Loam Bistro brings terrarium charm and elevated brunch to Lower Lonsdale
The North Vancouver spot offers seasonal menus, a signature bone marrow omelette, and a summer refresh featuring watermelon salad and yuzu mist tea.
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Just off Lower Lonsdale on Esplanade, Loam Bistro has opened as a intimate new brunch destination, its storefront marked by oversized bubble letters visible from the street.
The space feels like stepping inside a terrarium—flowers and foliage drape from ceiling to walls in soft pink tones. A single painting of a labradoodle in Van Gogh style nods to Simba, the restaurant's designated CEO and the owners' dog.
The menu balances richness with restraint. The Tiramisu French Toast arrives as an espresso-soaked brioche slab iced with mascarpone cream, cocoa powder, and anglaise. The Lobster Benny pairs butter-poached lobster on a brioche bun with egg, house hollandaise, and bright orange roe. The standout—the Bone Marrow Omelette—features a flawlessly folded egg filled with tender beef, resting in coconut gravy alongside slow-cooked chuck roast cradled in split bone, marrow intact.
Co-owner Honoka Saito explained the restaurant's name: "We're told it's the name of a soil that's one of the best for growing plants and food. We thought this was a fitting name for our first restaurant, which will hopefully grow into more."
July's "Summer Refresh" menu features the Watermelon & Labneh Salad with whipped labneh, fresh watermelon, cucumber ribbons, arugula, feta, pistachios, and honey-mint dressing. The Mango Yogurt Bowl layers Greek yogurt with mango purée, seasonal fruit, granola, chia seeds, and honey. The Yuzu Mist Iced Tea combines O5 Misty Mountain Black Tea with yuzu marmalade and star anise for a bright citrus finish.
Weekday brunch hunters can take advantage of Happy Hour from 9 to 11 a.m., offering smaller portions at discounted prices. Loam is located at 230 West Esplanade, North Vancouver.