t wasn't so long ago that cafés served up a dependably good cup of brew. Now, in a frantic attempt to fight creeping coffee prices and make a few extra pennies on the public's daily habit, these old standbys are increasingly undependable, serving up bland coffee and noticeably less bang for our bean buck. Then there's the subject of unpredictable service. Say you not only want good coffee but, God forbid, a pleasant place to sit and enjoy it, good luck; surliness seems a prerequisite for serving jobs these days.

Thankfully, the Blue Parrot Café is an exception. A humble but wonderful hole in the wall on Granville Island, this is the place for a good chat and serviceable coffee with False Creek boats as a backdrop. The tidy interior is warm and inviting: none of that straining-to-be-hip coffee-bar pretentiousness.

The best part: this inconspicuous, delightfully lowbrow café actually churns out a damn good cup of coffee and the pastries are dazzling. The lattés are golden swirls of fine roast flavour, so well prepared that it’s worth the trip to the island. It's a prime location for such wonders, but that's the functional difference between this café and its on-continent counterparts: the Blue Parrot comes with an astonishing view. - S.W.