While my kids were scaling the equipment of a playpark in Edinburgh’s Meadows last summer, I had a sudden and intense urge for a coffee.
Maybe it was the rare rays of sunshine in that city married with the gentle breeze and the steady din of children at play, but my eyelids had grown heavy and I needed the pick-me-up urgently.
My wife DJ remained with the kids as I went in search of a good cup. I fortuitously encountered a great little nearby café called Cult Espresso. Cult’s baristas gave me the run-down on their single-origin only approach to coffee and asked me how I’d like mine prepared.
One of the available methods was called Aeropress and, once the baristas learned I had never heard of the brewing device, insisted I give the method a try. I’m glad they did because now the Aeropress has become my default brewing method; I have one home and one at work and I thoroughly enjoy every single cup I make from them. The Aeropress looks like it began life in a laboratory. It consists of a heavy plastic tube, filter compartment, rubber-tipped plunger and black stir paddle. Coffee, ground to an espresso consistency, is placed in the bottom of the tube, water is added over top and the blend is stirred for a few seconds, then plunged slowly and steadily until the hermetic seal in the tube begins to hiss. The result is a highly extracted, flavourful cup of coffee with considerably less acidity than coffee prepared by other means, including via the French press, which was my former preferred method.
On a recent road trip to Squamish, DJ, the kids and I stopped at Galileo Coffee Company in Britannia Beach. Galileo is another great example of the craft coffee meta-trend that Vancouver has helped pioneer since its earliest days.
They roast their beans on-site and grind to order, producing an exceptional cup from their charming and bustling operation located in a 1905 heritage house perched at the side of Highway 99. Beans are for sale through this location, but I have noticed that Galileo coffee is now widely available through Vancouver grocers. Also available for sale at the flagship shop are rows and rows of Aeropress devices. I was heartened to see the magical pairing of craft coffee and food science so explicitly realized here and was tempted to buy another Aeropress as a way of showing my java snob approval, but thought better of it and simply ordered an Americano for me and a weekend treat mocha for DJ.
Of life’s pettier challenges, few annoy me more than an insipid Americano in which the volume of espresso cannot carry the dilution of hot water; I would rather set a fiver ablaze in front of a barista than spend it on a watery Americano. Happily, Galileo’s crew knows what they’re doing and my coffee was bold but balanced. DJ’s mocha, served here without the common indulgence (and sometimes distraction) of whipped cream, let the coffee shine through, not overwhelming the beans with sickly sweet chocolate syrup.
The kids enjoyed a couple of pastries from Galileo’s fresh baked selection as we popped back onto the highway heading north.
Our ultimate destination, you see, was a roadside burrito shop in Squamish. Local legend tells of a burrito there so excellent that Vancouverites regularly make passage to the nation’s self-proclaimed outdoor capital just to sink their teeth into a Burrito Maximus, an enormous dish comprised of a tortilla wrapped around your choice of meat, Spanish corn rice, beans, pico de gallo, lime slaw, Jack cheese and spicy Baja sauce. This burrito (and, as it turns out, fried chicken) emporium is called Mags 99 and seems to have a cult-like following.
There was scarcely a table to be had when the Dagenais family descended on the joint and many patrons appeared to be known to staff by name.
Mags 99’s interior is bright and lively, the walls decorated with Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) artwork, a vibrant celebration of Mexican tradition in rich hues of blue, red, pink, marigold and purple. In addition to burritos, fried chicken, quesadillas and tacos, Mags serves up an imaginative roster of daily specials. Recent creations include: barbecue Tandoori beef shortrib mac and cheese in a sharp cheddar and cauliflower sauce, Jalapeno and bacon calamari, and Beef Dinner Tacos filled with wedges of steak, potato and horseradish cream topped with a wedge of Yorkshire pudding.
We opted for two kids’ burrito meals (a great deal at just $5 for a sizeable burrito, side of fries and fountain drink), the aforementioned Burrito Maximus filled with slow-cooked, ancho-pepper barbecue sauce smothered pork, and a half veggie burrito (Burrito Minimus) stuffed with the Maximus fillings and Mexican falafel, a delicious, deep fried blend of chickpeas, herbs, spices and maize flour. We selected two sharp ginger beers to accompany the meal.
The Maximus was a bruiser of a meal, ultimately consumed in three sittings. The massive, bursting-at-the-seams burrito featured a very generous helping of ancho pork, which, thankfully, was not overwhelmed by the sometimes dominant smokiness associated with that pepper. The lime slaw provided a nice burst of fresh acidity to cut through the richness of the meat, cheese, beans and dense, filling rice. DJ’s Minimus was a creative and inspired vegetarian option, the Mexican riff on falafel supplying a tasty and flavourful foundation around which to build a burrito.
Our four meals, none of which could be consumed in a single go, came to $35 before gratuity. Mags 99 is located at 1584 Highway 99. 604-898-9810.
Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. A self-described wine fanatic, he earned his sommelier diploma in 2001. 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.
