如果有人發音不正確，把這家咖啡館的店名唸成Prada，我一點也不會意外。
甚麼樣的咖啡館，僅靠店裡大片的玻璃窗，一堵堵白牆，外加瀰漫在空氣中的咖啡香味，在咖啡館林立的溫哥華小義大利區(Little Italy)一枝獨秀，讓褐色液體的貪杯者天天前來報到，不願意踏入其他咖啡館？
Commercial Drive夾東三街的Prado就是有這樣的魅力。
諾大的落地玻璃窗被純白的窗框框著，鑲在暗磚紅色的外牆。穿過斗大的玻璃，從人行道上就可一眼看盡店裡坐得滿滿的低頭閱讀、滑動手機、敲打鍵盤的顧客，形形色色。再定睛往裡面瞧去，白牆潔淨有如新娘的容顏，潔白無瑕。這白，對這咖啡館的意義重大，從實體的白牆延伸到虛擬 — 咖啡館的官方網站只有一頁：咖啡館名稱和地址在一大片虛無空白中，其他甚麼也沒有；寫封email給老闆吧！唯一的郵件地址是 whitewallsforever@pradocafe.com。
真夠直白。
即便轉眼一瞥就可以看穿這家咖啡館的裡裡外外，推開貼有『Prado Cafe』玻璃門，你才會了解這家小咖啡館的魔力。儘管面積不大，座位有限，挑高的天花板讓身處期間的顧客有了呼吸的空間。慷慨的自然光充斥在每一寸空間，白牆、木柱、磚柱顯得更為立體；少了環境無謂的干擾，讓你在此咖啡館裡的所作所為更專注，更容易沉浸於咖啡味道。barista在櫃台後忙進忙出，兩鬢鬚青的義裔老闆Sammy Piccolo兩眼迥然有神，守顧著他的咖啡天地。
Prado Cafe採用的是大溫地區知名的49th Parellel咖啡豆。即便咖啡豆是如此普遍被採用，在Prado barista神奇巧手的烹煮下，受歡迎的程度不下於三個街區外自己烘焙咖啡豆的Continental Coffeel；木柱上幾座老闆歷年贏來Barista Championship 的獎座更是杯杯都是好咖啡的保證。
餐點的選擇即便不多，鹹甜口味皆足，任君選擇。試了火腿捲，濃濃的起司香伴隨火腿溢出；藍莓甜薑亞麻仁籽muffin味道更是獨特，不若一般muffin油膩。順手剝成小片，邊和友人聊天，邊咀嚼綿密如蛋糕口感以及稍硬帶有嚼感的薑丁，冬天裡享用，嘴裡心口都暖暖的。
小小的一畦咖啡田地，等你來體驗咖啡香，和白。
Prado Cafe
Add: 1938 Commercial Drive Vancouver BC
Phone: 604.255.5537
Website: www.pradocafe.com
Hours: 7AM~PM
Wifi: yes
Price: $
Wife: yes
should be “wifi?”
Sorry for the typo. It will be interesting if they provide wives… Haha
Sammy, the owner of this Cafe, is the yonger brother to the 49th Paraelle Cafe’s owner, Vince(the eldest brother). Vancouver called Vince the coffee guru…Piccolo’s brothers are very well-known in the coffe culture in Great Vancuver, or
internationally ~
Anyway, your lovely words & photos really made me eager to try Sammy’s Cafe though! ^ _ ^ Pauline
Hi Pauline, thanks for providing the information. Its so informative! i am curious why Prado won’t open 2nd store….. The cafe is so popular!
Yeah, Vince has been doing the coffee & business, with the “perfectism” = “as precise as possible” attitude, so I think Sammy is the same. Their passions are making the best coffee for every cup for the customer, and it’s not easy for this kind of high-standard to be muti-produced or francise-out! Actually, they were the founders of three famous “Caffe Artigiano” (3 shops), they’ve sold the business & shops to someone several years ago when the Artigiano were in the prime time.
However, Vince owns 2 Cafe now, on Main Street & W 4th, they are both very sucessful & super popular. And June of last year, he teamed up another partner to create the Lucky Doughnuts (I think you know that it’s crazily popular since it came out)! I love 49th Parelle coffee so much, partly beacuse of their seriousness and insistence! Anyway, I just had your blog showed on my friend’s(client’s) wall/Facebook and this is the first article that I’ve read from it. VERY NICE WORK! especially the great photos~ Thank you for sharing your work!
Pauline
Hi Pauline,
Once again I am shocked that you know so much about the culture/history of Vancouver coffee industry. Wonder if you are in this field?
One of my hobby is to visit coffee shops in Vancouver. I have visited more than ninety coffee shops so far. Yet there are too many I have not visited…. some are small and remote but really worthy spending time going there and have a sip. As an observer, I could feel the ambiance of the cafe and taste the coffee, but I never know the stories behind the counters and the bean roasting rooms. That’s why the stories behind the scene are so attractive to coffee shops goers like me.
49th Parallel coffee shops are among my favorite cafes, especially for the new one on west 4th Ave.
Thanks for your kind words on my blog. Really hope I could learn something new while I share my own life.
And you just did what I expected. Thanks again!