By Nick Ubels (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: September 26, 2012
Unit A-3 44335 Yale Road West
Chilliwack, BC
V2R 4H2
Hours: Monday to Saturday 5:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Sundays & Holidays 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Price range: $7 to $12
Saturday afternoon in Chilliwack, in a non-descript warehouse and industrial district, three friends walk into an unassuming little restaurant tucked away under the awning of M.Y. Mini Storage. Surprisingly, the place is nearly full of customers seated in fold-up tables and chairs scattered across the rectangular dining area that backs onto an open cutlery, coffee and condiment counter with a window to the kitchen. We seat ourselves at one of the few open tables near the middle of the room and flip over our coffee cups, the universal signal to fill ‘er up.
“So what’ll you kids have today?” asks the waitress.
Cookies Grill is a bustling truck stop diner just off highway one, replete with all day breakfast, salt of the earth clientele and an ambiance that favours practicality over style or luxury. Far from a fine dining experience, Cookies does offer a wide variety of quality breakfast and lunch dishes in a large foldout menu. I was already overwhelmed by possible selections before my friend pointed out that I had forgotten to fold out an additional two pages of lunch choices. I almost fell out of my chair.
In addition to almost every imaginable breakfast item, Cookies boasts a formidable lunch menu that includes wraps, burgers, sandwiches, shepherd’s pie, and perogies among other plates.
Rather than run screaming from the restaurant at the debilitating prospect of having to choose from such an impressive range of possibilities, I trusted my instincts as a staunch breakfast enthusiast in an all-day breakfast joint. I opted for one of the daily specials: the triple-cheese omelet. The omelet arrived accompanied by two strips of bacon, shredded hash browns and sour dough toast, the latter two being my choices from a variety of sides.
The plate wasn’t spectacular or groundbreaking—some of the grated cheese that garnished the top of the omelet remained unmelted and the bacon was fairly unremarkable—but it was a satisfying, home-style meal that staid my hunger until well-past the dinner hour. Cookies doesn’t aim to wow anyone, but its reliably good, hearty dishes and casual atmosphere lend it an undeniable, modest charm. It specializes in comfort food, yet it manages to avoid the collateral messiness that seems to plague every other greasy spoon by maintaining a spotless dining environment. The downside of this is a relatively spartan decor. Sorely missing are the fascinating antique store oddities that often litter the walls of the best diners, traded in for mocha shaded walls. That said, Cookies seems content to let its food speak for itself.
The service is conversational, dependable and down-to-earth. And as a bonus, coffee is complementary with any of their regular breakfast dishes, meaning no surprises when the bill comes around, unless you want a good surprise of a U-Pass discount.
Cookies is the perfect way to start an early day, end a long night or catch a satisfying home-cooked lunch to help power through a big afternoon study session. Be sure to keep the coffee flowing, though, to ensure best intentions aren’t thwarted by an unavoidable post-meal nap.
