Breakfast at Yummy Sushi.

By Tana Kosiyabong

I first heard about Yummy Sushi when I posted my Bon’s off Broadway breakfast link on the Chowhound.com forum a while back. Grayelf, a fellow food lover, had suggested Yummy Sushi as an alternative to Bon’s. I jotted down the name in my notebook along with many other suggestions for cheap breakfast joints in Vancouver. Unfortunately, I hadn’t had a chance to check any of them out yet.

As for Yummy Sushi, I wasn’t sure about the North American breakfast in a sushi restaurant at first. (If it were the Japanese breakfast, I would have jumped in head first. And I didn’t even know what traditional Japanese breakfast was.) But a couple of weeks ago, Maggie, my creative writing classmate, enthusiastically told me about her most favorite breakfast joint, Yummy Sushi. Her eyes lit up as she described the breakfast, “5 pieces of crispy bacon, a pile of hash browns, two eggs and two pieces of toast. All for just $2.99.” That was more than enough to convince me —Yummy Sushi, here I come.

Thanks to the new Google maps, I know exactly what the storefront of Yummy Sushi looks even before I stand in front of it. I can now visit places I’ve never been to and virtually walk around the area on my computer. This new technology is so creepy, yet extremely useful. I was totally in awe the first time I saw it unfold.

Yummy Sushi is a small, mom and pop sushi restaurant on the edge of Fairview and Kitsilano area of Vancouver. It is owned by a Chinese couple who moved to Canada over twenty years ago. They have opened Yummy Sushi at this location for seven years now. The storefront is shabby and not very welcoming, but don’t let it fool you. Once inside, you’ll be greeted by one of the most genuinely happy ladies I’ve ever met. I can never be that happy even if the doctor put me on the double dose of Prozac.

The interior of Yummy Sushi is as shabby as the exterior. But the old and dingy interior didn’t turn me off. On the contrary, I took it as a good sign. They wouldn’t be able to keep the restaurant open this long if the food wasn’t good.

There are four choices for breakfast specials. They are all $2.99: Two eggs with you choice of 5 pieces of bacon, 5 sausage links, or ham. Or if you’re in the mood for something European, you can get 4 pieces of French toast. The coffee is $1 with free refill. They also serve sushi and other Japanese dishes.

Since I had my mind set on the breakfast special, I wasted no time in ordering. I asked if I could mix half bacon and half sausage. “Sure, I’ll give you half and half,” the lady replied with a big grin on her face. I couldn’t help but wonder why she’s in such a good mood.

The interior was a bit too dark for a photo shoot, so I went to sit outside. It was a cold day but I’ll do whatever it takes for good photos. A minute later the lady came out with a cup of coffee. And a few minutes after, my breakfast was served. It was much faster than Bon’s. My breakfast was two sunny side up eggs with 3 crispy bacons and 2 sausage links, a big pile of hash browns and 2 pieces of toast.

Then it was time for the most awkward part of food blogging: the photo shoot. It’s like you’re in the middle of a honeymoon. The love of your life is waiting for you to jump into bed, but all you can do is take pictures. So I tried to keep it as short as possible before the food got cold. Once the pictures were taken, I jumped right in.

The sunny side up eggs were beautifully cooked. The orange yolks oozed out as soon as I broke it with a piece of bacon. Oh my delicious piece of heaven. The bacon was so crispy, and tasted lovely with the running yolk. The hash browns had a crunchy crust on the outside. Once you bit into one, you realized just how soft they are on the inside. The sausage was also well-cooked. And toast is hard to mess up. However, it was not the best idea to eat breakfast outside in the fall breeze. But the lady attentively refilled my coffee. It kept me warm while I was there. Before I knew it, the whole plate was cleaned.

After the breakfast, I was in a much better mood than I was earlier. Now I realize why the lady is always smiling.

Yummy Sushi Breakfast Special: ©©©© 1/2

Yummy Sushi is located at 1980 Pine St, Vancouver, BC. Canada. (T) 604.731.7110

For Maggie’s point of view on Yummy Sushi, click here.

©2009 Tana Kosiyabong and CheapAppetite.com™. All rights reserved.

Become fans on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter

Share your favorite cheap eats