes with two eggs, hash browns, 2 pieces of toast and your choice of breakfast strips or links (I assumed they were made of soy)

Soon after, the breakfasts was served. The portion was quite impressive. The sunny side up eggs were perfectly cooked. The runny yolk complimented the salty bacon very well. But the bacon strips weren’t as crispy as I would have hoped for. The toasts were hard to mess up. Peter seemed to be happy with his sausages. The hot chocolate was quite weak. And the orange juice was also watered down.

Overall, J’s Grill and Pasta $3.99 breakfast special was decent. You pretty much got what you paid for. But I won’t spend $5.79 for one after the special hours.

J’s Grill and Pasta $3.99 Breakfast Special ©©©1/3

J’s Grill and Pasta is located at 1901 Powell St, Vancouver, BC (T) 604.253.6600