Jam Cafe
556 Beatty | 778-379-1992 | JamCafes.com/Vancouver
Open daily, 8am-3pm
Victoria locals have had a love affair with Jam Café since it opened in Old Town less than a handful of years ago. Tourists quickly joined the throngs and the line-ups haven’t died down since. With the opening of Jam’s second location in downtown Vancouver, the line-ups have apparently crossed the water along with the menu. All-day, every-day breakfast is still something fairly rare in Vancouver, which, in part, explains the enormous popularity of places like Medina and Yolks (their excellent nosh is definitely the main culprit). Jam Café is fated to join the ranks of these two institutions, thanks to its rich and riotously unrepentant take on classic breakfast fare.
Take the pulled pork pancakes ($16). This is a dish that has been done to death, so what could possibly make Jam’s version stand out? The pork, for one. It’s perfectly cooked and juicy, and the maple barbecue glaze is light and smoky, without any of the sickly sweetness that seems to be the standard. I would suggest the half portion ($13) unless you’re sharing. Two massive slabs of what a friend called “big, fluffy pancake Frisbees” are topped by what looks like a pound of pork and a healthy mound of lightly pickled cabbage and carrots. Sweet, tart, savoury…it hits all the right notes.
If your sweet tooth is stronger than mine, red velvet pancakes drizzled with cream cheese icing ($14) might get you going. Being a fan of savoury in the morning, I gravitated toward the massive Charlie bowl ($15). This epic take on a classic hash is crumbled biscuit (made in-house), ham, cheese, green onion, hashbrowns and cheddar, all topped with housemade sausage gravy and two eggs, sunny side up and perfectly runny. Break the yolks and spread the love around.
The hashbrowns made another appearance siding the buttermilk biscuit sandwich ($11). The biscuit is dense but not dry, and the tomato jam is excellent. Those hashbrowns were undercooked however. Served latke-style, the exterior was nicely browned and crispy, but inside it was sadly pale and flavourless. We had the same experience with the gravy coupe ($15). Another excellent biscuit topped with flavourful fried chicken, sausage gravy and two runny eggs was marred by the lacklustre potato pancake.
Much better was the Reuben ($14). Yes, Jam has some lunch items as well. Good sauerkraut, corned beef, gruyere and Russian dressing on fairly good rye made for a solid lunch. Try it with the coleslaw for extra kicks.
There is a liquor license, so mimosas and a bacon Caesar are all waiting for you, as well as a rather interesting take on a Pimm’s Cup that includes chai, but my favourite is the classic chocolate milkshake (or strawberry, really). It’s the perfect pairing to those pulled pork stacks and make me feel like a kid eating treats without permission.
Food: ★★★
Service: ★★★
Ambiance: ★★★
Value: ★★★
Overall: ★★★
All ratings out of five stars
★: Okay, nothing memorable.
★★: Good, shows promise.
★★★ : Very good, occasionally excellent.
★★★★: Excellent, consistently above average.
★★★★★: Awe-inspiring, practically perfect in every way.
Anya Levykh is a freelance food, drink and travel writer who covers all things ingestible. Find her on Twitter and Instagram @foodgirlfriday.
