Round-Up Cafe

Here I am, in Whalley again. Some people wonder why I am in Whalley so often. Well, to tell you the truth, it's not as bad as people make it out to be. Yes, there are the lingering issues that Whalley faces; but honestly it's fine. Moreover, there are some pretty good eats in the neighbourhood. Today, we ended up visiting a restaurant that has been here since 1959. The place is Round Up Cafe on King George near 104th. From the outside, it doesn't look like much except for the cute neon signage. Now if you have a chance to look inside, it is a real gem. A bit similar to the decor at Moderne Burger with a little less polish, Round Up Cafe is a classic diner. If it ever made it onto TV, it would be featured on such shows as Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

We were greeted by a very nice lady who I can only assume owned the place. It's hard to find a "real" diner with real people running it. Some places have the image of a diner; but are not really a diner at heart. This place does have character and heart. I ended up getting the Eggs Benny. Too bad they didn't use Canadian back bacon; but it wasn't a huge issue for me. The Hollandaise sauce was both plentiful and quite rich. The flavours were subtle; but I didn't detect a whole lot of lemon in it. No matter, it still was buttery goodness! Now, the egg was executed to perfection. With the whites completely cooked, the yolk was deliciously runny. That's how eggs should be poached. The last time I had a poached egg, it looked more like a boiled egg (that was at Brown's). The side of hashbrowns did their job, being no more or no less than what I expected. Waffle Guy had the Ham and 2 Eggs with a side of bacon. Included with the breakfast were hashbrowns and toast. You might be wondering what's so special about 2 eggs, toast, meat and hashbrowns. Well, despite the simplicity of it all, there are places that can actually mess this up. Not here though, the eggs were fluffly, the toast was nicely browned. The only negative was the bacon, it was not as crisp as Waffle Guy wanted it to be.

Another dish at our table was the Denver Omelet and it was loaded with filling. It was predictably prepared diner-style, so don't expect a French omelet here. It was served with hashbrowns and toast as well. For some odd reason, someone ordered Chicken Strips with Fries for breakfast. I shouldn't judge though because I've been known to eat whatever leftovers are in the fridge which have included ribs, pizza, lobster and tripe. Not much to say about the chicken strips other than they were tender and perfectly crisp. Fries were not bad too. The bottom line here is that the food is comforting, the service is honest and the prices are reasonable. Combine that with a nice retro decor, it's a cool place to grab some breakfast.

The Good:
- Solid diner food
- Friendly service
- It's comfort food

The Bad:
- When it's busy, food may take a bit of time