Finch’s Tea & Coffee House

Finch’s Tea & Coffee House
353 West Pender Street
Vancouver, BC

The first time I heard about Finch’s, it was thanks to Anita (of La Petite Foodie). When we first met (on-line), we were trying to figure a place to go for a meal. Yup, once in a while, I meet fellow bloggers and readers and what better place than a restaurant! However, because of Finch’s hours, we never managed to go there and it ended up in my to-go list. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago. During the food bloggers dinner we had in Poco Ocean (as blogged here), Sherman (of Sherman’s Food Adventures) reminded me of Finch’s. When there is a bit too much “pressure” to go there, I might as well just go to find out how good it is…

But, wait, why didn’t I go from the very beginning, given it is located in Downtown Vancouver? True, it is in Downtown Vancouver but it was almost literally on one corner of Downtown, while I work in an opposite corner. If I walked, it would take me ~20 minutes to get there – one way. Taking transit would have help but even then it would take me some time. That would have been fine, if it wasn’t because of this note:

When a restaurant tells you to be patient and you are short of time, you will have to wonder if it is the best option. However, on the day of my visit, I needed to take a somewhat long break (because I knew that day will end up being a long day for other reasons) so, in a way, that gave me the excuse to go to Finch’s. I was just hoping I wasn’t going to regret it…

Although I sort of browsed their menu on line, I couldn’t help to admire how it is set up in the restaurant: old school – written in blackboards. Fortunately, the handwriting was readable and could double check my options. I had three sandwiches in mind: The Continental (free-range egg, dijon-mayo, cheese, prosciutto, lettuce, tomato, red onion & black pepper), the “Baked blue brie, roasted walnuts and Prosciutto” and the “Pear, blue brie, sliced pear, prosciutto, roasted walnuts, Lettuce, oil & vinegar”.

In the end, I went for the “Pear, blue brie, sliced pear, prosciutto, roasted walnuts, Lettuce, oil & vinegar” mainly because it sounded like a good combination and it partially overlapped with the baked brie version. Since I was eating in, the sandwich wasn’t wrapped, hence, they could sort of be creative with the presentation. Who knew somebody would do this with the slices of pear!

Along with the sandwich, I asked for a side soup – the soup that day was zucchini with thyme. I was a bit bewildered by the choice of vegetables. Given we are approaching winter, I was expecting more of a root vegetable type soup. I was somewhat disappointed with the soup. The zucchini flavour was soft/subtle and couldn’t really taste much of the thyme. I am sure it was a one-of case so I won’t hold much against them.

But, back to the sandwich. I will have to say I am really happy with my selection. That sandwich had a good combination of different taste and texture. You get some chewiness from the bread, a slight crunchiness from the pear and walnut, something soft and creamy from the brie. Also, you get something savoury from the prosciutto, sweetness from the pear, nuttiness from the walnuts. Overall, a really good choice.

Because of this interesting combination, it is almost needless to say I enjoyed this lunch. However, it was not perfect. For one part, if eating in, better be early – in my case, I was there before noon and almost all the tables were taken. I ended up seating in an open chair in one of the communal tables. And while it tasted good, it ended up being (to borrow Sherman’s phrase) a filet-o-fish meal. I did not end up going to MickeyD’s but 2001 Flavours Pizza for a slice of pie because, even with some soup, I was still hungry. But, just in case, as a reminder, I am a big eater, so keep this in consideration. Would I come back? If I am in the area around the time they are open, in the mood of a sandwich and have time to spare, I think this is a good option. Otherwise, no.

Tagged under: Downtown • Sandwich • Vancouver