We’re taking a tasty tour of Vancouver’s many brunches to create The Ultimate Vancouver Brunch Guide. This week we’re relishing brunch hour along the seawall at Ancora.
Ancora Waterfront Dining and Patio is now in the weekend brunch game. Serving a late-morning spread on Sundays from 11 am, Ancora dishes up some truly sensational grub.
Half serve of Ancora’s Quinoa Salad & Poached Eggs (Jess Fleming / Daily Hive)
Taking its cue from the fine-dining restaurant’s West Coast sustainable cuisine, Ancora’s brunch menu offers a unique and eclectic mix of plates.
Many of the dishes are Peruvian and Japanese riffs on American brunch classics. Options include the eatery’s signature Steelhead Trout Benny (served with corn bread, poached eggs, organic pea shoots, and a smoked Hollandaise), Braised Short Ribs and Eggs (comprised of scrambled eggs, tortilla de patatas, chimichurri, grilled tomato, and a beet leaf pesto), and Ancora’s Tenderloin Burger (a hearty offering made up of aji amarillo aioli, white cheddar, pickled cucumber, and yuca frites).
Forbidden Rice Seafood Paella (Jess Fleming / Daily Hive)
For a light yet satisfying meal diners should make a point to order the Quinoa Salad and Poached Eggs, a dish that skews slightly towards Japanese cuisine, thanks to ingredients like edamame, pickled beets, and nori tempura. A green huacatay crema (black mint cream sauce) adds flavour and depth and brings the dish together.
Seafood lovers who are happy to get their fix at any old time of day will want to dive straight into the eatery’s Forbidden Rice Seafood Paella. Definitely more of a lunch time item than a breakfast one, this dish is composed of a perfectly cooked fried egg, shrimp, Humboldt squid, Peruvian corn, and a rich, terracotta-coloured smoked paprika butter sauce.
Chicken and Waffles (Jess Fleming / Daily Hive)
Maximum brunch indulgence can be achieved at Ancora by requesting a plate of the restaurant’s Windberry Farm Chicken and Waffles. The gratifying dish features juicy chicken encased in a thick cornflake coating, a poached egg, spiced syrup, avocado puree, some of the crispest house bacon to ever exist, and botanical greens.
Let’s not forget about the sides. Ancora offers botanical greens with a sherry vinaigrette organic eggs any style, grilled corn bread, shrimp, and tortilla de patatas.
Although the delicious spoils served up at Ancora are reason enough to visit the Howe Street locale they are not the only ones, the restaurant’s sophisticated interior and welcoming waterside patio (which just so happens to be a terrific spot to indulge in a lingering brunch) are also a huge draw.
Patio seating at Ancora (Jess Fleming / Daily Hive)
While Ancora presents an upscale modern vibe Sunday brunch is not just for fine dining foodies. Yes, the atmosphere is refined but the prices for brunch are not too stiff, in fact they are on par with many mid-range and higher end brunch joints across the city.
With a well-crafted and innovative brunch menu, sparkling mimosas, and a chic setting, be sure to keep Ancora in mind the next time the question of where to brunch come Sunday arises.
Ancora Waterfront Dining and Patio
Address: 1600 Howe Street, Vancouver
Phone: 604-681-1164
Hours: Brunch is served on Sundays from 11 am to 2:30 pm
Twitter: @ancoradining
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