Moii Cafe

Moii Café
(free wifi)
2967 West Broadway

This little café is located on Broadway and Carnavon St, sandwiched between a sushi take-out joint and Shoppers Drug Mart. Despite of its limited space, it still manages of getting a petite patio for people watching the world go by. I accidentally discovered this place when I was visiting a used bookstore across the street. And as dinner time rang in, I thought I might go in and have a peek.

Moii Café is a Japanese crepe and tea lounge. My first impression when I stepped in was its tidiness and cleanness. Clean surface and crepe making station, organized counter and shiny espresso machine. Three lovely paintings hung on the wall, fine wooden floor and dining tables fill the air with low-key and homey senses. They also have a take-out window so you can order from there and sit in the patio while waiting for your food. I decided to dine-in. Ayumi, the only barista working that evening, greeted me with friendly smile and a typical Japanese bow.



The tea & beverage selection at Moii Cafe is very girly and Japanese influenced. Aside from the ordinary black tea and coffee beverage, it provides an extensive selection of fruit and milk tea, including mint chocolate milk tea, green milk tea (very Japanese) and coffee almond milk tea. They also have fruit smoothies as well as a Japanese sugar drink, Calpis. With extra 50 cents, they can turn a slush into bubble tea. It is a perfect place for afternoon tea and snack. I opt for lavender milk tea ($4) out of curiosity.

Their savory crepe section is pretty safe and traditional – ham, mushroom, sausage, spinach & feta with or without cheese/egg. Sweet crepe selection, however, does have a few interesting ingredient combos aside from the boring banana and nutella – nutella + marshmallow, mango + condensed milk and banana + sugar + lemon juice. The crepe menu also comes with two columns of specialty savory and sweet crepe, among which I chose Granville Island savory crepe ($8.75), consisted of sun-dried tomatoes, olive, spinach, sesame and cheese.

6:30 pm on a Wednesday evening, there were few people dropping by this café. I was the only one dining in, although two girls walked in when I was about to leave. A generous glass of beige colored lavender milk tea came to my table first. The lavender taste is very subtle, and I actually noted some lavender seeds in the tea. It has a natural and not excessively sweet taste, which I adore. The crepe looks cute with sprinkled dried lemon leaves atop. It also came with a little tasty side salad. The crunchy and refreshing nature of the salad is a perfect balance of the creaminess of the crepe. I like nice surprises like that.
The crepe tasted fresh, warm and homey. The milk tea actually goes well with the creamy crepe. With nice soothing bossa nova playing in the background, I think it is an ideal place for students and people work with laptops, also a small group of friends having an afternoon chat. Vancouver is a city full of coffee shops and highly caffeinated fellows. Every newly opened Starbucks is immediately filled with people, making me wonder where these people went before Starbucks came along. It is nice to have a little café that does not just offer coffee, muffin and sandwiches, and there is something refreshing about it to have a cup of milk tea and fresh strawberry white chocolate crepe as afternoon snack, before the sun sets.

P.S. As I walked out, I noticed that Moii Café also serves breakfast daily 8 AM – 11 AM. With $7.99, you can choose any three listed items, and the deal includes toast, salad and a cup of Americano (not just regular brewed coffee) or tea. I might try sausage, corn and tomato next time when I come by for brunch.