Platform 7 Coffee Shop | Vancouver, BC
All the Joys of Pretending to Wait for a Train with none of the stress
Touches from Artist Carole Mathys angling for tips
While Daisy generally abstains from caffeine and alcohol, I drink enough for the two of us and an entire floor of newsroom interns. Ergo I’m always particularly delighted on the days we are meeting in a new cafe to work or discover a new vice. It’s my pleasure to say the neighbourhood cafe at Broadway and Vine did not disappoint.
Firstly I will prefix I am heavily biased to being able to eat inside structures dressed as other things. Maybe its the stylist in me that appreciates conceptually dynamic decor - be it twirling up my rainbow pasta onboard a train in the Old Spaghetti Factory or sipping a candy cocktail in a stomach of a monster in Tokyo’s Kawaii Monster Cafe, I just can’t get enough of eating in locations pretending to be other locations.
So is this review highly favourable because Platform 7 totally transforms the former Higher Grounds Cafe into a Belle Époque Paris train station with metal girders across the roof, a perpetually blue sky, wrought iron clocks and idyllic countryside wall murals? Probably, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying the delightful hospitality, coffee and fare.
Getting there a little ahead of Daisy, I had the chance to chat with a woman reading the news, over my latte. The leisurely conversation was made particularly enjoyable by the incredible complexity in my one little mug - a blend of a rich toasted caramel flavour, the sweetness of the steamed milk and the intense espresso bean from a well-respected roaster from Portland, Oregon - Stumptown. For recovering coffee addicts their large selection of drinks include tap kobucha and various types of teas.
Food
Platform 7 offers a delectable selection of dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan and French-style baked goods and pastries baked locally by artisan bakeries. Daisy and I both got scrumptious tuna croissant breakfast sandwiches made in-house. The fresh daily-baked croissant was nice and crispy with a very generous serving of chicken of the sea.
Another highlight was Daisy’s order of house-Made Belgian Waffles covered in seasonal Berries Waffles drizzled with Fruit Compote whipped cream and powdered sugar! Crisp, fluffy and flavourful, its the OMG wake up call all tastebuds deserve weekly.
So Why Trains anyways?
On the Platform 7 webpage, owner Marke McNichol shares “Some of my earliest memories are of my dad and grandfather taking me to the family’s Ferry Meat Market at Hastings & Main. The day had one very important part to it; the Zenith Cafe down the back lane in the early hours for a mug of coffee to brace the day. And I mean mug after mug of coffee. And here’s a good one; on the way home, going down to the railyards of Burrard Inlet and my dad “racing” the trains home along the waterfront of East Van into North Burnaby. The start of my love of trains!”
Visit their official webpage to read more about how Platform 7 founders McNichol and Livio Susin turned their childhood love for trains into a place built of “memories and magic” where “people would feel love & connection”.
LOCATION
EAST VANCOUVER: 2331 E Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V5L 1V6
Phone: (604) 428-1455
Hours: 8am - 7pm
Email: info(at)platform7.com
KITSILANO: 2300 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6K 2E5
Phone: (604) 620-2717
Hours: 7am - 7pm
Email: info(at)platform7.com
It’s easily accessible by bus with loads of free and paid on street parking.
Daisy’s Vibe
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Founders turn their childhood love for trains into a cafe where people “ feel love & connection”