Urban Explorations: Vancouver’s Tiny Tasty Grilled Cheese
You know when people describe a place as ‘just a hole in the wall’? Well, measuring about 100 square feet, Hi-Five is pretty much just that with a walk-up window narrower than a car door. Tucked into a tiny storefront at 22 Cordova St. E. in Gastown, you could easily walk right by Hi-Five. In fact, every time we go, someone does just that before doing a double take to see why we’re standing in front of a little window in an otherwise nondescript stretch of sidewalk. If they’re lucky, though, they’ll stop and order because in the case of Hi-Five, small size means big taste.
Hi-Five’s core crowd is late nights on Friday and Saturday. Though open for lunch Tuesday to Friday, midnight to 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays is prime time. Hi-Five’s owner and master grilled cheese chef, Corben, notes that late-night customers are particularly enthusiastic about their sandwiches (which makes up for the long nights). After all, when the bars close, is there any better way to end the night than with a grilled cheese on sourdough? For the staff of Hi-Five, a good late night moves into the ‘grill zone’ with a steady stream of hungry appreciative customers and lots of music to keep the flow going.
Corben keeps things simple with six variations on the ultimate comfort food. Things range from the TBT (American cheese and Sriracha) to the Melter Skelter (pepper jack, jalapeños, cilantro, and bbq chips inside). To make things even more comforting, you can get tomato soup and homemade pickles with your sandwich. Corben branched out into pickles because, as he notes, “it’s hard to find a decent pickle in this town.” Dubbed Brine Adams, these babies seriously crunch. Corben made the first batch with a couple of friends and they are almost sold out. If you missed them, don’t fret because he’s making an even bigger batch soon.
This is one of Vancouver’s best values, too. Show off in front of your friends and order the most expensive thing on the menu - $6.
No comments:
Post a Comment