Wherever you have a concentrated contingent of workers, you also likely have a casual café to service that contingent’s break needs.
Entrepreneurial café operators can parlay this guaranteed patronage into something enduring with the cultivation of an in-house specialty or a commitment to a style of cuisine, slowly creating a loyal and vocal following that will, in turn, breed new devotees.
Consider Mama’s Italian Café down in the industrial neighbourhood on Riverside Drive. Mama’s began as a functional breakfast and lunch joint, offering simple fare at a reasonable price.
Over time, owners Enza and Giancarlo Ungarini introduced more and more traditional Italian fare, making everything from soup to bread from scratch, and soon the place was hopping with both neighbourhood workers and diners from farther afield. It became a venue upon which the coveted “hidden gem” moniker was bestowed and now one is hard-pressed to score a seat there at lunchtime, particularly near the end of the week.
The trick to this sort of success, I suspect, is to over-deliver on expectations. There are countless examples of perfunctory food venues located near busy workplaces, the kind that often have no ambition beyond the most base provision of snack time staples. As this approach is so common, I think those venues that do put in just a little extra effort often enjoy exponential reward for their trouble.
Jerry’s Café is just such a place. It is located in the sprawling business complex on West First Street, across the street from Rona on a strip of road that doesn’t see a lot of pedestrian traffic. Jerry’s bread and butter is the business set that works in the neighbouring offices.
I only noticed the place because I sometimes cycle along West First (better known as the Low Road to us Shore dwellers) and, as a food columnist, my eyes are now honed to instantly spot any sign or awning boasting a café, bistro, inn, pub, brasserie, diner, grill, chophouse, deli, wine bar, bakery, butcher, biergarten, social house, bodega, taverna, ouzerie, pizzeria, trattoria, taqueria, izakaya, cantina, osteria, and even the odd mezcaleria.
I decided to pop into Jerry’s one recent morning with my wife DJ and our youngest, Baby N, for what I thought would be a quick cup of coffee and maybe a scone. Remember what I said above about expectations?
Mine were not high and so I guess I was poised for Jerry’s to work its surprising magic. The restaurant occupies a spacious, immaculately clean but largely nondescript space that is home to a well-priced menu of breakfast and lunch staples prepared with subtle Japanese influences. Jerry’s portions are generous, meals are lovingly prepared and elegantly presented, and, most importantly, tasty.
Most breakfasts are served with a tall stack of fresh fruit and a side salad topped with a delicious, Japanese-style miso dressing. In the morning, fare ranges from breakfast sandwiches ($4.25) to larger plates like Jerry’s Brunch, a sizeable meal with scrambled eggs, French toast, salad, hash-browned potatoes, a large pork sausage and fresh fruit ($8.50). Bacon, ham or sausage can be substituted with avocado on all breakfast meals. The lunch menu is more extensive with panini, burgers, salads, soups and hot entrées served over rice, including Japanese curry, tuna and mayo, and beef or chicken teriyaki. The most expensive item on the menu (a seven-ounce beef burger with cheese, bacon and mushrooms, served with fries) is $8.95.
I went for the aforementioned brunch and was impressed with the freshness of the ingredients, the salty and tangy miso dressing on the simple salad standing out as a surprisingly complementary, if not intuitive, plate component. The French toast was fluffy and golden and provided a nice platform for the fresh fruit, which included kiwi, grapes, banana and watermelon.
DJ opted for Jerry’s Breakfast A, a simple meal of two eggs (over easy in this case), hash browns, four triangles of buttered whole wheat toast and half a perfectly ripened avocado, a bargain at just $5.75. Now, I think I ought to temper any expectations I have set here with a few candid comments.
If your idea of dining out for breakfast typically involves a Prosecco Mimosa, a basket of warm madeleines with housemade maple hazelnut butter, and delicately poached eggs topped with a sauce that will split if you look at it askance, Jerry’s may not be for you.
You will need to fetch your own coffee here. You will be expected to bus your own table at the end of your meal, which you will have ordered at the till instead of via tableside service. This is no-frills breakfast and lunch. But let’s be clear: in the no frills category, Jerry’s is a titan, a purveyor of low cost, amply portioned fare prepared with consistent pride. With the addition of two coffees and a cookie (something you do when you dine out with a two-year-old) we got out of Jerry’s for just over $20.
Jerry’s Café is located at 110-930 West First St., North Vancouver. 604-984-2420
Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. He can be reached via email at [email protected]. North Shore News dining reviews are conducted anonymously and all meals are paid for by the newspaper.
