Vancouver Good

I dropped by Italian inspired cafe Giovane today, the casual breakfast & lunch spot inside the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel. At 1pm it was still bustling with tourists, solo diners, and business meetings happening in the bright, open restaurant space.

Some highlights:

• The menu includes breakfast from 6am-11am, a lunch menu of pizza, soup, salad, and panini, and a extensive list of sweets, breads, and cakes.
• Menu prices are quite reasonable – the restaurant wants to be a go-to spot for more than just hotel guests. Pizzas are $9, a soup & sandwich combo is $12, and paninis are served with a crisp salad for $8-11.
• Locals can pick-up a fresh artisan loaves of brioche, sourdough, and wheat breads for $6 to take home.
• There’s a beautiful case of whole cakes, pies, and tarts (available by the slice too), including an Apple Galette, Tiramisu, Devil’s Food Cake, and Strawberry Shortcake.

I grabbed a window stool looking over Cordova St, enjoying a nice breeze through the open windows, reading a paper, and munching on my Genovese panini – a slice of roasted turkey breast, pesto, taleggio cheese, on a fruit and nut bread.

I’d say portions are on the small-medium size – not huge, but enough. When I toured the hotel last year, they showed off their huge and beautiful hotel kitchen. All bread and charcuterie and made fresh in-house, and top quality.

Giovane is a great spot for a nice, light lunch. Look for for the big, yellow lower case “g” sign, pointing you to the restaurant off of Cordova St.

Giovane Cafe, Bakery, & Deli
Fairmont Pacific Rim
1038 Canada Place (outside entrance on Cordova just west of Burrard)
604-694-5501
Open daily 6am-8pm