A Canucks Breakfast: P.H.A.T. Deli

P.H.A.T. Deli

1055 Mainland St., Yaletown, Vancouver

Rumor has it that famed Vancouver Canucks goalie, Roberto Luongo eats breakfast at P.H.A.T. Deli on the morning of every Canucks home game. I’m not sure what he orders but I know when I visit P.H.A.T. Deli, I like to order their tasty smoked salmon benny on a plain bagel with a side of home style hash browns. I love that P.H.A.T. Deli serves their benny breakfast sandwiches on bagels rather than flimsy little English muffins. The toasted crispy and chewy bagel provides for a more substantial breakfast, and also works as a better absorbent to soak up all the runny egg yolk and creamy hollandaise sauce. They don’t skimp on the smoked salmon at P.H.A.T. either, a generous layer of smooth, silky salmon lox is nestled under each poached egg, smothered in hollandaise. You really get your money’s worth at P.H.A.T., their portion sizes are definitely fit for a hockey player.

A better example of P.H.A.T. Deli’s generous portions is in their deli sandwiches. Each sandwich is piled high with the freshest ingredients. And they really give you a wide selection of sandwich ingredients to choose from. My favourite thing about P.H.A.T. Deli is that they allow you to design your own sandwich from the bread (and they have a great bread selection from challah to rye) to the protein to the veggies, unlike Subway where there is already a set-menu of sandwiches, and you’re only allowed to select what kinds of condiments and vegetables you want. We ordered a Montreal smoked meat sandwich with all the veggies on toasted rye. The meat was incredible, not too salty, with a moist texture, complimented by all the fresh vegetables and the buttery avocado, this sandwich was the perfect combination of natural sweetness and saltiness, stacked between two pieces of soft rye bread.

Every time I visit P.H.A.T. Deli, I am always impressed by the attentiveness of the staff. Even if you aren’t designing your own sandwich, and opt to order off the menu such as ordering P.H.A.T.’s famous Reuben sandwich, the staff still take the time to ask what kind of bread you’d prefer, whether you would like it toasted, what kind of condiments, and what kind of sides you’d like.

Even the side dishes at P.H.A.T are scrumptious, and can totally be eaten on their own. The coleslaw is fresh and crunchy with the perfect amount of zing in the dressing. The hash browns are crispy around the edges and soft in the center, each bit of potato, nicely seasoned.

I will definitely continue to dine at P.H.A.T. and maybe one of these days I’ll even bump into Luongo.