Vancouver's Dr. Espresso

GABRIELLA KLEIN

The bowl of borscht arrived at my table, bright purple as a Jimi Hendrix poster under a blacklight. It was brimming with julienned beets, slices of potato and accompanied with a huge dollop of sour cream on the side. I breathed in the aroma of beets and was immediately transported to childhood. This is the authentic Russian influence that Arkady Drialuk brings to Bean Brothers Café, Kerrisdale.

"Delicious!" I said, and I meant it.

He nodded knowingly, "This is the family recipe. We are cheating a little bit by not putting meat because so many of our customers are vegetarian. This is the absolutely traditional western Ukraine borscht and I salt the soup with my tears." He motioned to his eyes and we both burst out laughing.

Born in Hmelenitsky in western Ukraine, Drialuk moved to Israel, where he owned a restaurant before relocating here in 1995. He came here with his wife, Alla, daughter Kira and a passion for good coffee. Since settling in Vancouver, he and his wife have had another child, Fred, and they have dived headlong into the coffee business. Drialuk has been the proprietor of the Blue Parrot on Granville Island since 1995.

"The Blue Parrot was one of the original places in Vancouver that served espresso and I liked the location," he explained.

Upon acquiring Bean Brothers last year, Drialuk decided to give the place a complete facelift: "I did a complete renovation for better production, but I wanted to keep the neighborhood atmosphere."

By all appearances, the overhaul seems to be a success. On the Tuesday afternoon of this interview, the lunchtime crowd was made up of a cross section of the local population, from families with strollers to senior citizens enjoying the home-made muffins. The extensive menu boasts oven fresh pizza, a variety of salads and huge sandwiches. There is even a beer and wine menu to go with dinner and, since the doors don't close until 11 p.m., this is the perfect for that late night, cozy meal.

"All our baking is made from scratch," said Drialuk. "The bakers begin at 3 a.m. and, when the doors open at 5:30, everything is fresh. People are addicted to the muffins and scones; some even coming from North Vancouver. You can't get heartburn when it is so fresh." He delivered a few comments like this with a deadpan face and a vibrant Russian accent and it took a moment to realize that Drialuk is almost always joking.

In seriousness, Drialuk said, "Immigration is difficult, because you leave your motherland. That is why they call it 'mother.' You have to be a strong person and it is important to come to a city like Vancouver because it is so multicultural and beautiful. I received a warm welcome from the Jewish community and became an active supporter of the JCC and Chabad. I am a traditional person."

He motioned for me to follow him behind the coffee counter, where dozens of brightly colored bags of beans from every corner of the globe sat, awaiting their turn to be turned into a perfect cup of coffee.

"Coffee is my passion," he enthused. "I grew up with coffee in my childhood home and I feel very strongly about how the coffee is prepared. I was surprised when I came to Canada at how new the espresso drinks were here. I want to improve the culture of traditional espresso drinking on the West Coast. Training is the key to a good espresso shop. I spend an average of two months training before a barrista can serve my coffee."

Drialuk holds the small white cup underneath the spout of the espresso machine with the deft hands of somebody who is at home.

"The main challenge," he said, "is to give the right training so that the coffee is prepared the right way. Look at the foam on this coffee. This is real." The double stream of rich, brown liquid created its own creamy foam and emitted a sweet, dark scent.

Bean Brothers carries close to 40 types of beans at any given time, most of which are organic and free trade, including the Café Feminino brand, which is grown, harvested and sold exclusively by women in Latin America. In less than a decade, Café Feminino has helped more than 5,000 women in eight countries, not to mention unleashing some of the tastiest coffee from that region.

On Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 6:30 p.m., Bean Brothers will be hosting the co-founder of Café Feminino, Gay Smith. For $10, the lecture evening will include a raffle and music by Tony Bosley. Drialuk will be serving espresso from Café Feminino's new Mexican harvest, snacks and, of course, highly addictive muffins. Everyone is encouraged to come out in support of the work being done by and for the women in countries like Peru, which results in the aromatic cup of coffee that Drialuk put into my hand.

"So, try this and tell me, what do you think?"

I sipped the strong coffee and smiled.

"It's good. Very, very good."

"And don't forget," he added, "we have bunches of fresh newspapers to read, too."

I detected a twinkle in his eyes and an imperceptible smile as he waved his hand across the warm room.

Gabriella Klein is a Vancouver actor, writer and entertainment producer. Originally from Budapest, her wanderlust took her to Cuba recently, where she made her debut short documentary 50 Years and Swinging Strong. She will participate in the International Storytelling Conference of Havana in 2009.

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