Play Grounds Cafe

2 Reviews on “Play Grounds Cafe”

• Terri

  Fantastic atmosphere & great food! Best savoury crepes ever! A must try at least one time. Worth every penny, not cheap, but again… Worth every penny! Healthy and yummy!I love love love her creamy soups too. The Thai Coconut is amazing!! And the sauces she makes for her crepes are soooo yummy!Check it out, seriously! You wont be disappointed.

  October 21, 2016, 6:48 am

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• Prince Gastronome

  Admittedly, I was apprehensive in reviewing this location. Its called Play Grounds Caf, primarily catering to parents wanting a meal while their kids playedand here I ama 40+ year-old man with no kidswho often has lunch alone. Thats appropriate. Like an elderly man sitting on a bench outside an elementary school. Dont presume unfounded anxiety, I once felt prejudged as a single man walking into a French restaurant. The waiters gave me a wide berth, and I was offered complimentary wine, assuming that Id been stood up (Im totally not lying; this happened).As it turned out, the namesake of Play Grounds is divided from the rest of the business, and I found numerous other patrons sporting no offspring. As a precaution, I brought my girlfriend as a wingman. In retrospect, I wonder if the balance of increased business from families is tempered by those avoiding a caf defined by those often disrupting a peaceful caf experience. I do appreciate it when a caf does something different. Place it in a bookstore, fringe it with a chocolatier, I guess its something they have to do. Featuring a playpen just doesnt do anything for me, and obviously so; see my previous paragraph. As for the dcor, PG Caf (oh, thats a nice idea) wraps itself in the veneer of the bucolic, rustic caf ironically often found in the dead center of major metropolitan centers. Its almost comedic how clichd it is, with chalkboards and counters made from wood looking reclaimed from the Fraser. Im honestly shocked they dont have a stage with a single plain brown bar stool and an acoustic guitar leaning against a mic stand. Go and look up rustic caf in Google Image; they all look the same. Im starting to think its a franchise, like barbecue diners and novelty oil and vinegar stores. The rustic trend is popularized because it can conceal some shoddy and annoying dcor faults, like couches instead of chairs preventing you from leaning close to a table, and that aforementioned stage thats way too large and always seems feature that annoying cover band of Mumford & Sons. As I entered the caf, I searched around to find that one deal breaker. The counter looked normal enough. Bathrooms were functional. Maybe this place was different. I sat down at the table andoh my godthe table has wheels! Why does the table have wheels! I cant even lean forward without kicking the lunch plate from under my girlfriend. I knew it! There had to be something aggravating.So the gimmick is a bust, and outside of that, its just another caf clich. What else isWHOAW, wait a second! Back up the bus! They have a crepe machine. THEY HAVE!A CREPE MACHINE!Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! The black board is full of them. Savory. Sweet. Ambrosia! On Supermans ashes, they also have a Ploughmans Lunch special, and not squeezed in the sandwich board, on its own little adorable miniature board off center from the rest. I have to have that. But I want a crepe to. Okay, girlfriend can have a savory crepe (chicken, bacon, with mozza) while I bet it all on a Ploughmans and a Nutella crepe. Its not a prop. Theyre actually using that crepe machine. Its a machine. AND it makes crepes. I used to go on business trips to Vancouver with a friend and he would insist on finding crepes because no one in town made them on a regular basis. And here they have it, an entire menu of them. Thats your gimmick. No need for the playpen. This is the best caf in town!What? I dont know what youre talking about; the dcor is great. I like that rustic style in cafs. I braced my foot under the wheel so it wouldnt move, all good. Mumford & Sons have some good songs. Maybe those old guys have legit reasons to be on thatI DONT CARE. They have crepes. I felt like Tom Hanks after he made fire in Cast Away. I havent even gotten to the Ploughmans Lunch, which was more like a charcuterie designed by Andre the Gianthuge cuts of cheeses and meats, saddled with a toasted baguette and flanked by fresh fruits and vegetables. The star of the show was a somewhat confused roasted garlic wrapped in bacon. Well, it didnt have feelings–it was me that was confusedI unwrapped the bacon and then tried to squeeze the garlic with my fingers. Dumb. Squeeze the garlic, THEN peel the bacon.I love this place. The counter has an amazing display of food, and I appreciated the liquid options not just being fifty shades of coffee. If PG caf was in the center of town, it would soak up business like a Shamwow (dont knock it, one of those things absorbed my dog). Outside of the city center, PG Caf depends on its gimmick of also being a childrens jungle gym. I say dismiss your trepidation. Take that extra minute driving. Its worth it. And with prices bordering on reasonable, you wont be disappointed. Food: 5/5Service: 3.5/5Presentation: 4/5Value: 5/5Recommendation: 4.5/5THEY HAVE A CREPE MACHINE! SQUEEEE!

  September 15, 2016, 1:05 pm

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