The most important cheap meal of the day – Bon’s off Broadway breakfast special.

By Tana Kosiyabong

I’m not a morning person. And I normally don’t have time for breakfast. I just drink a glass of milk or soymilk and run out the door. On the weekends, I wake up around 10 am to let my pet parrotlet “Giant” out of his cage for a couple of hours or until he gets on my nerves. It takes me at least an hour to collect myself and be more social. I prefer not to talk to anyone during this first hour.

Since I’m not a morning person, I hardly know any breakfast joints in town. While I was at a video shoot last week, Larry, my client, told me about this cheap breakfast joint in East Vancouver called Bon’s. It sounded really interesting. And cheap. That was how this Cheap Appetite mission started.

It was Saturday morning. As planned, I woke up at 9:30 am and took time to collect myself and do the morning routine. I left my condo at twenty past ten, still a bit grumpy. My bird was mad at me because I didn’t have time to let him out. Then I hopped on the No. 7 bus heading to Bon’s (just off Broadway on Nanaimo Street). When I was there, it was already packed. But luckily I only waited about 5 minutes for a table.

After being seated, I ordered the breakfast special ($2.95 tax included) – two eggs of your choice, pan fried potatoes, bacon or ham or sausage, and two pieces of toast. I wanted scrambled eggs, ham, and a coffee ($1 extra, free refill). It took about 30 minutes before the breakfast special arrived. So if you were going there by yourself, I’d recommend you bring a book or a knitting project with you. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring any. I don’t know how to knit anyway. But it wasn’t so bad. There were tons of people to watch. Plenty of fun characters ate their breakfast at Bon’s. The most unique one that morning was a 70 years old man who thought it was too hot inside. So he decided to take his shirt off in the middle of the restaurant. Not a pretty sight, but interesting indeed.

Once the breakfast arrived, I wasn’t disappointed. Although my scramble eggs looked more like an omelet, it was a damn good one. The pan-fried russet potato was crusty and crispy on the outside, but not too greasy. It was fried with the skin on, which is, in my opinion, the best. Hope they washed their potatoes well though. The ham was also fried nicely. The toast was the toast. The coffee was not a Starbucks fresh brew, but who cares. Bon’s service was acceptable. Though I had to refill the coffee myself, I didn’t expect the same service I would get from a fancy restaurant. Otherwise, I would have to move to La-La Land. It’s a $2.95 breakfast for Pete’s sake. And that brought up an interesting question. Who the hell is Pete?

I enjoyed my time at Bon’s. The breakfast special is a cheap, good eats. It definitely qualifies as a Cheap Appetite. The only problem is it cost me 5 bucks to get there and come back. I could have had a breakfast nearby for $7.95. But I’m glad to know that Bon’s serves breakfast all day. I don’t have to wake up early if I decide to go back there next time. That’s my kind of breakfast joint.

Bon’s Breakfast Special: ©©©© ¼

P.S. It’s about 8 pm now and I’m still not hungry. What a breakfast!

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