This weekend I had the joy of visiting Grounds for Coffee which is located in Kits area of Vancouver. It was a cold and dark December morning when we decided to venture out of our enclave in the Southlands of Vancouver and trek out to the beautiful but mostly unknown neighbourhood of Kitsilano (colloquially known as "Kits"). Although the neighbourhood was fairly rough around the edges, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit. Underprivileged areas such as "Kits" provide us with a great deal of vibrancy and cultural diversity that we do not typically see in our area nor at our local watering hole, the Arbutus Club.
As we entered Grounds for Coffee, we were greeted by a counter full of beautifully crafted cinnamon buns. We were told that each of these buns were hand crafted by local, independent artisans. Each artisan is required to spent many years apprenticing under a world renowned German master baker before they are hired by this Kitsilano purveyor of fine cinnamon treats.
Upon ordering, we were promptly served and in an interesting twist were required to pay for the items up front and carry them to our tables ourselves. We found this to be a fun change from our usual dining experiences and I suppose this apart of the "Kits" charm.
The buns were warm, delicious and covered with a generous layer of cream cheese frosting. I had ordered a tall americano with my bun, but was given an empty cup and directed towards a dispenser of "drip" coffee, which in all honesty was better than I was expecting. The bitter of this "drip" coffee played well off the delicate and sweet notes of the cinnamon bun and left me with a very content feeling afterwards. I think this feeling is what the locals call "happiness".....which was odd, as I did not have to purchase any Tom Ford items to feel this sensation.
Overall review:
Pro's - Delicious cinnamon bun - Welcoming staff - Fun experience of seating ourselves and carrying our own food - Total bill was less than a cup of coffee at the Four Seasons
Con's - No valet parking (even if you drive a Porsche!) - No gluten free options - Silverware did not contain any silver (in fact, I think it was plastic)
