Melriches Coffeehouse
Arieanna gives it *** (3/4 stars)
It was an ugly and rainy day here in Vancouver. My mom is visiting from Toronto for only a short time, so we decided to go out anyway. After doing some shopping at Urban Fare and around Yaletown, we headed to Melriches for coffee and a nice lunch.
At first, I was very pleased. It was a nice place with good seating, nice servers, and even a little bar area. I stuck with the drip coffee today, having a nice dark Cuban drip. I am not sure of their supplier, but I did enjoy the brew, saying something nice about their machines.
For lunch, we both had omelettes. I opted for the “healty” option listed, which was grilled veggies. Nice spinach, peppers and stuff. My mom had ham & cheese. One of the best omlettes I’ve had – I didn’t even need to ruin it with ketchup.
So, I walked out quite happy and pleased with my experience at Melriches. Until about a half hour later when my “fat-o-meter” stomach told me I had done something bad. After a couple hours of suffering, that “yummy” omelette had become my enemy. I am not sure of the source of the fat – maybe oil in grilling the veggies and some cream &/or butter in the eggs (hence its yumminess), but it’s not an experience I plan on again. So, if I venture back to Melriches I will stick to coffee and pastries.
Pros
Nice drip coffee
Good food selection – all day breakfast
Bar with tv area
Very open feeling in the layout
FatPort wireless
Cons
Far from healthy food – cut the fat!
Not the cheapest lunch food
Address: 1043 Mainland Street, Vancouver
Location: Mainland & Nelson, Yaletown
LOVE Melriches, but not the one in Yaletown. They actually have another location on Davie Street, around the SuperValu.
The Davie Street location is bustling and fun with nice wood tables. A totally different atmosphere. Not as big a menu, but they do the favourites. They make THE BEST veggie burger. Haven’t noticed much of a “fat-o-meter” but I’ve never gotten an omelette there. I have noticed a love for the mayo, though.
Melriches’ coffee is from Bean Around the World, a local roaster. I like them – used to live at the location on Cornwall when I lived in Kits. I was at their Main & 20th location on the weekend – worth a visit.
As usual, Melriches on Davie provides utterly terrible and rude customer service.
One time, one of the counter women became visibly upset when I asked of a decaf. She asked me how many shots I wanted and I politely replied that I wasn’t sure what she meant. I assumed that decaf was brewed along with regular coffee, instead of it being prepared as an Americano. She asked me again how many shots I wanted. I asked her how many would go into a decaf, she simply said: “It’s up to you”. I just wanted a decaf, not a special customized drink. I asked again, still in a very polite manner: “How many shots would go into a decaf?” She still wouldn’t just tell me how many shots go into a plain decaf. (In other places where decaf is prepared like an Americano, nobody ever asks how many shots are needed. It is just made to taste like a regularly brewed decaf.). My partner, having watched the non productive exchange between me and the counter person, intervened and asked how many shots were needed to make a decaf that tasted like a regularly brewed decaf. The employee turned her eyes and said with an obviously sarcastic voice: “I’ll just add two shots.” She then turned around, visibly upset, and started slamming things around and started making the decaf Americano. My partner said: “The attitude is not appreciated.” The employee dropped the cup and told the other counter person that she would be going for a break. So, the other employee finished preparing the decaf. This was a while ago and I swore to myself I’d never go back to Melriches ever again. Well, today was my friend’s birthday. He asked me to meet him at the Davie shop. I decided to go to give it an honest try and to indulge my friend. So, at about 1:10 pm on January 13, 2008, I was standing close to the counter, when one of the employees, a short woman with straight blond hair and a pony tail, put out her hand to motion us to get out of the way, so she could get through. She had an expression in her face that made her look surly and angry that we had the gall to be standing in her way. She didn’t bother to say “excuse me”, just like any professional employee at a coffee house would say in a similar situation. She just went by without saying a word. My friend was also bothered by your employee’s attitude and he commented on it. We left and went to the Davie Cafe instead. I can cite at least another two times when I was mistreated by your employees at the Davie shop. I am sure I am not alone in this feeling. I saw a comic strip in the Xtra West depicting a Melriches employee as close to psychotic. It would be nice if the owner cared about the people that you hired. All I have to say is that if their employees continue to behave in this manner, I will be very happy to see Starbucks putting this coffee shop out of its misery.