C Market Coffee is a new cafe that opened earlier this year in Coquitlam. Normally I wouldn’t venture that far out, however as one of the media judges for the Vancouver Foodster Brownie Challenge, I finally had a reason to check out this charming cafe that has been making waves on social media recently for their aesthetic interiors and delicious coffee and food.
C Market Coffee has an on-site roastery, a full open kitchen plus a coffee bar and dining area. It is spacious and beautifully appointed. They have a full menu of breakfast, brunch (served until 2 PM), lunch and tapa/dinner dishes.
The Lemon Blue Butterfly is hands down one of the most beautiful drinks I’ve ever had the pleasure of having. It tastes exactly like the VITA Lemon Tea tetra boxes of my childhood – but significantly upgraded. It is such a refreshing drink for a hot summer day.
Another drink I highly recommend is their Black Salt Cream Coffee ($5.50). It’s made with their Columbia Tolima espresso and it is absolutely delicious. The coffee is full bodied with a lovely nuttiness in flavour. It went beautifully with the slightly salted cream on top.
I started off brunch with the Smoked Salmon Bowl. This bowl is their riff on Cactus Club’s Tuna Poke Bowl/Modern Bowl. All the ingredients were very fresh and abundant. I couldn’t decide between the dressings, so I tried both. I preferred the charred scallion dressing over the Gochujang one because the Gochujang one leaned more towards the sweet side and I think the smokiness from the charred scallion dressing went better with the salmon.
This pasta dish is one of their chef’s latest creations. It’s a Korean-Italian fusion dish and it hit all the right notes for me. The creamy Alfredo-like sauce worked well with the saltiness from the bulgogi beef. The greens added a nice freshness to the dish and balanced out the heavier ingredients.
This dish was a definite show stopper when it arrived at our table. The chicken is breaded in cornflakes and extremely crispy and crunchy. The waffles are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. It is a hefty brunch dish and a steal at the price.
We ended our meal with the Brownie I came to judge. The dark chocolate brownie base was moist and full of chocolate flavour. The orange compote was packed with flavour and the cayenne was definitely not lost. Paired with a nice cup of their expertly prepared coffee and you’ve got yourself a delicious afternoon treat.
Overall, I really enjoyed my experience here. I was absolutely blown away by the coffee and pleasantly surprised by the level of expertise in their food dishes. Their coffee is outstanding and I’m already wanting to go back for their Black Salt Cream Coffee.
The service is friendly and prompt, and with their large variety of dishes on offer, there is something for everyone.
The only downside is that if you don’t live in Coquitlam, this cafe is quite a distance for most people. But, it is worth the distance to try at least one (and stock up on their coffee beans!)