Date Posted: April 7, 2011
Print Edition: April 1, 2011
Go Go Beans
110 – 2653 Trethewy St, Abbotsford
By Amy van Veen (Staff Writer) – Email
In the newer strip mall on Trethewey and South Fraser Way lies a little eatery that offers customers much more than their Go Go Beans name suggest. Though the name elicits ideas of a take-away coffee place, lying inside that small space is an ample all-day breakfast, lunch and dinner situation. All-day breakfast is a hard thing to come by, and having it complimented by a homey atmosphere is even rarer.
From the outside, it looks like a tiny and awkward space, but the owners have made the most of their strip mall sized location. Go Go Beans offers four comfy armchairs, several tables, and a bar style table against the window. The walls are far from sparse, filled with photographs, artwork, and products, with the order-and-eat counter at the back of the store. They also offer wi-fi for those students wanting to grab a quick and inexpensive lunch in between classes but are sick of sitting in the caf surrounded by other people’s overlapping conversations.
The menu, as mentioned, offers all-day breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast includes several eggy options from Breakfast on a Roll for $3.95 to Eggs Benedict and Roasted Potato for $7.95. Lunch includes sandwiches, soup, or wraps for around seven dollars. Some of the more complex sandwiches come with a side of soup or salad, while the basic deli style options can have soup or salad added for a toonie. Dinner comes in three shapes and sizes: Chicken Cordon Bleu, Grilled Salmon, and Quiche with salad ranging from $6.95 to $8.95.
The espresso drinks are fairly standard coffee shop choices, but the teas are a little more involved. There is, of course, regular Orange Pekoe, but they also offer Mighty Leaf, Zhena’s Gypsy Tea, and Loose Leaf teas; not to mention the red espresso line that brings together the health benefits of Rooibos tea with the many options of espresso.
For only $3.95, I got a Red Espresso latte that would probably be about the same size as a Starbucks grande. The meal I ordered was a Black Forest Ham and Cheddar sandwich with a side of tomato soup. The sandwich wasn’t that much more complicated than Preserved Seed’s disappointing alternative, but with a few key differences, it was delicious. The bread was obviously fresh and hit that perfect middle ground between weirdly doughy and hard as biscotti. The cheddar was also obviously unprocessed, unlike the questionable ingredients of last week’s counterpart, and the black forest ham was delicious. All it needed was a some condiments and lettuce and it was exactly what a sandwich needed to be. The side of tomato soup seemed, at first, quite confusing because the Campbell’s line has taught me that tomato soup needs to be vibrantly red. What I saw in front of me, however, was rather yellowish and spotted with bits of red. Once tasting it, though, my fears were put at ease as the warm flavour of well-made soup filled with fresh veggie ingredients pushed aside any preconceived notions of the ruby red wannabes.
With treats, gifts, coffee, teas, books, chess, games, and hushed music playing, this little breaky, lunch, and dinner spot is sure to bring me back for more.
Open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Wednesday 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. for open jam night; Friday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. for jam night, closed on Sundays.
