A Latte for Here Please Part 7: Lost and Found Cafe

33 W Hastings St 
Vancouver, BC  

Overall Rating for Staying In (poor, fair, good, very good, excellent):

Caffeinated beverages- Good
(see below)

Food- Very good
(see below)

Space- Excellent 
(very large space with a variety of tables to suit all needs, very inviting and relaxed feel)

Table availability- Excellent
(even with the lunch crowd, there were still a ton of empty seats because of the sheer size of this place)

Seat comfort- Excellent
(again, a lot of variety of seats, most with cushions)

 Laptop plug-ins- Excellent
(lots spread out all around the room)

Internet connection- Excellent
(password protected, fast)

Attitude toward "perchers"- Excellent
(staff were all very inviting, brought my drink and food to my table, felt as though I was welcome to hang out all day)

If you are wondering why you have not heard of this new little Gastown gem, it is likely because it has only been open for about 7 weeks.  They do not yet have a website, but do have a nice Facebook page that has beautiful photos of their food and artwork that adorns its walls.  The owner travelled extensively in the developing world prior to opening this cafe.  He is also a philanthropist who started an organization called "The Dirty Wall Project"(check out the blog at http://dirtywallproject.com/blog/ for more info).  The place is has a very unique concept- a place to relax and enjoy great food, while learning more about the developing world through travel books, magazines and even videos shown on a huge projector on the back wall.  There is also a little "charity section" at the side selling products made by charities and women's groups from a number of different third-world countries.  While the philanthropy aspect of the store certainly has a presence, the cafe does not have a "preachy" sort of feel and customers are left to explore this more to whatever extent they wish, or just cozy up and enjoy the food and drink.

My first request of the morning was my staple- an almond milk latte.  I was very pleased to see that they use local coffee (Republica Roasters in Fort Langley) and, as always, was happy they offered almond milk as an option.  When my latte was ready, they brought it right to my table with a smile (how nice!). While there was a nice layer of foam on the top and it had lovely latte art, it had a bit of a burnt taste.  Overall though, the expresso was smooth and it certainly gave me my morning buzz:)

Next, my thoughts turned to food, and luckily, there was plenty to choose from at Lost and Found.  There is a wide assortment of buns and cinnamon rolls (made fresh daily, from the owner's grandma's recipe apparently), cookies and other treats, plus a whole lunch menu with sandwiches, soups and salads (you can create your own using over 20 ingredients).  I was really yearning for a yogurt parfait, and lucky me, they had this too:)  Again, it was hand-delivered to my table and came in a nice glass.  Although it may not look all that sizeable, looks are deceiving as this little cup is full of tons of goodies.    Vanilla yogurt makes it a bit sweeter than others I have tried but not overly so.  The granola is chock full of nuts (whole hazelnuts and walnuts!) and raisins.  At the top is a lovely layer of coconut, cranberries and dried apricots.  Who knew so much could fit in such a little glass!  I left with a very satisfied tummy:)

I also took some chocolate chip oatmeal cookies to go (could not resist!) which were crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside, and not too sweet.  Just the way I like them!

I will definitely return to Lost and Found.  Not only is it the perfect place to punch in a solid morning's work, it also has amazingly friendly staff and great food offerings.  Next time, I hope to have a bit more time to check out the philanthropic aspect of the cafe to really get the full experience.

What a great addition to Gastown's ever growing food scene!  Be sure to check it out for yourself!