by Andrew Morrison | Interesting brunches, and by that I mean ones that go beyond Eggs Benedict and Lumberjack-style samplers, aren’t all that common in Vancouver, and when you find a good option, the old standards start to lose their lustre.

To the short list of these establishments (think Wildebeest, West, Medina), you should add The Farmer’s Apprentice, the still relatively new eatery from David Gunawan and Dara Young at 1529 West 6th (between Fir & Granville). They improve the lazy, late morning ritual – and only on Saturdays – with items like honey-licked burrata with butternut squash preserves on warm sourdough [1]; savoury parmesan tarts [2]; thick slices of spiced oh my god pork belly saddled with fried eggs and maple-flavoured oats [3]; and perfectly poached eggs over grilled radicchio and sunchokes with what-the-hazelnut hollandaise [4]. They also blend good smoothies and juices. Sweetened with apple and zinged with lemon, their tall jar of “green” – loaded with celery, kale, parsley, cucumber – goes down like an electric cure-all [5].

The menu – as at dinner – changes with every service, so the likelihood of regular customers ordering the same dish twice (an act that typifies the sloth with which we tend to celebrate brunch) is hugely diminished, which is also to say that it’s highly unlikely that the dishes pictured above and below will be on offer on the day that you make your particular pilgrimage. Bonus: they spin a great vinyl soundtrack – nothing too heavy, nothing too light. Whet your appetite and have a better gander inside the charming 30 seater below…

1529 West 6th Avenue | Vancouver, BC | 604-620-2070 | www.farmersapprentice.ca

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