David Hawksworth’s Bel Café opens at Rosewood Hotel Georgia

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      David Hawksworth created considerable buzz when he opened his much-anticipated fine dining Hawksworth Restaurant last spring. Now, the restaurant has a more casual sibling.

      Bel Café officially opened today in the Rosewood Hotel Georgia at 801 West Georgia Street. The sparkling space is named after Hawksworth’s wife, Annabel, and it's styled after cafes in Europe. While you can order soups, sandwiches, coffees, and pastries to go at the counter, if you want to sit down, it’s full service all the way, even if you’re just having a coffee.


      On the corner of Howe and Georgia streets, the space has charcoal slate floors, wool banquettes, and zinc countertops. It boasts a shiny Mirage espresso machine and serves 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters and local SPOT Tea.

      The menu items are as gourmet as one would expect from Hawksworth. Sandwiches ($9.40 to $10.60) include one with roasted Berkshire pork, red cabbage, jalapeño, and house-made mustard. Another is filled with albacore tuna confit and a celeriac rémoulade. And there’s a vegetarian roasted butternut squash, Asian pear, arugula, and brie sandwich.

      The salads ($10 to $14) include a spicy green papaya chicken salad. Soups ($6.80 to $10) come in two sizes and two options: roasted tomato with Cheddar gougère or white cannellini bean with smoked bacon.

      Breakfast offerings include an organic-egg sandwich ($6.10) and house-made granola parfait ($5.60).


      And then, of course, there are the pastries and sweets. Made daily, the selection includes chocolate croissants, shortbread, lemon tarts, pound cakes, and macarons (black sesame and yuzu sounds interesting).

      The café is open weekdays from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and weekends 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

      Follow Carolyn Ali on Twitter at twitter.com/carolynali

      Comments

      3 Comments

      ger

      Nov 17, 2011 at 3:38pm

      Don't forget the fantastic view of the Occupy Vancouver site ...

      Anita K.

      Nov 21, 2011 at 10:44pm

      I found this place accidentally last week. The vegetarian sandwich is pretty awesome, especially considering other options in the same price range downtown!

      Adina

      Jan 19, 2012 at 11:39am

      I really wanted to like this place, it seemed like a good lunch hour option. But they were disorganized and there seemed to be predominating customer dissastifaction in the room. They have yet to develop a system that alerts the customer to the fact that it is table service. Many people ordered at the bar and took a seat which led to much confusion between staff members and the customers. They became suddenly very attentive to me towards the end of my meal making me feel as though I should rush to leave. Unfortunately my plate was taken away from me while I had a full mouth and the pickle I was saving for last still on it. I like the idea, it's a cute place, but I'll never go back.