Vancouver, Day 9: Chorizo, IKEA, and More

Coffee today was at Baguette and Company.  It was really good, but the pistachio danish was what really made the trip over worth it.

I decided I would try again at New Novelty.  I got there about noon, and saw the sign.  The lunch buffet was nine dollars.  I reached into my pocket, and pulled out eight dollars.  That was all I had brought with me.

I decided to walk a bit.  When I say 'a bit', what I mean is 'at least 45 blocks'.  After walking, I saw what looked to be a pub with the name "Slickity Jim's Chat n' Chew Cafe".  That sounded like a name for a combination of a strip club and an American Old West speakeasy.  So I thought to myself, "Okay, I'll go in there."

To my relief, there were no half-naked men or women in cowboy boots serving Prohibition-era absinthe.  It was, like many other questionably-named eateries, a hipster lair.

And what a hipster lair it was.  What set it apart from other dens of madness of these sorts was its food.  I had eggs and chorizo.  The chorizo was the best I've ever had.  I mentioned this to the waitress.  We talked briefly about the variations of chorizo, and when I was done, she said she'd pay for my meal.  I was taken aback, I didn't know the nuances of Mexican vs. Portuguese chorizo were even that interesting.  (I'm kidding of course; she actually said it was because I was really nice.)  I gave her double the usual tip, and decided to come back sometime.

Once I got home, I started making chana masala with the ingredients I bought at the Punjabi market the day before.  It turned out well; both Alex and Maria really liked it.

We then went to IKEA.  It's a Swedish chain, and expresses that fact quite visibly, complete with tourism ads on the walls for Sweden, Swedish truffles and chocolates available for purchase, and what else... ah yes.  A smorgasbord.

I had a Swedish apple cake, a shrimp and egg salad sandwich, and haddock and chips, which came out to about 11 dollars.  Not bad.

And with that, we went home to bed.