Last autumn, WE broke the news of the coming of The Outpost Cafe at King Edward and Fraser. The owner, film veteran Katherine Reynolds, told us the 1100-sq.-ft., daytime-only 16-seater would be specializing in light meals, coffee and the item that really piqued my interest freshly baked biscuits.
After two visits, however, I know its wares only tell part of the story. The Outpost is first and foremost a welcome, independent reprieve from the Invasion of the Coffee Chains. With so many cookie cutter shot shops infiltrating our communities, places like The Outpost should no longer be taken for granted. But only if they are any good.
The two month-long reno executed with guidance from Le Faux Bourgeois owner/builder Stefan Gagnon has resulted in an airy, high-ceilinged space that is cozy and one-of-a-kind, providing an eclectic, mellow mix of tunes set at a tolerable volume, a wall lined with local art, racks of first rate magazines and easily accessible power outlets for those who have trouble logging off.
The Outpost serves the homey sort of fare one would hope to expect from a character-driven spot bereft of a kitchen hood vent. The simple asparagus cream soup was sizeable and piping hot. Cleanly flavoured and seasonal (local asparagus is blooming right now), it was cheap at $5.95, especially since it came with one of the flaky biscuits that The Outpost is becoming known for.
The bulk of the limited menu (due to limited kitchen equipment) is made up of sandwiches. Of the toasted variety, I enjoyed a provolone layered with ham and Dijon mustard on grilled whole wheat ($7.25). Theres also a straight-up grilled cheese done with cheddar and provolone that is spread with a not-too-strong garlic aioli ($5.75).
The rest are baguettes, seven in total. My wife shared a bite of her vegetarian number, and wow! I was not repulsed by its swampy mix of cucumber, avocado, mixed greens and lemony mayonnaise ($7.25). For my part, I went pork again the ham irresistibly hooking up with the crumbly-but-gummy asiago, the combined taste laying heavy with thick slices of tomato, plenty of crunchy, pungent red onions and an oil and vinegar wash sharply moistening the baguettes white innards to that tolerably spongy consistency that brings back memories of good wine and long evenings ($7.95). Pity they have no licence to sell alcohol!
In addition to the heartier lunch items, there are straightforward and wholesome breakfasts (anchored by the biscuits, which can be saddled with cheddar, chutney, organic preserves, brie or prosciutto), great coffee, a well-curated selection of organic, loose-leaf teas and enough homespun baked goods to sate the insatiable. The entire operation makes no strenuous demands of its guests to commit to anything but a sip here and a nibble there, making for a perfect café experience.
During the busy times at The Outpost theres a chance that the person who takes your order will also prepare your dishes and deliver them as well. That it all comes out in a timely fashion everything arrived staggered within 15 minutes in my last visit is made all the more impressive by the fact that the one or two-person crew has to deal with other takeaway customers as well. So top marks for speed and dexterity.
To the neighbourhood folk it attracts, The Outpost has quickly evolved into a third space, that attractive, elusive comfort zone that is neither home nor work. The staff are genuinely friendly, and the atmosphere they contribute to invites all who enter to unhurriedly take a load off and chill with something hearty and well considered. While there is some fairly decent Vietnamese pho nearby, Id never really felt all that compelled to venture so deep into the residential recesses of The Fraserhood before. I certainly do now.
In this, the Age of Starbucks, its sad that some areas of our city are made to suffer the absence of something comparable. Im familiar with a lot of the eclectic, well-meaning neighbourhood cafés that are all worth going to within the city limits. Theres Marche St. George off Main, the Everything Cafe in Chinatown, Finchs downtown, Arbutus Coffee in Kits, Little Nest off Commercial, Wicked Cafe on Fairview Slopes, The Wilder Snail in Strathcona and many more that Ive probably missed.
Still, there arent enough in a food-crazy city boasting a population in excess of 2 million people. Its not crazy to ask for more of these. So, pretty please?
3992 Fraser Street, 604-563-5008, TheOutpostCafe.ca
