With the official arrival of good weather this week, it’s time to dust off your bike or your blades or your runners and get out on the seawall.

Your reward for dragging yourself out of bed and into the great outdoors on a sunny Sunday morning? Brunch. But not just any brunch. Brunch on a warm patio with live jazz playing in the background. Perfect.

I love the location of TenTen Tapas. They have a spectacular patio. The thing that makes them special is the only traffic you’ll see going by is of the 2-wheeled and floating variety. Located right on the seawall just under the Burrard St Bridge on the False Creek side, TenTen Tapas is a great place to spend a lazy Sunday morning with some eggs and a couple of mimosas.

Image courtesy of Ken Stewart on Flickr

Starting this weekend, they’ll also be adding live jazz to their menu. Every Sunday, starting May 4, you’ll be able to chill to the smooth jazz stylings of Gabriel Hasselbach. If you still don’t have plans for Mother’s Day (the following weekend), might I suggest making a reservation?

Let’s talk about the food. TenTen recently had a change in chefs. Matthew Phillip took over in March, and like many young chefs, he’s obsessed with getting the freshest ingredients, and making things in-house. He’s planting an herb garden on the patio, and came with his own 8-yr-old sourdough starter.

The artisan bread (which, of course includes his starter) is not heavily tangy, and comes with one of his homemade jams. They include: blueberry anise, cherry cinnamon, blackberry lime, raspberry lemon, vanilla peach, and my favourite, strawberry mint.

TenTen is all about small plates, but the brunch is more of a traditional single portion, as opposed to smaller portions meant to be shared. They have many of your favourite weekend brunch dishes: a traditional eggs-bacon-toast-potatoes, a benny (on buttermilk biscuits), french toast (made with the artisan bread), oatmeal(served with warm spiced fruit), and a yogurt-and-fruit parfait.

For the more daring amongst you, they have a Breakfast Salad that includes potatoes, a crispy paneer cheese, cherry tomatoes, and pickled cucumbers on a bed of mixed lettuce, and served with two eggs on top. You may also want to try the Breakfast Sliders: brioche buns topped with bacon, avocado, tomato, aged cheddar and scrambled eggs. I really enjoyed the Breakfast Tacos: corn tortillas topped with avocado, tomato, pineapple and lettuce, with scrambled eggs. They are sauced with a chimichuri and a grand fir infused creme fresh.

No weekend brunch would be complete without a smoothie, or freshly squeezed orange juice, or a mimosa. You can get all three here.

Brunch at TenTen Tapas is all about Sunday morning relaxation: the music is laid-back, the food is simple but well-executed, and you can’t beat the view.

TENTEN TAPAS

Address:
#3–1010 Beach Ave (under the Burrard St. Bridge)
Vancouver, BC

Phone Number:
(604) 689-7800

Hours:
Monday to Friday: 11 a.m. to late

Saturday and Sunday: 10 a.m. to late

Website:
www.tententapas.com

Twitter:
@tententapas