by Andrew Morrison | The triumvirate that brought us the original Meat & Bread on Cambie off Hastings are opening a second location in the heart of Vancouver’s financial district. Owners Cord Jarvie and Frankie Harrington, together with chef Joseph Sartor, have just signed for a small space at the foot of Oceanic Plaza (1033 West Hastings). That’s a lob wedge west of Burrard, right on the periphery of the casual chain lunch domain (see Joeys, Cactus Club, Elephant & Castle), and totally dwarfed on all sides by skyscrapers.

As you can see from the shots below, the new digs are cloaked in plywood. That’s because an entrance and an exit are being constructed concurrently with the interior build. When it’s finished, it should have a similar look and feel to the original, only with less seats (10) and an L-shaped counter set-up rather than a straight line. I imagine it’ll be a noticeably more modern, too, considering its concrete, glass and steel shell (as opposed to the aged bones of the Cambie location).

Craig Stanghetta is on the design job again, with Glasfurd & Walker doing the branding (expect plenty of white tile and herringbone wood pattern). Menu-wise, it won’t be an exact carbon copy of the original. The sandwich that they’re most famous for, the Porchetta, will be on the steel wall menu for sure, but beyond that it’s up in the air. The coolest thing? The new exit will open out into the massive, sunken plaza with hundreds of places to sit in the fresh air, making it the largest, unofficial, unstaffed patio in the city. Opening day should come at some point during April.

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